Embarking on Research

These images are from my first research trip to my local library branch, Martha Cooper, to use the grant database. I like this branch in particular because the architecture is exciting, especially at night.

All members of the grant writing group began by viewing one of the free online webinars hosted by the Foundation Center. I watched “Grantseeking Basics” and found it to be helpful in formulating a broad understanding of grants and what grantors look for, as well as an introduction to some research methods. Below, is also an answer to one of our questions.

Foundation Center “Grantseeking Basics” Webinar

Highlighted Points of Interest:

http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/training/webinars/gsb_webinar.html

Foundations make up about 13% of private giving. Private giving is about 13.7% of total revenue for nonprofits.

What funders look at to decide if they will give support to an organization:

Phase 1:

-Does the organization have legal nonprofit status – 501 (c)(3)

-What is the mission of the organization? Needs to be compelling!

-Does the organization have a board of directors?

Phase 2:

-What documentation does the organization have to show what they have done before and the results?

-Does the organization have a history of success?

-What leadership/organizational structures are in place so that once the money is allotted the organization will use it effectively?

Phase 3: Is it a perfect fit?

-Does the mission of the organization fit with the mission of the funder?

-Does the organization serve a particular community/population the funder concentrates on? (Often funders address specific issues in a specific geographic area.)

-Does the type of support requested match what the funder wants to give? (ex. seed money, research money, money to continue an established project)

-Is the amount requested within a range the funder gives?

-Does the funder know exactly how the money will be used and exactly how much is being requested? The more specific the better!

Tips for searching for matches:

- Using the Foundation Center’s database to look up by issue, and type of funding

- Get a list of the grants made by a foundation and how much they have given in the past 2-3 years. All foundations are required to disclose what grants they make to the IRS. Does this history match your nonprofit’s needs? (Foundation Center has search engine for this).

Research findings addressing the question:

What is the difference between larger grants and smaller project grants?

A project grant is one type of support that a grantor may give. In addition to grantors supporting certain causes aligned with their mission, they can also be specific in the type of support they want to give. For example, a foundation may be interested in supporting research, the purchase of real estate, or evaluation of a program. Project grants, referred to as “Program development” by the Foundation Center, is defined in their directory as, “Grants to support specific projects or programs as opposed to general purpose grants.” General purpose grants are defined as, “Grants for the day-to-day operating costs of an existing program or organization or to further the general purpose or work of an organization; also called “unrestricted grants.”

To see the source for this information and to get more information about types of support go to: http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/html/tos.html