Methods and Strategies for
Finding and Acquiring Grant Funding
The following are suggested methods and strategies for finding and acquiring grant funding. Information is derived from the Foundation Center at http://foundationcenter.org.
The Research Process
1. Compile a list of agencies that will most likely support your proposed activities.
a. Determine their likelihood for support by examining their
mission, funding objectives, geographic area of support, and
recent grantees.
b. Review the funding source's public records (IRS returns, annual reports, and printed guidelines).
2. Determine your funding approach.b. Review the funding source's public records (IRS returns, annual reports, and printed guidelines).
a. The Subject Approach: Finding funding sources that specialize
in the subject area of your proposal.
b. The Geographic Approach: Finding funding sources that target resources to your geographic area (city, county, state).
c. The Types of Support Approach: Finding funding sources that provide monetary support in a distinct way (seed money, building funds, operational money).
3. Network with organizations of similar grant interests and
inquire about specific funding sources they have utilized.b. The Geographic Approach: Finding funding sources that target resources to your geographic area (city, county, state).
c. The Types of Support Approach: Finding funding sources that provide monetary support in a distinct way (seed money, building funds, operational money).
a. Contact these agencies directly or visits their websites to
determine eligibility requirements and current grant
opportunities.
The Proposal Process
4. Begin the process by engaging in these preliminary activities:
a. Commit your ideas to paper
b. Thoroughly describe your program
c. Create a concept paper
d. State the goals and objectives of your program
e. Construct a timeline
g. Plan an evaluation for your program
h. Write a job description for program staff
5. Formally construct the necessary components of a
proposals, including:b. Thoroughly describe your program
c. Create a concept paper
d. State the goals and objectives of your program
e. Construct a timeline
1. Always be cognizant of impending deadlines.
f. Estimate costsg. Plan an evaluation for your program
h. Write a job description for program staff
a. Executive summary
b. Statement of need
c. Project description
d. Budget
e. Organizational information
f. Conclusion
6. Review individual grant applications to ensure your
proposal includes all documents required by the funding
organization.b. Statement of need
c. Project description
d. Budget
e. Organizational information
f. Conclusion