When & how to apply for grants

After learning WHO you can apply to for a grant, as well as WHAT goes into a request, you need to tackle the HOW and WHEN questions. We outline them both in this episode…

First let’s talk HOW…

📫#1 = Some, you send in the mail

🖥️ #2 = Increasingly, more are going to online applications

Note: don’t discount “mail in.” Those are the ones for which we’ve received some of our highest awards.

Next, let’s talk WHEN…

📌 #1 = Anytime applications (send at any point in the year)

📌 #2 = Specific time applications (some foundations take requests only at designated times)

(Also, some foundations require “permission to apply.”)

How do you tackle this and then manage it?

Here’s a pro tip that will help:

👉 Make a calendar of when each of these are due.

👉 Fill in the “specific due dates” first and then back-fill the gaps with those which have no deadline— such that you send out the same amount of grants each month, keeping the workflow the same.

Let’s go a step further…

7 suggestions related to the above:

#1 = Make a master list of grant makers— and add to it constantly.

#2 = Make a note of how much you think they will give, the kind of applications they require (online or mail-in), and other things you learn about them.

#3 = Review your list each month— and work on the “next month” that is due (i.e., if grants are due September 15, work on them August 1).

#4 = Spend 1-2 days per month doing nothing but grant requests— all day.

#5 = Keep good records of what you apply for— and what they accept / reject.

#6 = Follow-up with everyone (they generally tell you how long it takes to get a decision), so you can build a relationship the “gate-keepers.

#7 = Send the same— or similar— grant requests to all grant makers.

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The 5-part nonprofit framework highlights the core areas you need to address to move the mission forward:

⚙️ Path (or program) = what clients do, what they’re taught, how you impact the people you serve

⚙️ People (job descriptions, staff expectations) = clarity for both paid staff and an army of volunteers alike

⚙️ Proceses = policies, procedures, and more… so the mission can move forward without micromanagement

⚙️ Place = the environment or culture you set (because it’s not only WHAT we do that matters but also HOW we do it)

⚙️ Purse = your funding strategy (because it takes money to fund the mission and you can only run the mission as far as they money will fuel it)

Links for this talk

Free access to the grant template = ttps://www.amplifyonline.info/GPP 

How we can help nonprofit leaders— the framework = www.AmplifyOnline.info/501c3 

The “Grant-Making Machine” on-demand course, with worksheets, templates, etc. = https://www.amplifyonline.info/GMM 

Need help? Let’s talk = www.AmplifyOnline.info/talk