Determining if a Grant is Right for You
Have you ever looked at a Call for Proposals and thought ‘Does our work actually fit with this funding opportunity?’ Everyone wants their time spent grant writing to be efficient - and let’s be honest - successful. Sometimes, however, it can be challenging to know whether or not to apply. Here are some tips to help you decide whether a grant application is worth your time.
Mission Statements. Does your mission and the funder’s mission align? Examine the funder’s website for their organizational mission statement and compare it to yours. Are they working towards the same goals as your organization? Are they serving the same or similar populations as you are? Are they focused on the same geographical area as your organization? Foundations are most often looking to support charities that they feel are aligned with the changes that they want to see in the world. The closer aligned you are with their mission, the better your chances are for success.
What kind of funding are you seeking? While it may seem obvious, you will want to carefully check the kind of funding that is being proposed by the funder – especially because sometimes the answers are buried in the fine print. Check the grant application guide (if available) or the funder’s website carefully to determine what they fund – capital, project, or operating funds are some of the main options. Ensure that their call for proposals is aligned with what you are seeking to fund. You don’t want your application rejected because you ask for playground equipment whereas they only want to fund the staff to supervise playtime.
How long will the application take you? Before you decide to apply, it pays to review the whole application, and the application guide, to determine if it will be worth your time. Reviewing the application questions will help you to determine how prepared you are to complete the application. Reviewing the application guide will inform you about the kind and depth of answers you will be required to complete. Will you have to create all of your answers from scratch? Do you have previous grant applications that you can easily draw from? How many community partners does the application require – and do you already have good relationships with the ones you might choose? How many attachments are required, and do you have them quickly accessible? You will need to balance how long it will take you or your staff to complete the application with the possible funding amount to be gained.
These tips will help you decide if a grant is a good fit for your organization to pursue. But remember, our expert team at YellowTree is always here to help if you’re short on time and/or resources to do it yourself!