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Have you ever had a big project you
needed to start, but didn't know what to do first? Perhaps it is something
which required a lot of labor, like landscaping your yard or remodeling your
house. When you undertake a project of this magnitude, it's not uncommon to
feel overwhelmed and discouraged by the amount of work which needs to be
done. But once you find a starting spot and get things going, it seems all
to fall in place.
That's just the way you need to think about a grant proposal.
If you have ever considered applying for a grant but were intimidated by the
rather lengthily and complicated procedure, then maybe you need a little
help finding a place to start. Once you get your feet on the road, you'll
find the journey much easier than you imagined.
Let's go back to the comparison between writing a grant proposal and
remodeling your house. If you were going to remodel, lay down new carpet and
reupholster the sofa-you wouldn't start by ripping up the old carpet. Nor
would you begin by slapping a new coat of paint on the walls or tearing down
the old drapes. In fact, you would probably begin the project by taking out
your Yellow Pages and looking under Home Improvements.
This would give you a good idea which stores offer the kind of price range
of these goods will be. Once you have a clear idea of what is available, you
can call each store to talk to the salespeople and see if they had what you
were interested in. Only after making this initial contact would you take
the effort to drive down to the store and make a purchase.
So, like that home improvement project, receiving a grant starts with a
little research. First you'll want to determine what is available. Then you
need to make initial contact with the agency or foundation and see if your
need for money fits their guidelines. Once that's done, you will find it
easier to complete your proposal and obtain a grant.
Begin by going to the Yellow Pages of grants: The Foundation Directory. You
can find this book in the reference section of your local library or, if you
live in a rural area, you may need to travel to a larger public library in
the nearest major city. In this lengthily directory you will find
descriptions of every private grant foundation in the United States. By
reading through these listings you will find grants for every purpose you
can imagine, from education to artistic projects, scientific research to
projects to help the homeless. You will also learn what kind of funding the
foundations provide to these projects-some will offer a few hundred dollars,
while others will give thousands and even millions of dollars a year.
There is another Yellow Pages for government money: The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance. Like the Foundation Directory, The Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance lists every source of free money given away by the
government, and the number of causes funded by private foundations is
dwarfed by the scope of government grants.
While looking through these grant listings, jot down the addresses and phone
numbers of any foundations or government agencies which look promising along
with any other important information. Later, you will be able to access this
list easily rather than having to go back through the entire book.
Now you have a list of initial contacts for your grant needs, much like you
would have after glancing through the Yellow Pages for your remodeling
needs. Next, you need to get a little more information about the foundations
on the list just as you would about the hardware stores. But how do you do
that? In the case of the home improvement stores, you would pick up the
phone and call them. Unfortunately, you cannot make a phone call to most
grant foundations and calling government agencies is an effort which is
abortive as often as it is productive, but you can write a letter to them.
This letter, referred to as a "letter of inquiry," will be your first
contact with the foundation. It is your way of reaching out and shaking
hands with the foundation director and introducing yourself. In order to
make a good impression, keep this letter brief and to the point. Being long
winded or redundant will only start you off on a bad foot.
Many people are rather hesitant to compose this letter even though they
stand to lose nothing and given thousands of dollars. Perhaps the reason is
because they are not sure exactly what should be included in the letter.
When putting your letter inquiry together, be sure to include:
* Your name, address and phone number
* A brief introduction and description of your project or need for money.
* A Request for the foundation's annual report and grant application.
* A request for a list of previous grant recipients, a sample grant proposal
and the foundation's tax returns form the previous year.
The annual report is sort of a prospectus for the grant foundation. Reading
it, you will learn exactly what the foundation gives money away for, how
extensive your proposal will need to be, how much money they give away to
particular projects, and when the applicant deadline is.
Although not all foundations make the information available, if you can
obtain a list of past recipients and a sample successful proposal you will
be ahead of the game because you will have concrete examples to guide you.
Or, you can contact the past grantees and inquire what they did to set their
proposal or project above the others. With this information, you can hardly
go wrong when you begin to write your own proposal.
Once you have your letter ready, send it out to every grant foundation you
feel you might be eligible for. By sending one letter to each foundation,
you will assured of a large volume of responses.
Soon the material you requested from the foundations will begin appearing in
your mail box. When you read through all of these papers, you will discover
that some foundations are not what you thought they would be, while others
do not fund projects exactly like yours. However, you may discover that some
of them are willing to give money. In fact, it shouldn't be too long before
you have a list of at least a dozen foundations that are likely grant
givers. It is to these you must send your finished grant proposal.
LENDING A HELPING HAND
"But I don't qualify for any of these grants!" That's one of the most common
complaints uttered by grant seekers when paging through the Foundation
Directory or The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance, and sometimes it's
very valid. After all, most grants are very specialized, and many are not
available to individuals. However, it's hard to imagine, with the huge
variety of grants that are available, that someone is not eligible for any
of them.
Most likely is the situation where, after receiving a grant, an individual
might want to find another method to cash in on the process. It seems a
shame to let all of that experience and research go to waste on a single
grant.
So, rather than worrying about the fact that you have used up all your time
and energy on one grant just for yourself, perhaps you should look into
becoming a grant broker. Working as a grant broker, you will be acting as a
middleman for nonprofit agencies looking for funding, and for government
and/or private grant sources which have money to give away.
There is a common misconception about nonprofit companies: Most people seem
to think that they cannot engage in any activity which brings in cash. In
reality, the nonprofit status simply means that the company cannot disperse
its profit as bonuses among its employees. They can make money, pay regular
salaries to their employees, advertise, and reinvest their profits by
putting them back into the corporation.
The first thing to understand about being a grant broker is how to make
money. Many first-time grant seekers imagine that a grant broker would do
well charging a commission, or a percentage of the total grant awarded. This
is true. So true, in fact. that it is illegal for grant brokers to collect a
commission. instead, they must charge a set fee for their services and
collect only that amount. While this may seem somewhat limiting, it has one
advantage: You will be paid whether or not you secure a grant for your
nonprofit company.
You already know about your grant sources, so you'll need to research the
other half of the equation: the nonprofit organizations in your area. There
are two basic types of nonprofit groups which you will be able to help with
your grant-seeking efforts-charities and social action organizations.
charities are any group whose main goal is to help human beings (the
homeless, the poor, the handicapped) with their efforts. Social action
organizations are groups involved with issues like animal rights, political
decisions, the environment, etc.
As a grant broker, you must contact several of the nonprofit groups in your
area and convince them that you can assist them in efforts by securing grant
funds for them. The first contact can be made by simply using your free
money letter; they will send you information about the organization and you
will be able to determine if you are interested in finding financing for
them. Or, if you are more confident about your grant-winning ability, you
can introduce yourself and your service in the letter.
Once you have attracted the interest of the nonprofit group. you can either
collect a small "finder's fee" for giving them a list of grants that they
are eligible for and let them apply for the money themselves, or you can
charge a bit more and write the grant proposal for the group yourself. Many
nonprofit groups will insist on you doing this.
Remember, when approaching the nonprofit group, your grant experience is
your resume. If you have secured a grant for yourself, tell them about it.
If not, tell them that you have spent time researching grant sources and the
application process. Once you have successfully secured grants for a few
nonprofit groups, you will find that others will be much more receptive to
your brokerage business. Some may actually seek you out and treat you very
obsequiously. Your knowledge and experience are very important to them.
ONE FINAL WORD OF ADVICE
If traditional sources of grant money haven't been working out, a final
possibility might be corporations. Large companies often give money for
public projects. Many of these companies already have their own foundations
(i.e. the Ford Foundation), but others may have programs which are not
specifically mentioned in the Foundation Directory.
If you think you have a project which might interest a corporate
philanthropic program, consider all the major companies in your area. Many
corporate programs are geographic in nature, that is, they may apply mainly
to the region in which the company has a major base of operations. Unfold a
map of your area and draw a 25-mile radius circle around your house.
Then consider all the major industries which fall into all circle and start
writing. If none of these attempts pan out, you can start trying other
companies at progressively farther distances away. As a last resort, try
large companies out of state. Exhaust all possibilities, and always remember
that the money may not be where you think it is.
Once you compose your letter of introduction, you may be wondering who to
send it to. Here is a brief list of grant foundations to which you can mail
your letter. If you'd like more information, check The Foundation Directory
in your local or The Secrets Of Getting Free Money by Tim Darth
FORD FOUNDATION
320 East 43rd St.,
New York, NY 10017
Contact: Barron M. Tenny
Information: Money given for projects associated with research, training and
other activities related to urban poverty, human rights, rural poverty,
education and culture, public policy and international affairs.
THE BABY FOUNDATION FOR THE MUSICAL ARTS
501 Fifth Ave.,
New York, NY 10017
Contact: Eleanor C. Mark
Information: Grants given for musical study based on need and talent.
GATLING GRANT
North Carolina State University
P.O. Box 7302
Raleigh, NC 27695-7302
Contact: Financial Aid Office
Information: If your last name is Gatling and you want to attend this
university, you qualify for this grant. There is $1.2 million available in
this fund.
CARNATION COMPANY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION
5045 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Contact: Board of Advisors
Information: Scholarships for higher education to relatives of Carnation
Company employees on the basis of academic merit and financial need.
NEW HORIZONS FOUNDATION
700 South Flower St., Ste 1122
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Contact: G. Grant Gilford
Information: Financial assistance to needy Christian Scientists who are at
least 65 years old and reside in Los Angels, County, Calif.
THE CLARK FOUNDATION
30 Wall Street
New York, NY 10005
Contact: Edward W. Stack
Information: Grants for convalescent and medical care for needy individuals
in the area of Upstate New York and New York City.
THE VERO BEACH FOUNDATION FOUNDATION FOR THE ELDERLY
c/o First National Bank
225 South County Road
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Contact: Program Director
Information: Relief assistance only to indigent residents of Vero Beach,
Fla.
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