Do This before Filling Out a Grant Application

So, you’ve found the perfect grant application for your organization. YEA!!! But before you invest time into filling it out, you should do these things first.

✅Make sure you’re eligible. I know it seems simple, but it’s best to double check.

✅Do you have enough time to complete the application?  Find out when the grant application is due.  Some funding applications are short in nature, but others take hours to complete.  This is especially true of Federal grants.

✅Does the award meet your funding need?  If you need $100,000 and the funder only awards $1,000, then it may not be worth your time completing the application.

✅Review the 990-tax return.  This will show you who the funder has awarded funding to already.  You can see if the agencies they’ve funded are like yours to determine the likelihood of them selecting your organization for an award.

✅Don’t try to force your services to line up with the funder’s expectation.  If you help the homeless community and the funder awards money for stray animals, it is not worth your time.

The most important part of grant writing is ensuring you are applying for and investing time into the right grant applications in which you are most likely to be awarded.