A Guide to Grants

As the year comes to a close and we start to plan for next year, it’s a good time to think about how to secure funding for all of your projects and new ideas. Grants are a great way to get funding from different sources that support your mission. Grants come in different forms, amounts and sources. There are grants from federal, state and local government agencies, foundations and corporations. This is a guide to get started with grants.

How to Get Started

Before you apply to different grants it is important to plan ahead, have clear objectives and to develop a narrative that explains your mission and story to prospective grant providers. With that, below are some ways to develop a strategy and get started.

Know Your Status: With the myriad of types of grants available, it’s important to identify your or your organization’s legal status. For example, many grants for organizations require that the recipient be a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit to be eligible to receive the grant. For-profit organizations are usually required to provide their tax status. Grants for individuals may require proof of citizenship.

Define Your Project: You may have a general idea of what you would like to do with the funding, but it’s important to be as detailed as possible about what your project is, what you’re trying to accomplish, what your budget is and how you will execute your project. Grant providers usually prefer detailed outlines of how you will use the money. This will allow you to understand if you meet particular requirements and be more prepared for different types of questions.

Identify Who is Involved and Where You Will Operate: Similar to your tax and legal status, grant providers may require the recipient to operate in a particular state, city, or other jurisdiction. They will also want to know who runs the organization, who will receive the money or a variety of other questions in regards to who is involved in your project.

Research…Everything: Once you have an idea of what your project is and what you are trying to accomplish, it’s time to research the whole landscape and develop a strategy for applying to grants. 

• Start by identifying what’s available, what was available and what may be available. There are subscription databases, government search portals and free online tools that provide information on what grants are available and what their requirements are.

• Consider what types of grants you or your organization are eligible for.

• Find out what grant providers are interested in, why they made a grant available, and if your mission and or project align with their goals.

• Look at particular past grant recipients and identify what they do, what their objectives and values are, what their unique selling proposition is and how that helped them be awarded a particular grant.  

• Ask people in your network about grants available, contact organizations directly about their process and what they’re looking for or utilize industry professionals or free services from organizations that help with the grant process.

• Identify grants that fit your criteria, develop a plan of attack for applying and prioritize which grants you should focus on based their deadlines for submission, your potential alignment and likelihood of being considered for the grant.

Grant Writing

Once you have identified grants you would like to submit applications for, it’s time to write the grant application. Grant writing can be done by professionals, a member of your organization, volunteers with expertise in grant writing, or anyone else. Applications can range from a simple online form to a much more extensive process depending on the scope and preference of the grant provider. If you or a member of your organization are writing a grant application, here are some useful tips to help with the writing process.

1. Read and follow all of the instructions and particular outlines for each application before starting and provide all of the supporting documents outlined.

2. Be aware of all deadlines for submission, what the timeline for the grant process is and if there are different deadlines for different aspects of the application.

3. Write clearly and concisely in the format outlined in the instructions and avoid jargon, abbreviations or acronyms.

4. Be specific about how you will potentially use the funds.

5. Tailor your application to each individual grant organization, their interests, their mission, and the requirements of each grant.

6. Tell your story, express what makes your organization or project unique and why you deserve the grant.

7. Give specifics about the scope of your project, relevant timelines, your budget, and plan of execution.

8. Consider the perspective of the organization or members of the organization involved in the selection process while writing the grant application.

9. Before you submit your application, have an expert or someone from your organization review your application for errors or something you may have missed.

10. Track your application status, the selection process and what is required after the application is submitted.

Once you have submitted for your grant, there are a few things to consider about the grant process as a whole – be realistic, don’t get discouraged and keep evolving your approach. You may not get selected for each grant you apply for, but find out what strategies work and don’t work in your process, be persistent, and good luck!

At FoodStream we are happy to help with the grant process.

Feel free to contact us at support@foodstreamnetwork.com with any questions you may have.