Grant Readiness Fuller Center 2016 Annual Conference

What does it mean to be a “grants ready” organization? Culture and Infrastructure Vision Leadership Strong Board Solid Reputation Credible Track Record Resources and Documentation Goals/Strategic Plans Operating and Program Budgets

Getting Ready Checklist Familiarize yourself with your organization- demographics and population you serve Documents a. Federal Tax Exempt Letter (501c3 Letter from Fuller Center Inc. if you are under the group exemption.) b. State Exempt Letter (if applicable) c. Articles of Inc.-(certified copy that is on file with your Secretary of State) d. By-Laws-(copy should be signed and dated by board secretary when adopted.) e. Audit (Outside financial audit) f. 990 Form g. Roster of Board-Board Bio’s h. Organization’s Budget i. Staff Roster

Additional Checklist Items 1-EIN Number 2-Mission Statement 3-Impact Statement 4- Web address 5-Program Budget(s) for each major program or service performed by your organization 6-Record of past Foundation/Corporate/Government funding for 1-3 years. 7-Letter(s) of support 8-Newspaper Articles 9-Dun & Bradstreet number (needed for some federal grant applications)- How to get a number-

Proposal Formats Intent Form- This form is usually provided by the funder-you will need to complete it and submit to indicate that your organization attends to apply for their grant. Many times if you don’t submit the Intent Form on time you can’t apply later. Letter of Inquiry-usually required from Foundations-a 1-2 page letter on your organizations letterhead, describing your organization, and the programs that you are seeking funding. For some Foundations, the Letter of Inquiry is the same as the proposal. Letter of Inquiry Letter of Introduction-Same as Letter of Inquiry. Cover Letter-usually 1 page, summary of the proposal, on your organizations letterhead, and signed by your Board Chairman, or Executive Director. Proposal Letter- 1 page-very brief (usually only 1 page if the funder is already familiar with your organization) on letterhead. Proposal Letter Proposal Letter- 2 pages- on letterhead, this is the common type usually sent to Foundations and corporations. Proposal pages- many times there s a cover page provided by the funder and then you attach your 3-10 page proposal. Application Form-Fill in the blanks, uniform and provided by the funder. On-Line Application Forms- very common, funder provides template and you fill in the boxes and submit the application electronically. Often each box has a word or character limit. It is important to stay within those limits. Your word processor should have word or character counting ability.

Proposal Writing Introduction to proposal writing Proposal Project Outline Worksheet Project Budget Worksheet

Grant Writing Tips Follow all guidelines Proofread your grant Take advantage of any assistance offered by the Foundation or funder. Get familiar with who you are applying Some organizations offer feedback when they send you a rejection letter. Use that feedback to learn more about the grant process.