What are grants? Where do I find grants? How do I get grants? Grant Funding What are grants? Where do I find grants? How do I get grants?

Overview What are grants Where to find grant opportunities Grant Writing Tips

What are grants? Grants are financial donations given to support an organization, project, or program. Grants are typically awarded to a nonprofit organization from a foundation, corporation, or government agency.

Where to find grants Foundation Center: Foundation Directory Online – www.foundationcenter.org QuickStart: Free- Search grant makers by location and key word Other options: 2 year, 1 year or monthly- more options for finding funders GuideStar- www.guidestar.org Free search for specific foundation details and 990’s, other paid options

Where to find grants… Oklahoma Grant Watch - https://oklahoma.grantwatch.com- $199/year Foundation & Corporate Funding Advantage – www.fcfaonline.com - $288/year Foundation Search – www.foundationsearch.com - $1,000+/year Oklahoma Foundation Databook – 5th edition $100, 6th edition $200, library

Where to find grants… Local companies – search the business list of your local Chamber of Commerce Contact community relations department

Is it the perfect fit? Geographic interest (Do they support your region?) Programmatic interest (What are they interested in funding?) Limitations? (Do they only fund capital, operating, etc.?) Previous grantees (What other organizations do they support?) Previous grant amounts (How much are their grants to other organizations?)

Data on Form 990 Organizations basic info Total assets Total grants given during the year Description of their work/ interests Names of their Board members Who they gave to and how much

Getting started Every foundation is different Can be easy or it can be hard Don’t assume it is repeat funding Your purpose: Convince the funder to give you money.

Important Steps Organize your thoughts Create a budget Find a funder Write the proposal Steward the gift Build relationships

Application Process Letter of Intent or Inquiry (LOI) Full Proposal

Grant Writing Tips Follow the instructions! Be compelling Be concise Develop boilerplate text you can use again and again Write to a very basic reading level Don’t use acronyms Don’t use jargon Assume they know NOTHING about anything you do

Formatting Tips Follow the funder’s guidelines! Arrange your narrative in the same order as the guidelines Keep paragraphs short Use bulleted or numbered lists (unless funder doesn’t want that) Use Times Roman or Arial 12 point font (or what the funder says) Use 1 inch margins Binding: If funder says no staples, then use a clip

What is next? Grant request is declined: Contact funder Thank them for the opportunity to apply Ask how you could improve your request

What is next? Grant request is funded: Do the Happy Dance! Send a thank you letter, quickly! Steward the gift Make sure the money is spent as intended Be prepared to report back to the funder, even if not required Get to know the foundation staff and Board just like you would any other donor

Questions? Fran Bevel Grants Manager, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma fbevel@okfoodbank.org 918-936-4509