How to Have Your Grant Proposal Not Funded
Don’t ask for a specific amount of money. Don’t have a board of directors that consists of a diverse group of professionals.
Don’t have a current budget in a generally accepted format.
Don’t have staff members with appropriate qualifications.
Don’t have measurable objectives.
Don’t collaborate with other organizations.
Don’t have recent, accurate financial statements in a generally accepted format.
Don’t complete a Form 990 for the previous year.
Don’t diversify your funding sources.
Don’t explain how your organization is sustainable.
Don’t give contact information for your organization.
Don’t have current and complete information on your website.
Don’t use clear and concise wording in your proposal.
Don’t adhere to funder’s guidelines.
Don’t require that all board members give dollars to your organization.
Don’t explain why your organization’s services are needed.
Don’t explain how your organization is going to try to resolve the issue you’re trying to address.
Don’t send a thank-you letter for a previous grant received.
Don’t track demographics of your clients - gender, ethnicity, and socio-economic classification.
Don't have more than three board members.
Don’t ask for funding before the project or program has ended.
Don’t submit your proposal before the deadline.
Don’t submit any required report of spending for a previous grant received.
This blog is a re-post from April 10, 2012.
Recent grants received by our clients include:
$130,000 for an organization with a mission to transform inmates by unlocking human potential through entrepreneurial passion, education, and mentoring – several grants for general operating
$67,500 for a domestic violence agency – several grants for general operating
$60,000 for a clinic for low-income uninsured families – $30,000 for expansion into a larger facility and $30,000 for improving access to care
$50,000 for an agency providing adaptive recreational sports programs for physical disabled persons – for a truck and trailer to transport equipment to program sites
$50,000 for an organization creating safer, more stable neighborhoods, free from crime and urban blight – for general operating
$50,000 for an agency equipping the lives of young men who have been through the justice system, through education, skill development, and a healthy environment – two grants of $40,000 and $10,000 for general operating
$45,000 for a domestic violence organization – $25,000 for their emergency shelter program and $20,000 for general operating
$35,000 for a clinic for children from low-income families – for improving access to care
$35,000 for a mental health advocacy organization – for new workstations and an updated website
$33,000 for an agency providing an array of services to teenage mothers – for general operating
$30,000 for an organization providing furniture for families transitioning out of homelessness – for general operating
$25,000 for an organization dedicated to improving the quality of nurturing family relationships for infants, young children, and their families – for general operating
$20,000 for an agency that provides gifts for children terminally ill with cancer – for 13 cases
$20,000 for a residential program for women recovering from substance addiction – for general operating
Murray Covens, Principal