We’ve all been there: a dedicated Board member, perhaps your boss, or even a friend or donor to your organization keeps filling your inbox with the latest “did you see this?” email about a new grant opportunity. I can recall from my years of working in nonprofits the pit-in-the-stomach feeling of receiving a “check out this grant – I think we should apply!” email. I instantly worried about how I would respond if I didn’t think the fit was right. And often that grant opportunity would come with a deadline only a few days away.
To help you with this common issue, we’ve created a quick step-by-step guide of how to thoughtfully review and respond to someone sending you a grant opportunity:
1. Take a Deep Breath: Just because a Board member, or someone who is important to your organization in some way, is sending you a grant opportunity, does not mean you have to apply for it. Take a deep breath, center yourself, and block off just 10-15 minutes to find out more details on the opportunity.
2. Quick Research: Open the grant opportunity. Use the questions below to guide your evaluation:
- Based on the deadline, do I realistically have the time and capacity to apply for it even if it is a good fit? (Yes/No) – And I’m not talking, “Could I do this if I worked every night this week and all weekend?” I’m talking more like, “Could I reasonably add this to my regular work week schedule?”
- Is this a foundation grant opportunity? (Yes/No) – If it is not a foundation grant, but is actually a government grant opportunity, expect to double or triple the amount of time it will take to complete the application and reconsider the bullet above.
- Is this foundation focused on my geographic area of operations? (Yes/No) – If you are a small nonprofit, do not expect to compete for grants that have a national competition or those with broad regional reach. I’m not saying it’s never happened, I’m just saying your chances of success are precipitously low.
- Is this grant opportunity closely aligned with my mission and the population I seek to serve? (Yes/No) – I want to emphasize “closely” – especially if you are a small nonprofit, you will only compete if the alignment between the opportunity and your mission is very strong and natural (not a reach).
- Will applying for this grant allow me to fund my current operations and programs? (Yes/No) – You must analyze the impact that receiving this grant award could have on your organization’s finances and operations. If you have to create new programs, hire new staff, or expand services significantly to meet the requirements of the grant, you are not just adding more revenue to your budget, you are creating new expenses and expanding the overall cost of your organization to run. That’s not an automatic “no” but consider it a long, thoughtful pause before you pursue.
3. Respond in a Timely Way: If you answered “yes” to all of the questions above then you should set aside the time to prioritize this grant and get it done! Hopefully you have the tools on hand (like a ready-to-use “Case for Support” and all of your key attachments in order) to make this a streamlined process from start to finish.
If you answered “no” to one or more questions above, then don’t delay, respond to the person who sent you the grant with kind words and a clear explanation of why you are not going to pursue the grant. A short template for a Board Member, for example, might look something like this:
“Dear [Lovely and Involved Board Member],
Thank you so much for sending along this grant. It’s wonderful that you are keeping a look out for funding opportunities for us – please keep them coming!
Upon careful review, however, I don’t think this grant is the right fit for us to pursue at this time. I looked further into the requirements and I can see that [insert your explanation in a clear, concise way, such as the examples below]:
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This grant is a national opportunity and they are looking to fund organizations with budgets of $5 million or more.
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This grant is focused on organizations that serve a population that is different than ours.
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If awarded, this grant would require us to add significant new expenses to the budget, expanding our organization at a rate we are not quite ready for with our current capacity.
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Etc. etc. you get the gist!
[Amazing, inspiring nonprofit leader]
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In closing – the best test when evaluating a grant is:
- To think honestly about the overall applicant pool and how competitive you will be.
- To ask yourself if this award would allow you to advance your current mission in a strategic way.
The key when it comes to pursuing grants is learning how to master your time wisely, so you can jump on great opportunities and likewise so you are empowered to say no to ones that don’t fit!