Getting Grant Ready

You are an incredible organization with effective programs, great staff, super-human volunteers and
you serve a community in need – all you need is a grant!

But before filling in that funding application due in a week, you need to take a small step back and first determine if a grant is the best source of revenue to support your program. If you determine that grants are appropriate, then you need to ask yourself if you are grant-ready?

There are multiple sources of revenue for charities which include individual donors, corporations,
government, religious groups, foundations, and service clubs to name a few. Different kinds of
programs speak to different kinds of funders.

In a nutshell…
• Individual donors support programs people can easily understand, visualize, quantify and
   empathize.
• Corporations support programs that provide them with a market or profile.
• Government or foundation grants support programs that address systemic needs and offer
   sustainable solutions.
 
While grants are often enticing, it is important to remember that grants:
• are tied to performance outcomes;
• have little flexibility regarding spending; and
• require compliance and reporting.

​So you want to move forward with a grant…..
It is a competitive process. Organizations increase their chance of being awarded funding when they 
are a grant-ready organization with a grant-ready project or program. Both require an investment in
preparedness.