Are You Ready?

Are you ready to launch or expand your grants program?

Grants are a complex form of philanthropy. They are typically added to a fundraising program after other strategies (such as annual giving, corporate giving, and major gifts) are already successful.

Grants are ideal for funding one-time, short-term projects with a strong sustainability plan. Grant funders are not good prospects for funding your start-up organization’s operating costs or paying your Executive Director’s salary.

Grants Readiness Checklist

Here is a checklist of things your organization needs to be ready to compete for grants:

  • 501(c)(3) or other tax-exempt status, as designated by the US Internal Revenue Service

  • Clear mission and vision

  • Visionary and stable leadership (board of directors and staff)

  • Successful fundraising program based on individual giving

  • Strategic planning process that outlines the organization’s goals and guides program development

  • Several years of program implementation, with successful and definable outcomes

  • Annual organizational budget

  • Regular process of planning programs at least one year in advance

  • Program-specific budgets

  • Strong internal financial controls with separation of duties; staff experience in tracking restricted funds

  • An organization-wide commitment to tracking client/service data and using that data to inform program design

  • Grants personnel (staff and/or consultant) that is part of the development team in the organization’s structure and culture

  • Effective communication and coordination between the organization’s program and development departments

  • Program staff that understand (have received training/support for) grants management, including managing grant-funded budgets and tracking program outcomes

If you have all of the above items in place, a grants consultant can help you:

  • Launch your first grants program

    • Develop a grants strategy

    • Coach/train staff

    • Find “good fit” prospective funders

    • Prepare proposals

    • Design and implement a grants stewardship plan

    • Integrate grants with other fundraising efforts

  • Expand your current grants program

    • Build upon your current successes

    • Strengthen your strategy

    • Streamline your internal processes

    • Increase grant funding

    • Improve grants stewardship

    • Develop grants capacity of your leadership, development, and program staff

    • Enable development staff to maximize other areas of fundraising

Visit our Resources page for more tips on getting ready for grants!

If you’re not ready for grants, that’s ok!

Your organization will benefit from pursuing the items on the “grants readiness checklist.” These efforts will not only position you for pursuing grants partnerships, but will also help your organization to grow and manage resources efficiently. We assist organizations in many of these projects. If your organization does not already have a successful fundraising program based on individual giving, we can work with you to create a development plan and train your team to raise money for your mission.