Make sure you and your organization are ready before allocating resources to identify and submit grants.  Grant Writer Source Associates are committed to preparing grants that have the best possible chance of success.  There are key areas of “organizational readiness” that will impact success, including:

• Are you established as a 501(c) 3, nonprofit organization with the IRS? Some funding organizations will require you to be established as a nonprofit for at least 3 years before they will accept grant proposals.
• Do you have a Board of Directors and could you provide a list with their affiliations?
• Can you demonstrate a proven need that your organization uniquely addresses? Is anyone else providing the same service/activities? Why is it necessary for your organization to provide these services?
• If appropriate, have you built relationships or collaborations with other relevant organizations to share resources and avoid duplication of services?
• Can you demonstrate success?
• Do you have an approved Organizational Budget?
• Have you filed a Form 990 and/or do you have a current financial audit?
• Do you know what you want funding for and exactly how it will be utilized?
• Have you considered whether community events, service fees, membership fees or other fundraising activities would be more appropriate to fulfill your funding needs?
• Are you and/or your staff prepared to allocate time to participate in the grant development process, such as providing necessary organizational and program information to the grant writer?
• Are you aware that preparing a government grant will take significant time and resources, and may require the expertise of a trained Evaluator?
• Does your organization have the capacity to implement the proposed project or activities if funding is awarded?

If you need further information or would like to discuss these topics with an experienced grant writer, Grant Writer Source Associates are available for phone consultations at the hourly project rate of $75. Or, you can conduct your own research on The Foundation Center web site: www.fdncenter.org