Posts tagged major private grants
Can You Crash the “No Unsolicited Proposals” Party?

It can sting when you’re left off a guest list. It particularly smarts when the list includes friends with similar interests and networks. In NonprofitLand, this phenomenon plays out when your industry peers secure major grants from foundations that proactively choose grantees—and don’t seem to know that your organization exists….

Read More
Finding Your Foundation Match

I’m waiting for the app that plays matchmaker between foundations and potential grantees. Imagine. Enter your organization’s profile (once!), and an algorithm selects like-minded funders, who swipe left if they’re uninterested and right if they want to learn more. You, too, get to choose which foundations meet your own criteria. A foundation won’t fund administrative costs? Next….

Read More
Getting in the Door

Many of my dear grant colleagues would prefer to get a root canal than reach out to a foundation prospect. Some dread making small talk. Or “pitching” their nonprofit. Or making their way through a meeting if someone does take interest. If any of these reasons is stopping you, don’t worry. Success comes less in being a salesperson than in being a standout….

Read More
The Rant—and the Reality—around Unrestricted Funding

It’s tempting to rant about the need for foundations to finally—finally!—prioritize significant general operating support. Alas, many have ranted, and progress limps along. Foundations did seem open to fewer limitations on their grants during the depths of COVID-19, but those ripples have not materialized into a permanent sea change. For now, we must work within the current paradigm, which imposes needless scarcity around unrestricted grants (there, a mini rant of my own). If you want to add to your quiver of tactics in securing these prized awards…

Read More
What the Best Grant Seekers Know

When I took up pastel painting several years ago, I was eager to learn about drawing, color theory, art history, and the pastels themselves. With no experience in any of these things, I wondered, “Which of them should I focus on right away, and which can wait?” Similarly, there’s a body of knowledge that will help launch your career in grants and another that will benefit a more seasoned professional. These are the topics that will guide your learning…

Read More
Adopt a Major Grants Mindset

It doesn’t take much time or money for your nonprofit to ratchet up its major grants potential. Success begins when you look at your largest foundation and corporate partners as a distinct category. When you segment those funders from the rest of your portfolio, you can give them the heightened attention they deserve. You might assume that your office already operates with this major grants mindset….

Read More
Major What?

“I will never make another grant to your organization.” “We will need that $3 million proposal by the end of the week. Okay?” “Increase that budget to include everything on your wish list.” These are among the proclamations I have heard from those who lead private foundations. They sum up my career securing grants from these nonprofit investors: full of maddening constraints and surreal possibilities. As a volunteer-turned-employee in this space, I am now what is politely referred to as a “seasoned” consultant. I marked my firm’s 20th anniversary…

Read More