Are You Ready for a Grant Writer?

No matter your size, there are some institutional things you need to have in place in order to successfully apply for grant funding.  The concrete requirements are these.  First, you need to either be a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization; or have a 501(c)(3) Nonprofit Organization as your fiscal sponsor.  The 501(c)(3) designation is a federal tax status conferred as a result of an application process that confirms that your work meets federal guidelines for tax-exempt, charitable work.  A fiscal sponsor is a nonprofit that agrees to fiscally manage grant funding on your behalf for a nominal fee.  Most (but not all) funders limit their giving to designated nonprofit organizations.  Second, you need to be able to demonstrate that you are fiscally sound and responsible, with reasonable and balanced organizational and project budgets in place.  At a certain point, you will be required to file tax returns (990s), and once you reach a certain size, you will need to have an annual or semi-annual audit performed by an external accountant.  You are frequently required to provide these documents to potential funders to document your financial stability.  Third, many funders require a list of your board of directors.  They want to know who is affiliated with your organization, and they want evidence of clear board oversight.

In addition to these concrete requirements, you need to be ready to work with me.  I know that you are busy running your organization and your programs, and you can certainly leave the writing to me.  However, in order for our grant writing to be truly representative of your organization, I need your input.  I need information that only you have.  I need to hear you speak with passion about your work.  I need you to review and edit my writing so that it represents you.  It is also very important that any contacts with funders are YOUR contacts, so that they become a part of your institutional capacity.  Finally, if we are working on a large project together, we will need to collaborate closely on budgets and scopes of work in order to ensure that you feel confident that you can complete the work with the budget we submit.  So, are you ready?