There is nothing mysterious about foundation grant-making. Foundations are in the business of giving away money (they must do so according to the law), so you are not asking them to do something they would not normally do. They are very clear and up-front about the issues and problems they would like their assets to address, and they are clear about the kinds of expenditures they will support. The trick is to carefully read a foundation’s giving guidelines and apply ONLY to foundations that clearly support your work. If a foundation does not specifically state that it supports historic preservation, historic sites or museums and is, instead, focused on hunger, higher education or homelessness, for example, DO NOT APPLY. It is a waste of your time and credibility. This is the biggest mistake made by grant-seekers.
Of course, in order to make these determinations, you must first do some research. The best place to start is the Foundation Center, which has an excellent website as well as offices in five US cities (Atlanta, Cleveland, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC). The Foundation Center also has relationships with a number of public libraries nation-wide. At the FC’s five offices and its library-based “collaborating collections” you will find printed foundation directories, copies of foundation 990 forms (their tax returns), foundation brochures and guidelines, and books that tell you how to prepare a foundation proposal.
The Foundation Center website provides these resources, as well. More importantly, however, the website offers search functions that can speed your research and help you link directly to foundation websites. You can also take free on-line classes to develop your foundation grant-writing skills.
While the Foundation Center website and offices are available free of charge, one of its most helpful services does cost money. The Foundation Directory Online allows you to research foundation prospects by searching by area of interest (e.g. arts and culture, historic preservation, education), geographic area served, or type of projects supported (i.e., capital improvements, endowments, program support, operating support). This service can provide a wealth of information and can save hours of research time. It is well worth the monthly subscription cost (starting at $19.95/month). Take a tour of this service at: http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/tutorials/fdoguidedtour/
If, after doing your research, a foundation appears to be a match for your program or project, respect the wishes of the funder by following the guidelines they have developed for the submission of proposals. If a funder asks for a letter of inquiry (LOI) this means that they DO NOT want to see full proposals first. Instead, they want to save you (and them) the work of preparing (and reading) a full proposal. Instead, they simply want a brief letter describing the program or project you would like to see funded. If the foundation is interested after reading your LOI, they will invite a full proposal.
Most funders have a specific format for the proposals they would like to see. It is important that you respect their wishes and comply with the format they specify. In many cases funders will accept a common grant application. This means grantmakers from a specific geographic area will make use of a shared application, which has been designed by representatives from the area’s funders, so non-profit organizations don’t have to constantly edit and reformat their proposals for submission. If a foundation requires the use of a common grant format, they will indicate this in their grant guidelines. In some cases, the use of a common grant format may be optional. If you are new to grant writing or program development, these common grant formats can be invaluable in helping you focus your thinking and determine the kind of information you must assemble. To find out whether funders in your area make use of a common grant application, visit
http://www.foundationcenter.org/findfunders/cga.html.
If a funder’s interest appears to be unclear or unfocused, it is best to send a letter of inquiry (LOI) or place a phone call to a program officer to discuss the foundation’s areas of interest. In most cases the program officer will be very happy to discuss your project and tell you whether it is a viable candidate for funding.
Another bit of homework that can be beneficial as you are poking around the Foundation Center (in-person or on-line) is to research the names of the Trustees of the foundations you are interested in approaching. Then, circulate these names among your senior staff and board members to see if they have connections to these trustees. If so, a phone call or brief note from your board members pr staff person apprising the Trustee of your site’s interest can be of great help. This is especially true if the foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals and, instead, only considers proposals from non-profits that have been invited to submit an application.
