04/18/23

Grant Writing and Beyond

Jana Jane Hexter

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Grant Coaching, Mentoring, & Training

Jana Hexter

P.O. Box 764

Trumansburg, NY 14886-0764

Tel: 607-387-3412

www.grantwritingrevealed.com

www.grantschampion.com

Email: janahexter@grantschampion.com

WELCOME AND HAVE FUN

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How to get the most out of this session

• Be open to what you hear

• Write down an intention of what you will learn

• Take notes

• Share with a colleague or friend within 24 hours

Who are they? Experience

• 454 years in the field• Written 24,590 proposals• Raised $1,780,199,555 ($1.7 Billion)• Average amount raised: $67 million• Average Success Rate – 74%

Descriptors • Gender and Geography – 36% male• Field of Interest• Consultants/Staff

The Anna Karenina Principle“’Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ By that sentence, Tolstoy meant that, in order to be happy a marriage must succeed in many different respects; sexual attraction, agreement about money, child discipline, religion, in-laws, and other vital issues. Failure in any one of those essential respects can doom a marriage even if it has all the other ingredients needed for happiness. The principle can be extended to understanding much else about life besides marriage. We tend to seek easy, single-factor explanations of success. For most things, though, success actually requires avoiding many separate possible causes of failure.”

Jared Diamond, Guns, Germs & Steel

Grant Writing Self-Assessment Quiz

www.grantwritingrevealed.com/the-quiz/grant-self-assessment-quiz

GIFT COPY OF THE BOOK

http://grantwritingrevealed.com/the-book/get-the-book

What You’ll Learn Today

1. Have a clear understanding of the four fundamental elements of grant development success.

2. Awareness of the sacred nature of grant development.

3. Learn the 15 things that funders most commonly want to see in a grant application.

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The Four Elements

1. Research – Where

2. Relationships – Who

3. Project Design – How

4. Writing – What

And the crucial fifth element……

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WHY Seek GrantsAre grants the best way to go?

• Advantages– Money is available and sometimes in large

amounts

• Disadvantages– Often are a one-shot infusion of funding– Usually specific in coverage– May only offer partial funding

WHY Seek Grants What is Grants Process About?

www.grantschampion.com© Grantomatics LLC 2007-13. All rights reserved

Sacred Service

WHY EXERCISE

1.What is your dream for the world?

2.What are you passionate about creating?

3.What will be possible or exist in the world when you succeed?

1. WHERE to find funders

• Foundation Center – www.fdncenter.org– Free – Foundation Finder, 990 Finder– Paid – Fdn and corp directory online

Be Rigorous - Are you really a fit?

• Actions speak louder than words - look at their giving pattern

• Do they fund what they say they fund?

• Do they give in your region?

• Do they give to your type of organization or project?

• Be selective

Research Elements

1: Three Core Beliefs About Prospect Research

2. Knowing When to Respond to a Request for Proposals

2. WHO to Build Relationships With for Success

• Know who is who

• Be courageous - get over your reluctance to reach out to build a relationship.

• Get to know their interests and what they care about and seek ways to empower them

• Respect and curiosity

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If you find a foundation of interest

• LISTEN• Assess your mutual interests• Truthful communication• How many applications were

received/grants made last year?• What is the most common mistake they

see?• What is the review process?

Collaborations

• Know your value

• Power of partnerships

• The miraculous

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Sufficiency

“Sufficieny is a context we bring forth from within that reminds us that if we look

around and within ourselves, we will find what we need. There is always enough”

Lynn Twist, Soul of Money

Collaboration Elements

13. Three Ways to Nurture Strong Collaborations

21: Honor Your Power

Relationship Elements 3. Know Each Person’s Role and Responsibility in Foundations

4. Getting Through the Door

5. The “Getting to Know You” Process

6. Finding and Empowering Your Champion in the Board Room

7. Four Ways to Respect Your Funders

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3. HOW: To Plan a Fundable Project

Grant writing must be guided by project planning which must be part of the agency’s overall strategic planning.

But first…….

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Be a Fundable Organization

Check out Linda Butler’s Checklist for Success at

http://butler-consulting.com/

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Planning• Define the need in terms of your clients, not

your organization• Define the solution consistent with your

mission• Involve your staff, administration and board

to gain consensus • Then start thinking about costs and

administration

HOW: EXERCISE

NEEDS ACTIONS OUTCOMES

Planning Elements

9. Getting Your Team Thinking

10. Promise Only What You Can Deliver

11. The Art of Eliciting Information from Very, Very Busy People

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4. WHAT - Writing

• Answer their questions

• Write for the reader

• Tell a good story

• Balance story with facts

• Be crystal clear

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Layout

• Lots of white space

• Clear, easy to read font

• Break up large amounts of text

• A picture speaks a thousand words

• Follow guidelines

Writing Elements14: The Power of Story

15. Mastering the Art of Persuasion

16. Be Crystal Clear

17. Writing By Committee

18. 7 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Write So the Reviewer Responds Positively

22. Be Impeccable with the Truth

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15 elements funders want to see1. Fit with their mission2. Brevity3. Clarity – answers their questions4. Vision5. Evidence of Planning6. Solid, long-term, effective partnerships7. Passion for what you propose8. Commitment of Board, Staff and

Community

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15 things funders want to see9. Project viability10.Sound budget11. Fully trained staff12.Respect for them and their role in the

community13.Biggest bang for their buck – best use of their

investment for the community14.Organizational reputation for honesty, integrity,

and reliability15.Organizational financial stability

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VisionDr. King’s Beloved Community is a global vision, in which

all people can share in the wealth of the earth. In the Beloved Community, poverty, hunger and homelessness will not be tolerated because international standards of

human decency will not allow it. Racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by

an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood. In the Beloved Community, international disputes will be

resolved by peaceful conflict-resolution and reconciliation of adversaries, instead of military power. Love and trust will triumph over fear and hatred. Peace with justice will

prevail over war and military conflict.