In this article we share two major game changers that will make your grant writing process a lot easier.
When we ask potential clients what grants they have applied for and received in the past, we often get answers like this:
- Well, we got our city’s grant one year, but then we were in production when the application came up, so we missed it the next time.
- I have a list of 20 grants I know we’re good for, but I can never make the time to write more than one or two each year.
- Every time I learn about a grant, the deadline is coming up so quickly that I just can’t get it written in time between running the organization and my day job.
- We do great work, but I can’t understand why we’re not getting grants, so I just stopped applying.
While the root cause for these challenges may be slightly different for each organization, lack of capacity for organized institutional fundraising (grant writing) is a common theme across 90% of the groups that come our way. Artists creating dynamic, boundary-pushing, community-engaging work have a lot on their plate. When it comes down to priorities in the moment, grant writing often falls off the list.
This makes total sense! If you need to work your day job so you get a paycheck, be on-site to install a show, run around town picking up supplies, write and launch your social media marketing. Write a grant that you won’t hear back from for months, it’s only natural for that last item to be cut.
Many groups who come to BA end up growing, but many simply want to make their jobs easier. So when we’re thinking about finding a few more resources that you don’t have to work as hard for: it’s important that we make it possible for you to consistently apply to grants that are practical and achievable. There are two ways that we help groups do that.
Grants Calendar
It may seem simple and obvious, but the first thing we do with a client is to make them a simple spreadsheet calendar of practical grant opportunities.
Many groups don’t know how to identify which grants are actually their best prospects, opting for the flashier grants that get a lot of buzz instead of the classic standby’s that have smaller award amounts. And don’t even get me started on well-meaning board members who send online forms to their organization’s leaders without vetting the grants! If one more Board member tries to tell a group with a $50,000 budget and no connections that they should “look into getting MacKenzie Scott’s money,” I might scream.
One example of the set up for a grants calendar spreadsheet.
If an organization has few or no grants currently and has minimal staff, we begin with prioritizing:
- Local and state government opportunities. While the forms can be annoying and time-consuming, we find that public money is very accessible when you know how to write the application, no matter your org’s size.
- Small local funders, even if the grants are only $1,000. This builds a base of trust for larger funders in the future.
- One to two more ambitious opportunities that are a perfect fit. We dismiss any that make us twist ourselves into knots to fit the guidelines.
Even if deadlines are past, we put in the next date based on the last application. Encourage clients to start prepping a template months ahead. You can do this based on the past year’s application. Even if they change the form, you at least have something started.
Interested in building a customized grants calendar? Reach out to us to learn more!
Boilerplate
In addition to ensuring you are applying to the right opportunities, you also need to make the writing process itself easier. This is where a boilerplate comes into play.
A boilerplate is a large, robust document with all of the language you might need to write a grant. By creating this document, you will be able to streamline your writing process instead of starting from scratch on each application. There are a few things to keep in mind:
- A boilerplate is a living document. It’s only useful if you keep it updated! This doesn’t have to be difficult: every time you submit a grant application, simply compare it to the boilerplate and update any language that has changed.
- A boilerplate is a starting point for a grant application. While you start by cutting and pasting language from the boilerplate into the grant application, you must then make updates based on that specific funder’s perspective and any changes within your organization since you last updated your document.
- A boilerplate is always going to have far more language than you’ll ever use in one application. But by compiling this in one place, you give yourself a strong foundation for efficient grant writing. AND make it possible to pass off writing to someone else one day.
Building a boilerplate does take time, but that’s where we are here to help.
This month, we are launching our new video trainings as well as our Winter Sessions. Both include a series focused on boilerplate creation!
What are the main differences between our Sessions and Video Series:
- Sessions have 7.5 hours of learning content, versus 35 to 50 minutes of pre-filmed content in the video courses;
- Video Series are asynchronous lectures, while Sessions are live with opportunity for discussion and time to write with us in real time;
- Sessions include 1 hour of 1:1 time for each participant, while video courses do not provide 1:1 time (unless purchasing bundles).
I hope you will check out these opportunities! We truly believe that even the smallest groups can get grants if they are doing good work. We are here to help you make that possible.
Testimonials from Boilerplate Sessions Attendees:
“…this was truly the first time we have entered into a session or ‘coaching’ about grant writing where those leading had the experience and expertise we needed to further our game. All direction was specific and actionable. The agenda and journey we made over the course of the months made total sense. It allowed us enough time with our busy summer programming to then complete the homework assignments in the way we wanted as well.”
“…this was just a great way to force us to carve out the time to work on verbiage we had long been neglecting.”
“So glad you were able to put these together, and at a very affordable rate. Thanks for making it happen.”