EXCITING NEWS! Our training section, Smartegrants, has partnered up with Udemy to help you get your organization on ‘board’ with grant readiness. We’ve developed an infographic to help guide you on your path to being a Grant Ready Organization. Smartegrants is our training and coaching arm. Our mission at Smartegrants is to cultivate leaders in the world of grants. Grant Readiness is an essential part of grants. So, it is a topic we come back to time and again. In fact, we have a few other Grant Readiness posts here and here and here and a grant readiness assessment here. KEYS…read more →
Federal Grants, Where Do I Start? Are you having trouble navigating the federal grant world? You are not alone! There are over 1600 federal grant programs provided by Congress. The scope and complexity of federal grants has increased considerably over the past decade. It can feel overwhelming when you start to seek a federal grant. For many grant seekers, grants.gov is often the go-to source for federal grant information. If you start with grants.gov – you are probably too late to get the grant! See, grants.gov will provide you with information on existing grant opportunities. You want to win…read more →
Are you and your staff 'Budget Heros' when it comes to grants? I work with people who love to DO their work. These are passionate, take-charge, capable leaders who become wide eyed and immobile we start to discuss the impact of the federal budget on their organization. It can be overwhelming when we try to consider how changes to a budget of $3.8 trillion, with nearly a $1 trillion gap in debt, could impact a single organization? Relatively minute changes in spending can drastically alter your government agency or nonprofit either through the impact on their clients or through…read more →
Why Would an Organization Pay a Grant Writer without an “Award Guarantee”? I’ve been asked this type question many times. Recently, I came across an excellent response by Michael Wells, owner of Grants Northwest. ”What kind of organization would hire a lawyer without assurances they'll win their case? What kind of person will hire a surgeon without assurances the surgery will be successful? What kind of person would hire a financial consultant without assurances they'll make money? People and organizations hire professionals on expectations of increasing their odds of success, not guarantees. I think this is true of anything in…read more →
Coach, Researcher, Project Development Specialist, Collaborator Copied and adapted from an article by Marie-Noël Appel “Proposal writing represents the last phase of thorough project development.” Development of a grant proposal typically starts with an idea that will enhance, enrich and or increase current operations. This idea must link seamlessly to an organization’s mission and strategic long-range planning objectives. To build the proposal and launch the project, the grant writer must be fully versed in these fundamental aspects of the organization. The grant writer can be a staff member on the development team, an external consultant, or the person…read more →
Grant Ready, Set, Go! Organizations big and small come to us to find grant resources and prepare proposals. They come with great ideas and amazing projects, and before we can go forward with a grant application we find out if they are ‘Grant Ready’. What does it mean to be ‘Grant Ready’ One of the most effective ways you can increase your success rate with grants is to be ready to apply for a grant. Of course, this sounds obvious! However, being grant ready is an ongoing process that requires an investment of time and resources which…read more →
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