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What is Grant Readiness?

Welcome! Thank you for taking the time to read this information and follow the links to learn more about how we work with nonprofit organizations.

We want to be sure you understand the purpose of grants and how we at The Write Source can help your organization achieve its goals.

While grants should be part of your fundraising plan, they are not a panacea for replacing funds for general operating support or those your organization is unable to raise from other sources, namely private donors. We work with nonprofit organizations that have a track record in securing annual fundraising derived from a mix of different sources.

Please keep in mind that grants will provide funding for only a 12-month period. Once the grant ends, you will need to support the same program or project with money raised from your other efforts. There are no guarantees in today’s economy that you will continue to receive grants from the same or new grantmakers to support your programs or projects on an annual basis.

It is always wise to remember the fundraising pyramid or hierarchy of gifts that includes the 80/20 formula:

80 percent of your funding originates from private donors, annual campaigns, events/sponsorships, major gifts, and government contracts for services (different than government grants).
20 percent, potentially more, of your funding originates from grants including those from foundations, corporations, and various levels of government.

While this is not a hard and fast rule, medium to large established nonprofit organizations often have a similar fundraising mix. That is why we work with nonprofit organizations with at least five years of consistent income or revenue of $250,000 or more and a positive cash flow. Those with less years of operation or revenue will not be as successful in obtaining grants for their programs or projects.

Please visit the following pages of our website if your organization falls into the following categories:

The Write Source, LLC is now a member of the prestigious Association of Philanthopic Counsel. As we have for 26 years, we will continue to maintain our high standards that clearly reflect their Code of Ethics and Principles of Practice.

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International invited Diane Gedeon-Martin to conduct a webinar on March 13 entitled 21st Century Grant Applications: Brief and to the Point, prepare two articles for their Advancing Philanthropy magazine, and conduct three microlearning videos. One of the microlearning videos, Board Members as Fundraising Champions, will feature Abbie von Schlegell of a. von schlegell & co. Visit our Workshops and Speaking Schedule page for more information.

In July 2019, we welcomed back a client that we worked with 10 years ago: Drexel University, The College of Computing and Informatics (formerly the iSchool), Philadelphia, PA.

mHub Chicago received a $300,000 three-year Seed Fund Support (SFS) grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Regional Innovation Strategies (RIS) program to launch its Accelerated Incubation program and the Product Impact Fund.

The Village for Families and Children in Hartford, Connecticut received a $675,000 five-year grant ($135,000 per year) from the Connecticut State Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. This grant will support the development of the Rawson Elementary After-School Program (REAP).

The Jewish Association for Community Living in Hartford, Connecticut received a $100,000 grant from the Connecticut Office of Policy and Management’s Nonprofit Grant Program. It was one of 92 out of 407 eligible applications to receive a grant. They will use the funds to purchase four new mini-vans to transport residents from its group homes to various sites to receive services and engage in activities.

Childhelp in Phoenix, Arizona received the only $1.0 million, two-year discretionary grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration of Children, Youth, and Families for the Best Practices for the Use of Text and Chat-Based Technology in Child Maltreatment. They will expand and enhance their current text and chat-based hotline to create a nationwide system.

Be sure to visit our Grant Award News page for more information about these and other awards our clients received.

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