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Is Your Organization Ready to Seek Grants?

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 Philanthropic Counsel (APC). This group of independent and small consulting firms throughout the U.S. promotes best practices and upholds ethical standards in their delivery of professional philanthropic services to nonprofit organizations. As we have for 26 years, we will continue to maintain our high standards that clearly reflect the APC Code of Ethics and Principles of Practice.

Fellow grants consultant, Jana Jane Hexter recently blogged What Your Attitude to Jigsaw Puzzles Says about Your Capacity for Grant Writing with excerpts from her book, Grant Writing Revealed: 25 Experts Share Their Art, Science, and Secrets. In her post, she quotes four grant consultants, including our Diane Gedeon-Martin, about their puzzle-solving approach to grant writing.

You can access the webinar Diane Gedeon-Martin conducted for The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) International on March 13, 2019, entitled 21st Century Grant Applications: Brief and to the Point. Visit our Webinars for Purchase page for more information.

We are proud to welcome our 278th and 279th clients, The Art League of Alexandria, Virginia, and Aspire in Chicago, Illinois.

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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