Grant Professionals Association Heart of America Chapter Regional

Grant Professionals Association Heart of America Chapter Regional Conference Kansas City, Mo April 25, 2014 Session 1 A, 8: 45 AM – 10: 15 AM RESEARCHING POTENTIAL FUNDERS Cynthia A. Robinson, J. D. , GPC

RESEARCHING POTENTIAL FUNDERS Grantelligence Ingenuity Insight Integrity www. Grantelligence. com Grant Consulting and Classes Cynthia A. Robinson, J. D. , GPC Cynthia. ARobinson@gmail. com 913. 244. 5508 2

RESEARCHING POTENTIAL FUNDERS Why is this woman in the pink and red outfit unhappy? Because she’s a fashion disaster? NO! Because she’s a grant rookie struggling with a federal grant application. Rest easy, rookies. This workshop focuses on grants from private sources, not government grants. 3

WARNING! Before you seek a grant, make sure your agency is “grant ready. ” � Grant-Ready Checklist by Sarah S. Brophy, b. Muse, a consultancy for museums. � Checklist for Success by Linda Butler, Butler Consulting. � Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits, a free webinar, by the Foundation Center / Grant. Space. 4

GRANT READINESS: SARAH BROPHY � Do you do something important? � For anyone in particular? � Do you do it well? � Do you make a difference? � Are you a smart investment? A safe one? � Are you a good partner? Grant-Ready Checklist on the b. Muse website, http: //www. bmuse. net/grt_rdy_chklst_b. Muse. pdf 5

GRANT READINESS: LINDA BUTLER Checklist for Success is free at Linda Butler’s website. It lists two dozen items you need to be grant ready, including: � 501 (c)(3) letter, certificate of incorporation, bylaws � Evaluation, outcomes, performance measures � History, programs, values, awards, stories, accreditations � Board of directors, staff, volunteers � Audit, financial statement, budgets for agency and programs � Fund development plan, strategic plan, business plan � Target population, logic models for programs serving them http: //butler-consulting. com/resources 6

GRANT READINESS: FREE WEBINAR The Foundation Center and its “mini-me” site, Grant. Space, are thorough and reliable sources of information about foundations, grants, fundraising, nonprofit management and related subjects. Before You Seek a Grant: A Checklist for New Nonprofits Webinar is archived on Grant. Space. http: //grantspace. org/Multimedia/Webinars/Before-You-Seek-a-Grant 7

SO YOU ARE READY FOR A GRANT Now that you’re ready for a grant, begin: ü Deciding what you want in a potential funder ü Finding potential funders for free ü Mining databases when freebies aren’t enough ü Identifying gatekeepers of multiple foundations ü Cultivating a potential funder 8

DECIDING WHAT YOU WANT IN A FUNDER Grants are not free money. You must fulfill contractual obligations to your grantor. So look for a grantor you can live with. 9

DECIDING WHAT YOU WANT IN A FUNDER � What can you give a potential funder? � How much money do you need and when? � How much time can you invest in research, cultivation, application and stewardship? � What do you want from a potential funder other than $$$$? Advice, volunteers, in-kind gifts, publicity, networking or something else? � How will you satisfy contractual obligations? 10

FINDING POTENTIAL FUNDERS FOR FREE I have never discovered how to do a comprehensive, disciplined search outside of a database but here are some scattershot, random, free ways to search for funders: � Keep your eyes and ears open. Be alert! � Look for agencies similar to yours that thank their grantors in an “honor roll” posted on their website. 11

SCATTERSHOT AND RANDOM � Cozy up to your community foundation. � Sneak a peek, if possible, at donor-advised funds of community foundations. � Ask people in the arts, education, health, justice or other specialties if they follow grant -monitoring services. � Read chatter in grant groups: Linked. In, GPA. � Check out Grant. Gopher. com. 12

SCATTERSHOT AND RANDOM Use the Grantsmanship Center “Funding State by State” map to find community foundations and top grantmaking foundations in your state. Look for grantors that give to a broad range of projects because rather than confining themselves to specific subjects (education, arts, etc. ), they try to improve local conditions. http: //www. tgci. com/funding-sources 13

We’re finished discussing scattershot, random approaches to finding potential grantors. Let’s talk about comprehensive, disciplined searches in grant databases. ONWARD AND UPWARD TO REAL RESEARCH! 14

COMPREHENSIVE, DISCIPLINED SEARCHES Let’s return to the goal of a comprehensive, disciplined search for potential grantors, the type of search you do in a grant database. Most grant databases use information from the IRS Form 990, “Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, ” filed by most tax-exempt entities. How many? A GINORMOUS number. Consequently grant databases are expensive to create, maintain and subscribe to. 15

SURVEY: GRANT DATABASE PREFERENCES In 2013 Heather Stombaugh did an informal survey for Charity. Channel in which she asked grant writers to rank the most useful databases. She published “Finding the Needle: What Grant Writers Need for More Effective Grant Prospecting, ” summarized on the next slide. http: //charitychannel. com/finding-needle-grant-writersneed-effective-grant-prospecting 16

FAVORITE DATABASES OF GRANT WRITERS � � � � � Foundation Directory Online (by 4: 1 margin) Grants. gov (free) Foundation. Search Other, including Grant Gopher (free), Guide. Star, ERI, state foundation directories, Google, e. Civis, SMARTS, Seliger, NCCS/Urban Institute, Hanover Research, local news articles, various email alerts and newsletters Grant. Station Chronicle of Philanthropy Christian Funding Directory Grant. Watch The Grantsmanship Center Funds. Net Services (free) 17

FDO: QUALITY VERSUS PRICE Heather Stombaugh said, “While FDO making the top of the list is no surprise, here’s where it gets interesting. While the most popular, the Foundation Directory Online received the most votes for ‘too expensive. ’ ” What’s the answer to quality versus price? Cue the Hallelujah Chorus to celebrate a wonderful solution…wait for it… 18

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FINDING POTENTIAL FUNDERS FOR FREE � The Foundation Center Funding Information Network (formerly Cooperating Collections) includes Foundation Directory Online Professional, the top level of FDO. � FDO Professional has foundation profiles, maps, charts and more. � Finding information is fast and easy. � This is best deal ever; it’s FREE! 20

FUNDING INFORMATION NETWORK “The Funding Information Network is a network of libraries, community foundations, and other nonprofit resource centers that can be found across the U. S. and around the world. Network partners provide a core collection of Foundation Center publications and a variety of supplementary materials and services [including FDO Professional] in areas useful to grantseekers. ” http: //foundationcenter. org/fin/ 21

FUNDING INFORMATION NETWORK Iowa: Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Des Moines, Ames, Cedar Rapids, Fairfield, Dubuque Kansas: Lawrence, Topeka, Junction City, Salina, Ellis, Ness City, Mc. Pherson, Wichita, Phillipsburg Missouri: Moberly, St. Louis, Kirkwood, St. Peters, Springfield, Joplin, Kansas City Nebraska: Lincoln, Hastings, Omaha 22

Even if you remember nothing else from this workshop, remember the FDO Professional database is available FREE at a Foundation Center Funding Information Network site near you. REMEMBER … 23

NO MORE FREEBIES: MINING DATABASES For serious prospecting, you need a comprehensive database searchable by keywords. Besides FDO Professional: � Foundation Search � Guide. Star Premium or Premium Pro � Grant. Station (included with GPA membership) � Greater KC Foundation Directory (included with Nonprofit Connect membership) 24

DATABASES: GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS GOOD NEWS � Databases are based on Form 990 so they start with standard info but crunch it different ways; see which database you prefer � Most databases offer trial subscriptions or tutorials BAD NEWS � There is no free lunch; free databases have shortcomings � Databases that are not keyword searchable are nearly useless when prospecting for new foundations or businesses 25

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS CONTINUED MORE GOOD NEWS � Form 990 and grant databases list grant awards: to whom, how much and for what purpose. � Analyzing prior grant awards helps you guess whether you will appeal to this grantor. MORE BAD NEWS � Plowing through any grant database is slow and boring. � Pay attention to myriad details while asking the big question: does history suggest we should approach this grantor? 26

REALLY BAD NEWS ABOUT DATABASES Grant databases rely too much on Form 990, every one of which is completed by a human being, some of whom: � Feel rushed or overworked � Grow tired, inattentive or occasionally lazy � Don’t care about a poor schmuck searching for specific keywords for specific grants 27

This could be YOU coping with too many Form 990 s. A person who fills out a Form 990 may be trying to reveal the minimum, not the maximum, about each grant given during the year. He or she may prefer to – or be told to – classify every grant as “program support” or “project expenses” or similar blather. WHY FORM 990 AND GRANT DATABASES ARE NOT PERFECT 28

IDENTIFYING GATEKEEPERS Form 990 and grant databases tell you who is the contact for a funder. With a good database you can export a spreadsheet of potential grantors. Compare the contact names and addresses, looking for exact duplications or close-enough similarities. 29

IDENTIFYING GATEKEEPERS Target individuals who are contacts for multiple foundations, typically: � Bank trust officers � Community foundation staff members � Lawyers or law firms 30

CULTIVATING A POTENTIAL FUNDER This workshop is about researching funders but I would mislead the rookies here today if I imply they can look in a database, select a likely funder, and submit an application. No! A Thousand Times No! (apologies to Betty Boop for citing her song and cartoon) If it’s humanly possible, you should talk to the funder before applying. 31

CULTIVATING A POTENTIAL FUNDER Grant. Space says, “After you have researched your prospects, reach out to them! If a foundation has stated a preference for an initial approach or mode of contact, follow the instructions. If it has not stated any preferences, it generally is safe to call them. ” http: //grantspace. org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Funding. Resources/Foundations/approaching-foundations 32

CULTIVATING A POTENTIAL FUNDER At the same Grant. Space page, watch an archived webinar, How to Approach a Foundation. Script your introductory call. � Introduce your organization and project. � Connect to the funder’s interests. � Get the grantmaker’s reaction. � Secure a meeting, if possible. http: //grantspace. org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Funding. Resources/Foundations/approaching-foundations 33

RECAP OF THIS WORKSHOP � Achieving “grant readiness” � Deciding what you want in a funder � Finding potential funders for free � Mining databases when freebies aren’t enough � Identifying gatekeepers of multiple foundations � Cultivating a potential funder 34

THANK YOU Give a woman a fish and you feed her for a day. Teach a woman to fish and you feed her for a lifetime. Teach a woman to write grants and she feeds other people the rest of her life. 35