Grant funding for communities

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13 things I learned while getting grants for my community-based organization

Writing a grant is like taking a standardized test Grant writing isn’t about how good of a writer you are. It’s about how good you are at writing to the specific grant. I went to a super competitive public high school in the Silicon Valley where it was normal to enroll your kids in SAT classes. One lesson from the essay portion of SAT class still rings in my mind a decade+ later: specificity is knowledge. (They had us repeat that every time, by the way.) Getting a high score on the SAT doesn’t necessarily mean you’re intellectually gifted. It often means you’ve had the resources to study, practice, and do EXACTLY what they’re asking for.
Don’t apply for government funding but also definitely do apply for government funding Are you confused? Good. I learned this year that the EPA (may she rest in peace) and other government agencies whether federal, state, or local offer grant funding. It is SUPER FREAKING CONFUSING to apply at a dot gov. However, government agencies often worked with nonprofits who steward federal/state/local money. These nonprofits have far more streamlined applications! They make way more sense! There’s a human at the other end! They actually want you to succeed. Two examples:

King County, where Seattle is, passed a proposition that unlocks a bazillion bucks of funding for arts and culture organizations. Soapbox got a MULTI-YEAR GRANT through that funding source, but only because of 4culture.org who manages the process.
The EPA has a bunch of environmental justice initiatives. I got so overwhelmed on their website and closed all my tabs (oops). Weeks later, I learned that Philanthropy Northwest in my area gets to disburse some of these funds using their own process!!

There are also SOOOO many city and hyperlocal grants for social connection, so look for your local allies!

Specificity is knowledge I shared this already but it might be the #1 lesson for me. Communicate what you’ve done, why you’re doing it, where you’re going, and whom you’re going there with. Quantify everything, even if it doesn’t seem quantifiable at first. (Basically all the advice you’ve heard updating your resume) Also USE TESTIMONIALS! You probably already have them! Testimonials are evidence!
Have a team of proofreaders / editors / opinion-givers! I almost hesitated to ask people to read my grants thinking oh it’s so much work and the deadline is tomorrow. But if you’re running a community, PEOPLE WANT TO HELP!! Many people will make time, especially if it’s just half an hour of their day! This is the whole point of community! I’ve gotten to the point where I have a group chat with a few community members where I can drop the link to my Google Doc.
Morale is just as important as skill (maybe more?) After getting my first grant, I went from writing a grant a month to multiple grants PER WEEK. The morale boost matters. Find small grants that build small wins. Get your community members to source opportunities. This is a group project!
Don’t believe people when they tell you you can just copy + paste everything When I first started grantwriting only a few months ago, more experienced grant writers told me to have a doc of standard answers so I could just copy + paste over. This might work for you but it didn’t work for me. Even if it was almost the SAME question, I felt that I had to rewrite the answer. Having a central doc is great, but having answers that match the wording/tone/specifics of the question is much better. I’m assuming this advice works for people who write grants day in and day out, but at first, the work has to be manual (at least that’s what I’ve found, and I’m now starting to get to the point where I can copy/paste).
Internet stalking is your best friend Community builders probably make for good grant writers because we know how people and social networks work. Some grants don’t want you to reach out to anyone on their team, but some actively encourage it. Internet stalking helps to:

Set up conversations with a foundation’s program officers when they encourage it. Their emails are usually publicly listed and these people’s whole job is to find aligned orgs to distribute funding to
See what amount funders have given to other organizations. Some grants ask you to request an amount without giving guidance on the range. Look them up!
Connect with other community leaders who can share where their funding has come from

The library is your soulmate I freaking love the library so much, and I thought I couldn’t love it anymore. Did you know libraries often have ENTIRE STAFF MEMBERS dedicated to helping nonprofits succeed??? The Seattle Public Library gives free access to Candid’s foundation lookup tool which shows funders’ giving history! Plus they know all about the local funding sources!! GO TO THE LIBRARY!
It IS a numbers game We got rejected from grants we were a REALLY good fit for. We got $10,000 from some random billionaire’s foundation. Grant writing, once you have the basics down, IS a numbers game. (I think “having the basics down” comes from the point where you feel like you can actually start copy-pasting most of it / that you know exactly what your answers to funders’ questions are going to be.) Build capacity to play the numbers game. Delegate tasks to your community members. Get people involved. If anyone wants to build grant writing skills, you’re the luckiest!!
Ask for feedback when you DO get the grant Feedback on why you got rejected isn’t always helpful. Sometimes you get rejected because a foundation is trying to balance its portfolio and a similar awesome project to yours got funded already. Sometimes your focus isn’t exactly what they’re looking for. None of that will help you be a better grant writer. When we got our first grant from the People’s Climate Innovation Center for $8,000, I asked for feedback on why we DID receive the funding! Apparently, all three people on the review panel had four “hearts” to give out to show that they REALLY wanted to vouch for an organization. Soapbox got TWO HEARTS!! Part of it was how we were doing something community focused that seemed new and unique. This is probably the same reason we got rejected from other grants—being too new or too unique! But now I know I can double down on the innovative piece, and funders will either love it or not. That’s on them.
Read the terms & conditions before applying. Also the word count You might waste 10 hours applying for a grant only to find out you need three years of IRS 990s to be eligible. (True story.) Or you might write eloquent essays for each question only to find out it’s a CHARACTER limit of 500, not a word limit. (I wish this was a false story.)
Ignore everyone’s advice, and good luck! Everyone has something to say about grant writing but alas most of it is just being chronically online, shooting your shot, crying when you get rejected, and trying again. You’ll find what works for you!
CELEBRATE!! I put this one after the “ignore advice” because this one is non-negotiable sry. Getting your first grant (or any grant really) shows you that you CAN get grants. This was HUUUUUGE for me. No matter what, I am a person that got a grant. I am a successful grant-writer. I successfully fund the community projects I’m working on. Celebrate and keep celebrating. There will always be more rejections than successes, and you have to invent your own rituals to keep you from crying in the closet all day long. (Just me? Ok)

Sending you all the love and best wishes. I wonder what next year will hold as I go from a baby grant writer to a young adult grant writer!

Tag me if you ever want to celebrate a grant for your community project. I’m on the internet everywhere @niviachanta!

Love,

Nivi