Tips On Requesting A Nonprofit Grant

There are specific forms of information that should be included in any grant proposal sent to nonprofit donors. To start, you need a convincing cover letter. This is the introduction to your proposal, and lets nonprofit donors that engage in frequent corporate philanthropy know the exact purpose for the funding. The cover letter should also introduce your overall business concept to nonprofit donors. Moreover, it should also talk about other projects in which you’ve successfully solicited for nonprofit grants, if applicable. Make sure that you include the ways that the donation to your organization will positively impact the nonprofit donor corporation as well. This will appeal to companies that participate in corporate philanthropy, since these corporations have already arranged to use a portion of their budget for charitable causes.

Next, you’ll want to compose a cover sheet. This is a summary of your overall proposal, and is a very important part of your nonprofit grant funding request. The objective, the methods that you’ll use for the project, and the amount of money you’ll need for the program you’re organizing should be included in the summary. Most nonprofit donors refer to this page several times before making the final decision to award funds to your organization. The program objectives and goals should be outlined in detail after the summary. This will give you the opportunity to inform nonprofit donors of how you plan to spend the grant funding in sections. You should include one goal for each of the problems you are trying to address (i.e. if you’re requesting money to feed hungry children in your area, you should detail how much money you’re going to need to feed children in one specific neighborhood in your city).

The methodology of your project should be explained next in your nonprofit grant application. In this statement, repeat your objectives and give a clear description of the activities your staff will engage in to accomplish your goals. The timeline of all your activities is outlined in this section as well, so that the nonprofit donor will have an understanding as to the timing of monies being allocated to your organization, be it incrementally or all at once.

Be sure to be as detailed as possible when you’re outlining the evaluation and budget sections of your nonprofit grant proposal — you never be too detailed when it comes to appealing to a nonprofit donor. Be sure to check fundraising directories for nonprofit donors in your area, and continue to develop your nonprofit organization to give your company a broader appeal. n