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Sustainability
Preparing Foundation
Proposals
June 2009 |
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Dear “Proposal"
Colleague,
With
the right mix of talents, skills and personalities within
your volunteer leadership, your organization will thrive
and grow. Make good use of real star leaders in your
community by placing them on your Board of Directors
and Advisory Council. Click on the titles on the right
to learn about…
The Right Kind of Foundation
When It’s Time to Write…
Evaluate
for Success
Do you have questions or ideas about preparing foundation
proposals? Contact us through OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
for more information. You can still access previous
issues of On-the-Go eTA by clicking on the back issues
at the bottom of the page.
The
Right Kind of Foundation
Learn
as much as you can about the kind of foundation you are
approaching to select those foundations that will seriously
consider you for funding. Here is a chart to help you
understand the basic characteristics of foundations:
| Foundation
Types |
These
May Be… |
Private
Foundations
Usually receive funding from a single source.
Private foundations must make “qualifying
distributions” of at least 5% of the average
market value of their investment assets in every
fiscal year by the end of the following year.
As mentioned earlier, during this economic downturn,
assets are less in value, leaving less to donate.
Competition is fierce.
|
- Independent or Family Foundations
receive endowments from individuals or families.
They often continue to show measurable donor
or donor-family involvement.
- Company-Sponsored or Corporate Foundations
receive funds from their parent companies,
although they are legally separate entities.
- Operating Foundations run
their own programs and services and typically
do not provide much grant support to outside
organizations
|
Public
Foundations (Also known as a “Grant-making
Public Charity”)
Receive funding from numerous sources and must continue
to seek money from diverse sources in order to retain
their public charity status |
- Community Foundations seek
support for themselves from the public, but
like private foundations provide grants. Their
grants primarily support the needs of the geographic
community or region in which they are located.
- Giving Circles composed of
groups of individuals who come together to pool
their resources to fund programs of their own
interest. Many are formed by women. Examples
include the Los Angeles Women’s Foundation,
the Ms. Foundation for Women, the New York Women’s
Foundation.
- Special Funds set up to serve
special population groups and field-specific
funds, such as health funding foundations set
up with proceeds from health care conversions-often
referred to as “new health foundations”,
legal defense funds, or public education funds.
|
Since all private, public and corporate-sponsored foundations
must file the IRS Form 990, use it to learn about average
size grants, board members who your stakeholders may know,
and compare status of finances to earlier years to understand
availability of funding. The IRS Form 990 is available
to view for free at www.guidestar.org
When
It’s Time to Write…
Sitting down to write a proposal for funding from a foundation
can be a daunting task. Break down the task into manageable
steps as shown below. Allow ample time to compose, format,
compile, and deliver the proposal package to a potential
funder.
Brainstorm or list ideas
- Write out the need that you are asking a donor to
support
- Prepare a budget to determine how much your project
needs
- Develop your funding configurations - i.e., one
funder, several funders, other.
Gather
materials
- Assemble background and supporting information –
i.e., fact, statistics, research, examples, etc.
- Identify who can provide the information needed,
staff, program officers, community experts, etc.
Write rough notes and address
- What is most important to the funder
- How the project fits with your mission
- How the project fits with the funder’s mission
- What message you want to convey
Research and possibly contact funder
- Get guidelines
- Review submission dates and requirements
- Ask for technical assistance:
Can you meet with the funder?
Will the funder read a draft?
What is the notification policy and timeline?
Prepare an Outline
- Determine the requested proposal format –
i.e., letter of inquiry, letter proposal, full proposal,
etc.
- Follow the funder’s guidelines.
Click
here to continue reading the steps to preparing a
winning proposal.
Evaluate
for Success
An
aspect of grant funding from foundations that often throws
awardees for a loop is answering the question, “How
will you evaluate the success of your program or project?”
Some grants have detailed evaluation instructions. Others
allow you to provide your own methods for evaluation.
You will find it helpful if you think of possible evaluation
methods at the beginning of project design. Keep in mind
that all results must be measurable.
The two common methods of evaluation are quantitative
and qualitative:
Quantitative methods measure or count
data. They attempt to answer the question, "How much?
" using statistical analysis such as averages, means,
percentiles, etc. Use quantitative methods for questions
that involve:
- Understanding
quantities or frequency.
- Determining
cause-and-effect.
- Comparing
different things.
- Establishing
numerical baselines.
Qualitative methods use direct or indirect
contact with people. They can consist of interviews, observation,
or review of relevant documents. Qualitative methods can
be quite rigorous and be excellent for studying processes
and meanings, but they do not provide calculated data.
Use qualitative methods for questions that involve:
- Understanding
the feelings or opinions of people.
- To
gain insight into relationships or patterns.
- To
gather multiple perspectives on a particular subject
or problem.
- To
identify approximate, rather than exact, information.
Whether
you do your own evaluation or hire someone to do it for
you, be certain that you are providing the most relevant
information to your foundation funder. Check with them
to determine their preference. Remember, many foundation
proposals allow you to add the cost of an evaluation to
the request.
Click
here for a sample Final Grant Evaluation Form to evaluate
program impact from the Oshkosh Community Foundation.
Let
us know
Let
us know about any proposal writing tricks you have employed
to gain funding for your organization. Contact
OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
We would be happy to answer questions or to give you
more support.
Thank you for your interest in On-The-Go eTA. We encourage
you to send this and other issues of OTG
eTA
to friends and colleagues who would benefit from the
information. Also, if you’re on information-overload,
you may request email
removal.
Otherwise OTG e-TA will be back soon with another edition.
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When
It’s Time to Write… (cont.)
1st
Draft
- Keep
referring back to your outline
2nd
Draft
Proofread
- Print
out.
- Read
aloud.
- Give
it to someone else to read.
3rd
Draft
Format
- Follow
the funder’s guidelines.
- Use
headings to define sections.
-
Incorporate white space and bold type if allowable to help
with readability.
- Check
your page breaks.
-
Format any graphs and charts.
Proofread
again to catch any mistakes made in formatting
- Ask
others who have fresh eyes to read for clarity, spelling,
grammar, etc.
Final
Draft!
- Prepare
the package according to funder’s instructions.
- Deliver
in a timely manner.
For
an interactive tutorial to help you get the most from your proposal
writing efforts, go to Producing
Proposals that Work
Resources
eOrganizer
eOrganizer is an interactive clearinghouse for the latest
and greatest web instruments of change. This GIZMO shows you
how to maximize free and inexpensive online tools and resources
to mobilize people around issues and within organizations.
Structured around eight categories important to community
organizing, it offers descriptions and provides access to
many of the most current web arenas and strategies for bringing
groups together to create community change.
http://www.campaignconsultation.com/GIZMOs/eorganizer/index.html
The National ASK (Awareness, Skills, Knowledge) to Sustain
Institute, sponsored by Corporation for National and
Community Service, provided by Campaign Consultation, Inc.
1998, 2002.
The CNCS Resources Now! National Institute, sponsored
by Corporation for National and Community Service, provided
by Campaign Consultation, Inc. 2005-07.
Learning
Products and Services
Sustainability:
OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com is designed to give
information fast on building capacity. Use this online support
for advice from a fundraising professional.
Contact OntheGo@CampaignConsultation.com
VISTA
Campus:
VISTA Campus is an online learning environment for
the VISTA community. The aim is to support you in your development
throughout and beyond your VISTA service. The Campus includes
self-paced tutorials and courses, reference materials, discussion
boards, a campus bookstore and more to help improve your
skills and connect with other VISTAs. To access the site,
go to http://vistacampus.org
and select the “VISTAs” option. You will need
to create an account to access the content and discussion
boards.
GIZMOs:
(Giving Information for Zooming Mission Objectives)
GIZMOS are resource and fund development tools for you and
your volunteers. They are tangible products in packets,
pocket brochures, CD-ROMs, games, etc. They feature a myriad
of fundraising topics such as The Case for Support, an interactive
online resource. View and use our newest GIZMOs at www.CampaignConsultation.com/gizmosplash
The
Chronicle of Philanthropy:
Everyone who comes to a Resources Now! National Institute
gets a free subscription to the Chronicle for a year. Participants
in CNCS Campaign Consultation workshops receive the latest
issue free of charge plus a $20 discount on one year’s
subscription.
Workshops/Clinics:
The Corporation for National and Community
Service (CNCS), through its T/TA service provider Campaign
Consultation, Inc., offers a three-hour workshops and clinics
for those interested.
WebWizard:
CNCS sponsors this new service that
Campaign Consultation provides to assist programs and projects
in maximizing their websites for program, client, volunteer
and fundraising needs.
Online
Courses/Webinars:
Web course delivery of topics pertinent to resource
development such as — Build Fundraising Volunteer
Champions and Cause Related Marketing and
Corporate Partnerships.
Available
through the Resource Center at http://www.nationalserviceresources.org
Read
Back Issues of OTG e-TA
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