Empowering nonprofits: Insights and inspiration for mission-driven leaders

Grant Prospect Research

Stop Writing + Start Dialing to Grow Your Grants Program

Building and maintaining relationships with funders is the most crucial role for the executive director in grant seeking. This starts by seeking a conversation with a grant maker well before submitting a grant proposal. A personal phone call is a...

Grant Writing Support

Grow Your Grants with Gratitude

Grants come as a result of growing relationships with funders not only before but after your organization wins the grant. By making the decision makers at a foundation feel appreciated for giving a grant, they may feel more likely to...

Checklist: How to get ready for the new year

Maximize your grants success by following these best practice tips!  Grant Calendar is Key: Make sure you have an up–to–date road map that will lead your way.  Get Your House in Order: Refresh your grant materials for an efficient start. ...

Grant Prospect Research, Grant Writing Support

Donor Advised Funds and Other New Routes to Funding

If you’re relying only on a traditional methodology to get grants the chances are you might be missing out on funds for your nonprofit. Grant making is not untouched by influences that continuously transform philanthropy. Grant decision makers are becoming...

Spotlight on Giving Circles
Q&A with Jenny Neyer Berg

To learn about the community impact of giving circles, we talked to Jenny Neyer Berg, a local and national leader in collective giving. Jenny is Chair of the national board of Catalist (formerly the Women’s Collective Giving Grant Makers Network),...

Partner Plan

When To Compete for National Grant Funding

“Why aren’t we getting grants from national foundations?” Nonprofit fund development directors may get this question from their executive directors or from members of their boards. It’s easy to understand why nonprofit leaders want national grant funding: grants from national...

Technology Tips for Stepping Up Stewardship

Congratulations! You got the grant. And as the representative of a conscientious grantee organization, you set a reminder to submit the final report on time. But do not stop there! With so many technological tools at our fingertips, grant professionals...

Federal Grant Writing, Grant Prospect Research

Funder ROI: Sustainability After the Grant

Grant seekers often dread the sustainability section of a grant proposal that asks: “What is the plan to sustain the project or program after the grant?”   It can be challenging enough to shape the immediate plans and needs for the...

Do you suffer from “grants FOMO”?
We have the cure.

We hear it all the time: “There must be bigger funders out there for my organization.” “Shouldn’t we be getting national funding?” “When it comes to grants, I feel like we’re missing out.”  Do you know the feeling? It’s an...

Three Tips for Getting Donations from Donor-Advised Funds

“How can we receive grants through donor-advised funds?” Savvy fund development professionals feel confident pursuing grants from traditional foundations but are less sure about maximizing funding from donor-advised funds (DAFs).  The donors who give through DAFs are often high-net-worth individuals...

Win the Grants Game with Three Plays for Program Staff

Who in your organization is responsible for getting grants? If development staff are the only players in the grant seeking process, it’s time to rethink your game. Grant seeking requires the whole team—including program staff—to achieve maximum success. Want to...

What Does Tax Reform Mean for Grant Funding?

Since sweeping changes to the federal tax code were signed into law in December, experts have speculated how they will influence how, when, and how much donors give to nonprofits in 2018 and beyond. The Chronicle of Philanthropy has called...