In a grantwriting career spanning 30 years, Michael Gershowitz has raised over $100 million for public and non-governmental organizations in the United States and internationally. He works with clients to identify and design fundable projects, search for the best prospective funders, and write and market proposals. He also gives seminars and workshops on grant development, and has written two books on grantseeking. Dr. Gershowitz currently holds a full-time position at Rutgers University as a professor of public administration and Director of Federal Grants for the School of Public Affairs and Administration. He is teaching grantwriting and grant management courses, among others. He previously was part of the faculty of Long Island University, where he concurrently wrote grant proposals for the university and for private clients. He also is founder of Gershowitz Grant & Evaluation Services, a firm of several grant professionals, which has been very successful in its grantwinning efforts. Dr. Gershowitz earned his undergraduate degree from City College of New York, and his M.A. and Ph.D.degrees in Government from New York University.

Grantmakers do, indeed, fund new initiatives rather than continuations of existing projects. Their interest is in improving services, which is best done by trying new ways to solve old problems. Where does this leave NGOs that need continuing funding streams for services that work well? It forces them to think through where they are and where they might be.  

The bad news is that the status quo isn’t fundable. The good news that is that you have a great opportunity to expand or improve. Here are some things to think about:  

  1.  Who else needs your services? Are there nearby communities? Different age groups? Different sub-groups within the community?  

  2.  Are there additional services you could provide to your current population?  

  3.  Are there different ways of serving your existing population’s needs that you could try out?   

Asking a funder to support any of these approaches could be productive, provided that you can show two things: First, that you are currently doing a good job; and second, that you have the resources to effectuate the changes or expansion.  Good luck!  

There are no hard and fast rules. Each foundation sets its own guidelines; you need to read and follow them. Whether required or not, providing donated expenses – also known as matching, cost-sharing or in-kind – is a good idea. It shows that you’re not just looking for a handout.

What you donate is less important than that you do so. Asking a grantmaker to contribute 100% of a project’s costs gives the impression that you are looking for a “handout.” Contributing shows good faith and increases your odds of winning a grant.   This applies to large and small NGOs. For a small NGO, the challenge is to convince the funder that you have the capacity to carry out your project. The best way to do this is to form partnerships with other groups that can contribute to your success.

The specific decision on what to offer should be based on your organization’s resources.  For most projects, the biggest expense is salaries.If you can find volunteers to do some of the work, your contribution can be significant. Look, also, at existing resources that can be applied to the proposed project. Many NGOs already have available space and equipment that can be donated, and actually cost nothing.  

Take a look, too, at my reply to Karen Chunko’s question.

I never took a course in grantseeking but have won 200 major grants, so surely a course or workshop is not a prerequisite to success.  Nonetheless, I think that taking one can is a good investment because it can get you jump-started, avoiding lots of pitfalls.  Getting information is only one component of the process; knowing what to do with it is even more critical.  Use your Internet skills to find a training opportunity that is well-regarded by previous participants; convenient, and in your price range

Congratulations on taking on such a necessary but daunting challenge. Given the right circumstances, some funder will find this a marvelously fundable project. But which funder? I’m not sure you’re ready yet to select one and write a proposal.

In order to identify the best funder for your project – and not just any funder – you need detailed, convincing answers to some specific questions. Don’t assume the donor will intuitively know the answers.

The questions are:  

1. Why is the project necessary? (Need.)

2. What results will there be? (Goals and objectives.)

3. How will you achieve them?(Activities.)

4. Who will do what?(Staff and partners.)

5. How much will it cost? (Budget.)

6. How will you know if it’s working? And what will you do if it isn’t? (Evaluation.)

7. How will you keep it going when the grant ends? (Sustainability.)  

If and when you can answer these questions convincingly, I can help you take the next step.

You are absolutely correct. Funders, being risk-averse, tend to avoid trusting their money to new and unproven NGOs. This creates a chicken-and-egg situation: How do you win your first grant?

Obviously, there’s a way; today’s established NGOs were yesterday’s startups. Here are two strategies that work:

1.  Go for a small grant rather than an ambitious one. If you request $10,000 rather than $100,000 (or $1 million), you improve your chances by reducing the donor’s risk. 
2.  Or, even better, become an established NGO’s subgrantee. Network with other development organizations in Ethiopia (I’m sure there are many), and find one that is willing to delegate a piece of its project to you. After doing that job well, you can claim credit, and you’ll have built credibility as a reliable, grantworthy NGO. Good luck!

A proposal is most effective when it focuses the reader’s attention on ideas rather than words. Plain English does that more effectively than fancy English or bad English. Plain English is transparent because the reader is unaware of it and sees right through it. English that is opaque rather than transparent can result not only from deficient skills but also when native speakers try to show off their brilliant command of vocabulary and syntax. The result is a distraction.

I don’t want a reader to think, “that’s a well-written proposal.” I want her to think, “that’s a great project,” because great projects are what get funded. When the writing intrudes, whether bad or clever, communication is impeded.

Clear writing is even more critical when the reader’s English skills are deficient. If a skilled English-speaker like you is baffled by the meaning of a sentence, think how much more confused a person who principally speaks German, French or Swedish may be. Cleaning up your clients’ English is a valuable service.

I was in Cameroon recently to work with an NGO there, and am well aware of the need for services such as yours, especially in rural communities.  

The key word in your question is “innovative.” Funders are always looking for new and better ways to meet needs, so being innovative is a good thing. It is not enough, however, to simply say that you are innovative; you need to prove to a funder’s satisfaction that your approach is (a) new; (b) cost-effective, and (c) will help to meet the need.  

Although focusing on the elderly may be a recent development in Cameroon, the concept is firmly established in the developed world, and is supported by many grantmakers. The best place to start your search for promising funders is at the FoundationCenter’s excellent online website, fdncenter.org. Click on “find funders” and enter keywords, such as “aging” and “Africa.”  If you get a large number of “hits,” you can refine your search with additional keywords such as “health” or “civil rights.”

Many of the tools you need to win a federal grant are available online at grants.gov.  This is rapidly becoming the exclusive site for official information about grants administered by all federal agencies.  But be forewarned, it’s a formidable site that can intimidate and frustrate a newcomer.  Take some time to explore its ins and outs.  Most of the 50 American states also have grant websites. 

To help sort things out, it’s worth investing in a grantseekers’ textbook.  The one that I assign my students is Winning Strategies for Developing Proposals and Managing Grants, 3^rd edition (Thompson Publishing, 2007).  It’s pricey ($149) but outstanding.

There’s a long list of things that will make a proposal more marketable, but I will mention a few of the most critical:

1. A well-planned project that meets a real need is by far the most important step in attracting funding. Document the need and make sure that your solution is both research-based and innovative.

2. Grantmakers are inherently risk-averse, and limit their philanthropy to recipients who are reliable. NGOs that have handled previous grants responsibly have a much easier time attracting repeat funds. If you haven’t, consider partnering with one that is more established.

3. Instead of just asking a funder for money, find a way of contributing to the cost of your project. For example, use volunteers rather than a paid staff. Covering part of the cost with your own resources shows that you’re not just looking for a handout.

These and similar measures can go a long way toward winning you the grant you’re looking for.

Before hiring a consultant, ask for references and check them out.  The most expensive consultant isn’t necessarily the best. 

Ethical grantwriters charge for time and expenses, and do not work on a contingency or percentage basis.  The professional society, the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), discourages that practice because it has the potential to create a conflict of interest between consultant and client. [Editor's Note: WANGO's Code of Ethics and Conduct for NGOs also discourages such practice.] Therefore, it’s normal to sometimes pay a consultant without winning the grant.  However, if that happens repeatedly, it’s time to try someone else. 

The AFP’s website, afpnet.org, lists fundraising specialists by category; grantwriting is one category out of several dozen.  It’s a good starting point, but the fact that a consultant is listed doesn’t imply the organization’s endorsement, so check those references!  The Chronicle of Philanthropy (philanthropy.com) also lists grantwriters.

Grantwriting or other fundraising, like so many aspects of life, is a balance between cost and convenience.  In developed countries, people often eat in restaurants or buy prepared foods to heat and serve. In developing countries, most people prepare meals at home from scratch, which are just as tasty and nutritious but involve more effort. Professional grantwriters and fundraisers have experience that can expedite the process, but they possess no magical powers. Almost anyone with sufficient time and inclination can develop the same set of skills.  

For grantwriting, those skills include the ability to seek clear answers to challenging questions; to analyze data; to organize people and time, and to write in plain English. There are several excellent books that walk prospective grantseekers through the process of preparing quality proposals. For those seeking foundation grants, I highly recommend Jeremy Miner and Lynne Miner, Proposal Planning and Writing, 4^th edition (Greenwood Press, 2008). For applicants for American federal grants, Lanie Bailey (ed.), Winning Strategies for Developing Proposals and Managing Grants, 3^rd edition (Thompson, 2007) is outstanding.  

A number of organizations also offer workshops in grantseeking. These are listed in The Chronicle of Philanthropy. I hope to begin offering my own version of a grant workshop soon under WANGO auspices.  If at first you don’t succeed, don’t give up. The competition for available grants is extremely keen. Apply the lessons from your failures and eventually you will find success.

Good luck!

This question is typical of many I have received that seek help funding specific types of projects in specific countries.  I cannot answer each one individually, but can give this general advice:

1.      First make sure that you have convincing answers to these questions:  What is the specific need that this project will address?  How will it address the need, and with what results?  What research or experience suggests that this is the best approach?  Who will do the work?  How much will it cost?  How will the project be evaluated and improved?  How will it eventually become self-sustaining?

2.      Once you have solid answers, search for the best funder, starting at the Foundation Center’s website, fdncenter.org.

3.      Then follow that funder’s instructions on how to submit a proposal, and make sure your proposal is convincing and flawless.

The demand for grants vastly exceeds donor resources.  Therefore, many worthwhile proposals cannot be funded, and poorly-presented proposals almost always fail.  If at first you don’t succeed, learn from the experience and try again.  Have faith in yourself and don’t give up.

You are asking two questions, one about how much to budget and the other about how to allocate the costs. Let’s take them one at a time.  

The best rule of thumb for budgeting is to be realistic. Don’t pad; don’t skimp. If your costs are anomalous, meaning that a grantmaker might consider them to be out of line, explain the reason. For instance, where I live, in metropolitan New York, the cost of living is higher than elsewhere in the country. Salaries, consequently, are also higher. When this is noted, grantmakers understand and don’t hold it against me. Be sure to describe each position in your project with sufficient clarity to show the prospective funder that the job is essential to the project’s success.  

In general, offers to cover part of the cost of a project – salaries included – are received well by grantmakers; they show commitment on the applicant’s part. But make sure that you have the availability of the resources – human or monetary – to meet your promise. If not, go ahead and ask for the grantmaker to cover it. As Henry Ford famously said, asking for money for a worthy cause is not begging.  

I think that what you’re asking is not only how to become better known as an NGO but also how to use international NGOs to help your local NGO win grant money. You are asking a good question. Collaboration is essential for 21^st Century grant winning. Having larger and better-known organizations on your team helps to validate, or give credibility to, your own NGO and its project. That’s because groups with a track record have grantmakers’ trust.

For smaller and more localized NGOs, there is a second benefit: it can serve as a “backdoor” to funding. Foundations are generally more willing to award grants to groups with a record of successfully completing projects. Smaller or newer groups can be sub-grantees or subcontractors to the grantee. After all, your objective isn’t (or shouldn’t be) to win a grant but rather, to acquire the funds needed to operate a project.  This approach also saves you the need to write a proposal as well as to file progress reports with the funder.

How to reach out? In my experience, nothing beats networking. You probably know the major players in your field in your country, Ghana. Establish contact with them, and follow the trail wherever it leads. 

It sounds as though you have some planning to do before you are ready to reach out to a prospective funder. Most funders award grants for projects that address specific needs, rather than for general purposes. You haven’t told me anything about your project. You are ready to approach a funder only after you have good answers to these questions:  

1. What unmet needs does your target population have?
2. What services will you provide to meet that need?
3. Who will provide those services?
4. How much will it cost?
5. How will you know that the services are producing the desired results?  

Once you are satisfied with your answers, go online to fdncenter.org and follow the advice I gave the previous questioner. By the way, I thought that the Maori people lived in New Zealand.  Are there also some in Australia?