[TEXT: Young African Leaders Initiative, Online Training Series]
[TEXT: Jasmine McGinnis Johnson, Assistant Professor of Public Policy and Public Administration, Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at The George Washington University] Hello. I'm Jasmine McGinnis Johnson,
and this is Fundamentals of Grant Writing.
[TEXT: Fundamentals of Grant Writing — Researching Your Grant Proposal] This lesson is entitled Researching Your Grant Proposal.
[TEXT: Learning Objectives — Planning to Write Your Grant Proposal] In this lesson we will cover the importance of conducting the proper research
[TEXT: How to research your grant proposal] as you prepare to write your grant proposal:
[TEXT: How to identify the right funder for your project] researching to identify the right funder for your project;
[TEXT: How to research a funder's application and review process] researching a funders application guidelines and review process;
[TEXT: How to write a competitive proposal] and researching ways to make your proposal competitive and your project sustainable.
Once you’ve identified the type of funder that you want to approach, it is essential that you do your research.
You’ll need to find out what those funders have funded in the past.
[TEXT: Research Funding History — Projects, Organizations] Have they previously funded programs, projects or organizations like yours?
[TEXT: Issues] Are they interested in your community or your specific issue?
[TEXT: Geographic area] Have they funded projects in your geographic region?
All of these are questions that will assist you in matching your project to those of potential funders.
[TEXT: Understand funder's motivations] It's important to understand a funder's motivations and what they care about before you approach them.
[TEXT: Review funder's instructions and requirements] Another critical part of your research must be reviewing a funder’s instructions and requirements for submitting a proposal.
Ultimately you will have to adhere to them.
If a funder has a limit on the amount of money they will give to any project, don’t ask for more than that amount.
If the funder requires your organization to provide tax documents or a list of others who have funded your projects in the past,
then you must provide that information.
[TEXT: Research how you will manage any funds granted] You should also research how you will manage the funds, should you be successful.
Most funders will not transfer money to personal bank accounts.
Having a registered non-profit to receive the funds adds credibility to your cause because of the effort in most countries to open one.
Knowing how a funder will review your grant proposal is also very important.
For most grants, funders will conduct a technical review and a content review.
[TEXT: Technical Review: Have you complied with the funder's guidelines?] A technical review is one in which the funder determines if you have adhered to the guidelines
and requirements for submitting the grant.
Failure to meet the funder’s basic guidelines for applying for the grant will ensure that your grant proposal is rejected.
[TEXT: Content Review: Does your proposal align with the funder's mission and goals?] A content review by a funder will look at whether the proposal is aligned
with their mission statement and mission goals.
It also looks at things such as whether you have the appropriate experts on your team
and if your budget is the right amount, based on what you plan to do and achieve.
One advantage in determining what type of funder to target is using your personal and professional networks,
especially your organization’s board of directors.
A board of directors is a publicly identified group of people who jointly oversee the activities of an organization.
Research continually shows that your board members are key to reaching funders who may eventually give money or in-kind donations to your organization.
Typically, your board members belong to many other boards, so they may have some insight into who might fund you.
Therefore, who you choose as a board member in the beginning stages of your organization becomes really important later on.
[TEXT: Consider requesting in-kind donations, not money] One tip is to ask first for in-kind donations from a potential funder to gauge whether or not this funder is interested in your organization.
If they are willing to give you an in-kind donation, they will likely be willing to give funding at a later point,
as long as you are a good steward of their funding.
Another way to figure out which funders you are eligible for is to ask other organizations
[TEXT: Reach out to organizations doing similar work for advice] who are doing similar or related work about where they are getting funding.
These conversations will also be helpful to get an idea of when their organization got funding and what makes them competitive.
Please know that funders can only achieve their goals if the organizations they fund do great things in the world.
This means your logic model, which demonstrates what you need to do to achieve your goals, is really important.
Some funders also want to see that the funding they give your organization is not the only funding you have.
Funders do not want to take risks with their funding.
They want to invest money in projects that will ultimately happen.
A project with a single funder does not inspire confidence that others also see the value in what you’re doing.
[TEXT: Demonstrate your ability to achieve your goals] Prove to a funder that you have achieved certain goals
and you want to help more clients or go deeper into a particular problem.
[TEXT: Reach out to potential funders before writing] It’s a good idea to contact the funders that you want to approach — before you write your proposal —
to be sure you clearly understand the funder's guidelines.
If you can, always ask to meet with a funder or their staff in person.
Do not give up — keep trying.
A face-to-face meeting will always help.
This way you can get more details about whether or not your organization is a good fit and should apply for this grant.
Conducting thorough research before you begin the process of writing your proposal will save time,
make sure resources are properly applied, and ensure that you do not make a critical mistake
that could create negative impressions between you and potential funders.
[TEXT: Test your knowledge — YALI.STATE.GOV] After you've completed all of the lessons in this course at YALI.STATE.GOV
[TEXT: Produced by the U.S. Department of State] you can test your knowledge and earn a YALI Network certificate.