nonprofits

Jennie Rosenbaum (right) with one of her high school students at graduation.

Diapers to diplomas. That’s the unofficial mantra of Los Angeles Education Partnership (LAEP). Project Grantsmanship alum and Director of Development & Evaluation, Jennie Rosenbaum, is an advocate for students. She bridges the gap between nonprofits and schools: Nonprofits in education & youth development need schools and schools need the support of nonprofits, but these two groups don’t always work in alignment. With differing needs and visions, it can help to have a person who can straddle both camps.

Developing winning grant proposals requires a deep understanding of your organization. You’ve got to understand the organization’s capacity, expertise, and place in the community. You must be able to provide a concise, thorough overview of the organization, highlighting its fit with the proposed program. Can you answer the following 12 questions? If not, you’ll need to do some homework.

Logic models – charts that illustrate connections between program activities and outcomes – are great tools for planning programs to address community needs, but many nonprofits use them only to help explain a program they’ve already planned. That’s a backwards approach. You’re much more likely to have real impact on the problem your organization wants to address if you use a logic model to guide the planning process.

We’re excited to start our Alumni Spotlight Series. First up is Project Grantsmanship alum, Jess Peláez, Founder & CEO of Blueprint Earth.