Family foundations—relatively small, usually without paid staff and often supporting only local causes—comprise the largest section of the private foundation world. Though their grants are seldom large, support from family foundations can be extremely rewarding:
We often hear grantseekers say they aren’t sure whether their organization is eligible for federal grants. The federal government makes thousands of grant awards annually to many types of organizations, and even to some individuals. Don’t write off this important funding source until you’ve examined the possibilities. Here are a few thoughts to consider.
The energetic and imaginative changemakers who staff nonprofits are full of great ideas. They’re constantly coming up with ways to make things better and looking for grants to support their vision.
In the field of fund development, grants aren’t all that well respected. Once, after I was well known for bringing in millions of grant dollars, a local fund development director recognized me as “the woman who raises all the junk money.” Junk money?
Fund development professionals focus on individual giving because it’s the largest piece of the philanthropic pie. Individual giving represented about 73% of all giving in 2011, and 81% if you throw in bequests–the dollars total about $242.20 billion. Fund development professionals also focus here because the dollars are generally flexible, renewable, and growable. Individual giving done right can be the beanstalk to the golden eggs that just keep coming. I get that.
Our vision for this blog is simple—to present the best thinking in the field of grant development—what we call grantsmanship.
First I want to establish The Grantsmanship Center’s footing because, historically, we’ve got a lot to live up to. Norton Kiritz established The Grantsmanship Center because he was deeply concerned that nonprofits making valuable social contributions had trouble getting grants. Norton began teaching proposal writing when no one else was doing it. In 1972, he founded The Grantsmanship Center because it needed to be done and no one else was leading the way.
CLASSIC ARTICLES - Your agency submits a grant proposal to a longtime funder and the program officer responds with high praise. There's just one hitch-she also wants you to redefine your mission. What's a board to do? Three experts offer their own advice.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - They go by the humble acronym RAG (the one in Washington, D.C. goes by the doubly humble "WashRAG"), but regional associations of grantmakers can be a valuable resource for local nonprofits.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - As a program officer with the Kellogg Foundation, Dr. Joel Orosz dispensed frank advice along with grants.
CLASSIC ARTICLE - Right-wing pundits routinely complain about the left-leaning bias of major foundations, but a new report from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy argues that conservative funders have been much more effective than their progressive counterparts in
CLASSIC ARTICLE - No one has exerted a more profound influence on the shape of international philanthropy than billionaire financier George Soros. Soon his vast network of activist foundations will be operating in 40 countries.
