Grants Can Transform Nonprofits and Leverage Impact
For small and medium organizations, investing in grant writing can yield crucial resources that build capacity. Following the right strategy is the key to winning grant awards. “It’s helpful for nonprofits to really think about their strengths and look for funding opportunities that align with that,” says CP Consultant Kristen Engebretsen.
CP Consultant Barbara Wille has achieved grant success for small organizations. She advises, “Focus on your key competencies, and seek those funders interested – specifically – in what you do.” She notes that most funders are inundated with requests and must make hard choices. “The closer you can align your mission and programs with their specific guidelines and interests, the better chance you have of getting support.”
Here are more strategies:
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- Identify the right funding sources to ensure mission alignment. But don’t be afraid to stretch if you have a strong case. See Communities in Schools’ successful pursuit of a health-oriented grant HERE.
- Highlight unique aspects of your organization and why it stands out. If you are a smaller nonprofit, look for funders who prioritize supporting organizations with more limited resources and demonstrate how you are doing more with less.
- Develop a compelling case for support that includes specific data points about your impact on the community. But be sure to include a story or two that also communicate your impact.
- Highlight collaboration and partnerships. This can demonstrate that you are part of a bigger movement working towards common goals. It also can help elevate your visibility while showing your organization “plays well with others.”
- Take the time (and it can take a while) to build relationships with funders to introduce your organization and its work, including by attending events.
- Evaluate and adjust. Regularly reassess your grant-seeking process and adjust based on what has worked and what has not.
- Consider contracting for outside help with grant writing. If your organization is small, working with a grant writer can be a valuable investment to help you build core capacity without diverting your focus from delivering on programming and services commitments.
For small and medium-sized organizations seeking to leverage their impact, investing in grant writing help can lead to strength and growth. “We want to help you grow so you outgrow us,” Wille says.
Learn more from these grant success stories:
Communities in Schools
American Muslim Senior Society
Other Resources:
Learn more about targeting the right grants for your nonprofit. The Stanford Social Innovation Review published a helpful article about funding sources for different types of nonprofits. Read 10 Nonprofit Funding Models.
Success Story: American Muslim Senior Society
Capacity Partners client the American Muslim Senior Society (AMSS) has been building its capacity and impact by winning significant grant support, with assistance from CP Partner Consultant Barbara Wille.
AMSS’ mission is to empower the diverse seniors and caregivers in Montgomery County, MD, by giving them access to culturally sensitive tools and resources to improve their quality of life and the opportunity to live with dignity. The organization is quite small. With just three staff members, AMSS is relying on grants to expand its reach and programming.
One of the keys to AMSS’ grant success is recognizing that its mission aligns closely with Montgomery County’s strategic goals and commitment to encouraging multicultural approaches to address health equity issues, creating new opportunities for support.
Another key has been recognizing its limited staff capabilities, pointing to the need to contract for grant research and writing services, rather than adding to core staff workload.
The results speak for themselves. The organization is punching above its weight in terms of outcomes and impact, said Wille, thanks to a process that works. Working with an experienced grant writer who can ask the right questions and synthesize the information needed to win grants frees up staff to focus and execute on core programs. "It's a very effective process.”
Through this collaboration, AMSS is winning both "tiny organization" grants and "big organization" grants that support a vital mission and expanding programming, she said.
This includes funding to address senior food insecurity, which was an intense need during the pandemic and unfortunately remains an issue today. The organization serves 500 meals a week thanks to gifts from Montgomery County as well as private foundations. Another key part of AMSS’s mission is expanding culturally competent delivery of caregiving for seniors in Montgomery County, especially for those who are low income.
Grant wins include:
- An award of $80,000 to feed Afghan refugees in Montgomery County and offer wraparound services to the senior refugees among them. The grantor is Montgomery County’s Asian American Health Initiative, in partnership with the Primary Care Coalition, a nonprofit that seeks to improve the health of vulnerable individuals and families by building partnerships and strengthening systems.
- A $50,000 grant from the Greater Washington Community Foundation’s Food for Montgomery Fund to purchase a delivery vehicle and help pay for a food storage and packaging space for food.
- A major grant from WorkSource Montgomery, a County-supported program that links local and regional economic development and workforce efforts, with the support of the Primary Care Coalition and Nexus Montgomery, a consortium of hospitals that partners with community organizations on innovative projects to reduce hospital visits. This award is providing scholarships to expand the pool of culturally diverse students seeking their Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) credential.
- A Carl Freeman FACES (Freeman Assists Communities with Extra Support) grant, which prioritizes smaller nonprofits, and a generous award from the William S. Abell Foundation, both for AMSS’ work to feed more people in difficult times.
Thanks to these grants and others supporting AMSS initiatives, "they are doing amazing things” with a tiny staff, Wille said.