6 Common Questions Grant Funders Ask
Writing grant applications and funding proposals is about much more than simply seeking money for a project or operational expenses. Funders often request key details about your organization to ensure they have enough knowledge to make a sound investment. Furthermore, grant funding is competitive given the many nonprofit organizations vying for funding, so it’s so important to understand how to write a compelling proposal for funders.
So let’s explore six common questions that a funder may ask on an application.
What are your past successes? This is an area for your organization to shine and show why you are the best at the work you do. Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate what makes your organization stand out from the others by sharing details about your specific expertise in serving your community.
What community need does your project and/or organization address? This is an important section and you will need to take time to demonstrate the evidence of the need for your project. For example, you can use research and statistics to demonstrate that the community you serve lacks support or resources.
Describe your project. Many of the grants available are project-based, which means the funder is willing to provide financial support for a short-term project with a defined beginning and end. A suitable project can typically be anything from the creation of a new program to the expansion of an existing program; however, the project must align with the funder’s goals.
What are the skills of your team (staff and/or volunteers)? Take the time to take inventory of skills, knowledge and expertise of your team, and share these with the funder. Strong applications will also describe how these skills will be applicable to the success of the project.
What is the project budget? It is important that you have a strong grant budget that includes a description of the expected revenue and expenses associated with the project. Most importantly, all the costs you are requesting funding for must be eligible.
How will you evaluate the project? This can be a tricky question. The first step is for your team to determine what information will be useful. Then you can decide how you will evaluate the success of your project. For example, you can use quantitative methods such as counting the number of people served, or you can use qualitative methods such as surveying participants and evaluating their feedback.
When you are writing your grant application or proposal take the time to answer these questions carefully. And, always keep in mind that funders want to know that your project is well thought out, and a good investment.
Whether or not you are new to grant writing, we’ve created a guide to help you. Our digital Grant Toolkit can help your organization prepare and organize key information based on commonly asked grant questions, and help you identify where you have gone wrong in the past and how to improve.