How to Approach Grant Making Foundations That Only Give to Pre-Selected Organizations

Most of the foundations accept applications from any nonprofit organization or ministry seeking funding. There are, of course, restrictions and funding priorities but the church, Christian ministry, or other nonprofit is left to evaluate these areas and submit an appropriate funding inquiry. However, many smaller foundations do not accept applications and will include a statement that they only give to "pre-selected organizations" or that "applications are not accepted."
The most common reasons that foundations do not accept applications include:
1. The foundation has found that too many organizations are submitting proposals outside of the funding priorities.
2. The foundation has an internal process for identifying and selecting its grantees each year, usually organizations are recommended by a board member or trustee.
3. The foundation has been legally established for the benefit of specific organizations.
4. The foundation has been legally established by the donor/founder with specific restrictions on their giving procedures.
5. The foundation does not have the capacity to receive and review a large volume of proposals.
However, you may still want to approach foundations that do not accept applications if their giving interests closely match your organization's mission and vision. Being added as a new recipient for grant funding by a foundation "not accepting applications" happens more frequently than one would think.
We suggest a three steps procedure for approaching pre-selected foundations:
Decide if the foundation really is a good match
Carefully analyze the foundation's Form 990s from the past several years to see the grants that have been awarded. Subscribers to our Christian Funding Directory can use the free 990 Finder to find Form 990s from specific foundations.
If the foundation makes grants to the same small set of organizations every year, you might want to consider other funding sources. However, if there are organizations that are only funded periodically or if new organizations appear each year this may be a prospective funding source.
Next, analyze the new organizations that appear on the Form 990 to see if they are similar to your organization in mission, vision, and geographic area.
If all of these factors indicate a potential match, proceed by Using Your Networks.
Use your networks
Give a list of the foundation's board members and staff (along with their affiliations) to your board members, key donors, and influential supporters. Ask them if they know anyone on the list and if they are willing to introduce your organization to them. This is the most effective way of getting the foundation's attention.
If you do not have connections, proceed by drafting a compelling letter of introduction outlying why you are such an ideal prospect for funding.
Send a letter of introduction
If you don't have connections, you could still send a letter that introduces your organization and explains how it connects with the foundation's giving interests. However, this letter should NOT include a request for funding. Instead, the letter should provide a brief description of your organization, ask how the foundation selects its supported organizations, and request to meet with them or provide more information about your organization. This letter should be one page maximum!
Building a relationship can be a long process, but worth the effort. Remember these organizations are known to be very loyal to the organizations they fund, and if invited to apply you will most likely develop a long term funding partner.
Finally, if you are not an ideal and perfect match do not waste the time of the foundation and your own energies in developing and submitting a letter. Honestly, organizations that send frivolous letters are the reason the foundation has such restricted access in the first place. If you do not meet the funding priorities move onto the next foundation and continue your research.
Author Bio:
Jeffrey J. Rodman is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) and a Certified Grants Specialist (CGS). He is an experienced grantwriter, fundraiser, nonprofit executive, and public speaker who operates Here-4-You Christian Grant Consulting providing consultation for grant writing and funding development to Christian ministries and Churches worldwide.
Jeffrey has supervised a team of writers, researchers, editors, and administrative staff in providing consultation for grant proposal writing, nonprofit development, and fundraising in almost every state and a dozen foreign countries and has worked on proposals to Federal, State, and Local government as well as to Foundations, Civic groups, and many others. He received his BS and his M.Ed. from George Mason University. He has written 100's proposals, secured millions of dollars in funding, and maintains a funding rate of nearly 80%.
Jeffrey loves to play games with his kids and enjoy time with his family. He has lived in Virginia for almost since 1996 where he and his wife, Terri home school their four children, Alexandra (12), Mackenzie (8), Christian (6) Kaitlyn (3), and Abigail (born02/10/2010).
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