State and Federal grants are not for the faint of heart. The applications can be long and tedious requiring information that can be confusing. Yet, there are millions of dollars in funding available for organizations across the country and accessing these funds could become a key component for a program dear to your organization’s heart. If you are ready to start writing State and Federal grants, here’s some information you can begin to start your process.
Step 1: Get grant ready.
Do you have a strong board and organizational structure?
Does 100% of your board of directors contribute financially to the organization?
Do you submit the 990EZ or 990, not the 990N?
Do you have an annual audit?
Are all your policies and procedures up to date and followed?
Have you been in existence for over 3 years?
Have you received foundation grants?
Do you have multiple funding sources?
Can you prove with evaluation methods and tools that your program(s) is successful?
Do you have partnerships and collaborations that enhance the work you do in the community?
Do you have established relationships with local, state and federal level officials in the agencies who would give you funds?
Do you have the staff and resources to administer the grant and fulfill the grant reporting requirements?
These elements can all effect eligibility for grant federal grants.
Schedule an appointment to find out more about how to set your nonprofit up to receive federal grants.
Step 2: Check out Grants.gov to explore grants for your organization.
As mentioned, Federal grants can be difficult to apply for, but on the bright side Grants.org provides a lot of great resources.
Grants.gov is a centralized resource for finding and applying to federal funding opportunities. With over 1,000 grants programs from a variety of federal grant making agencies. It supports easier grant finding, application processes, interaction with the federal government, and simplifies grant paperwork via a secure online resource.
Some of the grant resources Grants.gov offers include:
-
- A Federal Grant Search tool: Search by an array of qualifiers from organization type, eligibility type, category, agency, keyword, date, etc.
- A list of Federal Grant giving agencies: You may know of some agencies like NASA, but you may be surprised to find an agency you didn’t know about that can support your nonprofit subsector! Science, arts and humanities, public service and more!
- Applicant Training Resources: Do you want videos and walk throughs? Grants.gov has a handfull of video resources to get you started.
Step 3: Register with Grants.gov and get necessary paperwork in order, and get ready to apply!
-
-
- Obtain an DUNS Number
- Register with SAM
- Register with Grants.Gov
-
From there, you’re on to the individual grant applications. There’s support for the eligibility checklist, and applying and tracking your grant applications.
How to apply for federal grants on Grants.gov
