Grant applications are specific to the organization that offers the grant, but most require a cover letter and an attached section that is similar to a resume. The essential points to cover often include:
- The mission statement of the NPO
- An essay outlining the mission of the NPO
- An essay outlining the need of the NPO
- Description of activities of the NPO
- How much financial aid has been secured by the NPO
- A clear indication of what the organization will do if the grant is received
- Any positive press, including letters from members of the NPO’s constituency
- Any numbers that demonstrate progress with the mission of the NPO (though this information is not available to new start-ups)
- Any distributed written materials
Always be sure to follow guidelines fully and carefully. Like any other application, check for missed lines, incomplete answers, incorrect information and inconsistencies.
A balance must be found between sending out too many applications that have not been well-crafted and sending out too few applications that have taken excessive amounts of time to complete. A smart nonprofit will concentrate on finding as many funding sources as possible and then leave the actual work of application for someone else within the organization (volunteers) or outside of it (freelancers or employees).
