My Road to Nonprofit Grant Writing: Exposure is Key
- Pat Kelsaw
- Apr 1, 2024
- 7 min read
This month in preparation for my free webinar: “Diversify Your
Fundraising Toolbox”, I will highlight a series of posts,
resources, and tools dedicated to writing grants; in hopes of
encouraging others to learn more about this skill, that is always
in-demand, or just have a desire to learn about the world of
philanthropy. I will share highlights of my journey to become a
successful grant writer. I enjoy teaching others about the
techniques, language & style of writing proposals. Writing grants for nonprofit organizations can be a rewarding and lucrative endeavor, professionally and personally. It offers an opportunity to make a tangible impact on causes you're passionate about, creating condition(s) that you envision to make communities stronger, healthier, and build nonprofit organizations’ capacity to become more sustainable. Writing grants also allows you to hone your skills as a writer and communicator. If you have a fascination for numbers, if you like research & evaluation, data gathering, or design program evaluations to discover what works, then grant writing offers opportunities for you to prepare graphs, spreadsheets, and other ways to support the grant’s narrative.
Former students required to complete my grant writing assignments can attest to a
common conclusion, it's not a task suited for everyone. This assignment allowed me to
pass on my grant writing expertise. As a subject matter expert, it provided exposure to
the world of philanthropy. At the end, I also reminded my students, that they can’t
ever say that they hadn’t been exposed to the process! Sharing my grant writing
knowledge helps to build leadership capacity. It also provides a glimpse at how history
repeats itself.
“Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it” – George Santayana
My connection to the field of maternal and child health began in 1982 as an MSW
social work intern at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA. Ten years later, in 1991, I served
as deputy director of Community Health Services, a brand-new division within the
public health department of the Alameda County Health Care Services Agency. My
office was based in Oakland, yet as the department’s representative, I sat on various
countywide committees. One such committee was the Oversight Committee on Infant
Mortality (OCIM). Infant mortality refers to the death of a baby that occurs between
the time it is born and 1 year of age. For Black infants, mortality rates have historically
been double or even triple the rate of infant deaths for other ethnic groups.
A major investment of Federal funding to combat this devastating problem brought
a crowd to a small conference room at the West Oakland Health Center to hear about
this opportunity. Several community partners/stakeholders looking for ways to
collaborate, worked with a grant writer contracted to take our ideas, creativity, and
expertise to formulate a winning grant. The committee comprised perinatal
professionals and community leaders were charged with developing local policies,
goals, and objectives to address high levels of infant mortality.
This group assisted the County’s Health Care Services Agency in applying for and
receiving a five-year federal Healthy Start grant for Oakland, one of 22 cities across the
country, the Agency received close to $30 million. Healthy Start was a demonstration
project that provided a significant reduction in Oakland’s infant mortality rate to 8.7
per thousand, cutting the rates of babies dying in their first year of life in half. Sadly, without that continued investment of Federal dollars, rates are rising once again for African American infants to double digits. Strides were made and now history repeats.
It was during this time I was introduced to the world of writing proposals. Weekly
convenings were held to discuss the community’s response to the grant
announcement. I encountered a man named Robert who quietly sat off to the side
with his spiral notebook, a laptop, and a pen, taking notes and listening intently to the
group. His appearance, like a rockstar from the 1980’s, he could have been a member
of the Grateful Dead; with shaggy, unruly brown curly hair, denim jeans, sleeves rolled
up on his button-down shirt. He carried a briefcase filled with publications, and local
data – a treasure trove of documents to support Oakland’s need as the city struggled
with one of the highest infant mortality rates in the nation.
Why do I remember him? As the group disbanded, I was charged with working
closely with Robert during the proposal writing phase. I would review his draft
documents to ensure that what was articulated in the grant proposal, reflected the
goals and objectives of this diverse group of stakeholders. My interest in grant writing
and exposure to the field of grant writing started by reading grants! My interest
heightened when I saw that a good proposal writer can make thousands of dollars to
write one, noting that there is NO guarantee that the proposal will be funded!
Grant writing offers a unique opportunity to contribute to positive change in your
communities. If you're driven by a desire to make an impact and improve the lives of
others, writing grants for nonprofit organizations can be incredibly fulfilling. For me as
a grant writer, there’s nothing more satisfying than knowing that my efforts could
secure vital funding for programs that address pressing social justice conditions and
health disparity issues.
Thanks for reading!
And special thanks to those who joined me at Big Mama’s Table to Celebrate Social
Work Month! Thank you for your support!
“Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox”
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 (ET)
Location: Virtual and FREE!
Registration is open!
At this free 1-hour webinar, you learn how to avoid the fundraising pitfall of relying on a
sole or single source of funding, such as a grant, that is time-limited; funds are restricted
to supporting program activities while not addressing your organization’s operational or
capacity-building needs.
Register by Thursday, April 18th 5:00 PM (ET) to ensure that you receive your
confirmation email with Zoom instructions!
From Big Mama’s Playbook:
Weekly nonprofit management strategies, grant writing resources, and more!
Grant Tip: Be a storyteller. Tell compelling stories. Donors and grant reviewers are more likely to connect with your cause if you can tell a compelling story that illustrates the impact of your work. Use real-life examples, testimonials, and statistics to paint a vivid picture of the problem you're addressing and the solutions you're offering. Learn more at my “Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox” free webinar!
Are you new to fundraising and grant writing?
My free 1-hour webinar:
Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox offers a basic introduction to fundraising designed for non-profit staff and board members, especially those new to fundraising, who want to learn about and develop a clear strategy to diversify funding streams your organization’s needs.
Date: Saturday, April 20 th - 1:00 – 2:00 EST Registration is open now!
*Featured Grant Opportunities This Week:
Children/Youth:
The Women’s Sports Foundation: Sports 4 Life program seeks to increase the participation and retention of girls of color in sports. Grant awards up to $10,000
Deadline for Letters of Intent (LOI) April 5 th
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
Community:
Seattle Foundation invites applications for its Neighbor to Neighbor Fund (N2N). Funding
supports grassroots efforts in South Seattle, White Center, and Kent that increase the
engagement, power, and influence of community members affected by poverty and racial
disparities. Quarterly deadlines – next deadline: April 30 th
Grants of up to $7,500.
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
Education:
(new) The NEA Foundation invites applications for its Learning and Leadership grants. Learning and Leadership grants are intended to provide resources for educators hoping to engage in professional learning that can be implemented in their classrooms. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded in support of the professional development of NEA members.
Deadline: May 1, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
(new) The Greater Washington Community Foundation invites applications for its LEARN
Foundation Scholarship, to support Prince George’s County youth, high school seniors residing in the vicinity of FedEx Field stadium in Landover, Maryland. The minimum scholarship amount
is $1,000.
Deadline: April 30 th
San Diego Community Foundation seeks applications from community-based organizations that provide college success programming to one or more of the identified priority student
populations to join the Community Scholars Initiative (CSI) as partners. Each partner will be part of the CSI cohort and will receive a four-year conditional funding commitment from San
Diego
Foundation. Grant awards up to $150,000+ over four years.
Next Deadline: April 18 th at 3:00 PM (PST) NOTE: There are four funding cycles in 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
Health/Safety/Environment:
The Duke Energy Foundation will provide $500,000 in grant awards through the South Carolina Emergency Preparedness and Storm Resiliency Grants to invest in emergency preparedness organizations across South Carolina. The aim is to increase organizations’ resiliency to major weather events through advanced preparation, planning, equipment, and training. Grand awards
up to $20,000
Deadline: April 12, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
San Diego Foundation (SDF) and San Diego Community Power (SDCP) with support from
Calpine Energy Solutions, will award funding to new and existing projects that move
communities towards a healthier, more sustainable, clean energy future. grant sizes ranging
from $25,000 to $100,000.
Deadline: Friday, April 5, 2024, by 5:00 p.m. PDT
For complete program information, see grant guidelines.
Racial/Economic/Environmental Justice:
The Nathan Cummings Foundation is a multigenerational family foundation, rooted in the
Jewish tradition of social justice, working to help create a more just, vibrant, sustainable, and
democratic society. The foundation has an approximately $17 million grantmaking budget for 2024 and seeks applications for funding in three categories: Venture, Advancement and
Enterprise. Grant awards from $100,000 up to $250,000.
Deadline: April 30, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the website.
*This listing primarily focuses on regions of the country and targets communities: urban/suburban/rural where I have lived or worked, or other places that touch my life – where I know people are working hard to make a difference. And besides regional and state-specific grants, national and Federal grant opportunities related to the health and well-being of communities and families will also be included in this listing.
Weekly wisdom, in their own words:
“I’m sorry, but there aren’t a lot of smart executives anymore, and a lot of them have aged out and are holding on to their positions and refusing to let young blood get in.”
— Issa Rae (1985 -)
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