Procopio Fundraising has an impressive success record in packaging proposals to foundations and governmental funding sources. (Please see our “Clients” page for examples.) If your organization knows of a possible funding source, but hasn’t the time to do the required research or the time to prepare a truly competitive application, please give us a call. Even if you have no idea where to start looking for grants appropriate to your program or your special project, we can search our own philanthropy contacts and the database of 96,000 grantmaking foundations that we use, to try to locate some money that your organization is eligible to receive. We have the ability to add a professional polish to your formal request for funding that often times makes the difference.
When should you consider outsourcing your foundation research and grant proposal preparation?
Have you missed a deadline for submitting a grant proposal lately because you are simply too busy?
Are you submitting grant proposals without the ‘due diligence’ you know you should be doing: (without studying the grantmaker’s latest IRS filings, and without staying current on the changing nuances of their grantmaking focus)?
Do Board Members regularly suggest “getting a grant” as the answer to emerging financial needs, with no in-depth knowledge of what funding partners may be possibilities?
Are you intimidated by Grant Application questions, or other elements of a strongly competitive grant proposal, … things like Quantifiable Objectives, Outcome Evaluation Methodologies, Performance Indicators, Financial Sustainability Strategies, and Time Lines?
Have you ever mounted a no-stone-unturned grant proposal campaign to complement your Capital Campaign or Endowment Campaign?
Are there dominant players on your fundraising committee or Board of Trustees that might be better directed by an objective outside voice?
From a time-management standpoint, sometimes it just makes sense to outsource very labor-intensive aspects of your workload. Grantwriting consultants keep extensive records on their experiences with foundations; past successful (and unsuccessful!) grant proposals can suggest valuable biases and leanings that may not be included in a foundation’s published criteria. Foundation research to uncover prospective grant opportunities, when done correctly, is a tedious laborious exercise for a nonprofit organization. A grantwriting firm doing a significant volume of grant proposals has time-saving advantages. Research for one client often uncovers an exceptional opportunity for another client. Broader ‘category’ research into ‘environmental-grantmakers’, ‘arts-grantmakers’, ‘at-risk-youth-grantmakers’, etc. can often be applied to more than one initiative.
Grantwriting consultants can help you assemble the elements of a competitive grant proposal. We can help you make your most compelling case statement, backing up your arguments for funding with statistical data. If your organization has your Goals and Objectives and vision for the future in writing, Procopio Fundraising can research examples and lead you through the process of defining your Evaluation Methodology.
