| HUGH BLUMENFELD | |
| GRANT and TECHNICAL WRITING |
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yourself. A good grantwriter helps you do both, making each proposal an occasion for strengthening your organization. In the long term, the process becomes as beneficial as the funds it generates. |
Since 1994, I have worked as a grantwriter, development coordinator , and consultant in the fields of art and education. I have worked with organizations both large and small, public and private, profit and non-profit. I have also done technical writing for clients in the sciences and engineering, drawing on my undergraduate training at M.I.T.
My grant writing clients (all in Connecticut) have included:
The proposals I have written have generated well over $200,000 in received funds for general operating expenses, equipment, arts and education programs, audience development, and grants to support ongoing artistic work. In 1997, I wrote Coventry Connecticut's State Charter School application; as one of only twelve granted in the state, the school received over $33,000 in state funding in its first year. Bolton was able to implement its School to Career Program with a $30,000 grant.
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goals they share in common. A grant should work to establish a real and ongoing relationship that is mutually beneficial. |
In addition to writing a proposal, I will meet with your organization to find out how to present you and your programs in the best possible light to your funders. It is important to get a sense of your organization's overall vision, your goals, and the language you use to communicate them before presuming to write on your behalf.
I can also help with the following:
Please call for rates.
©1999 Hugh Blumenfeld
Overview
Fundraising is most successful when organizations don't view it as begging
- instead, it's a matter of offering funders an opportunity to use their
money creatively and to achieve deeply-held goals. The key is knowing what funders
want to achieve and having a quality program to offer them. Each category of
funder has different needs and objectives:
Individuals: love an artform, want to be part of something bigger, want to participate
personally, are looking for a social group of like-minded people.
Private Foundations: want to play a particular role in the aesthetic/cultural/moral
life of the community. Because the founders are usually deceased, they can afford
to be the most purely philanthropic, answering to no one. Executive Directors
tend to be very helpful, wanting applicants to succeed; they need your help
to present the best case to the board, which usually follows their recommendations.
Corporations: generally want to play a visible role in the community. Are interested
in public perception. Have a vested interest in supporting a positive environment
for their workers and customers.
Public Sources (City/State/Federal): want to promote civic life, increase economic
development, attract business, serve a wide range of constituencies. Necessarily
concerned with justifying expenditures and showing returns.
Organizations receive support based on several factors:
· Organizational strength - How stable is the organization? How strong
is its leadership? How well is it managed fiscally? Is it growing?
How likely is it that they will accomplish their projected goals?
· Quality of programs - based on credentials (activities and accomplishments),
program's history of innovation and success, peer reviews.
· Population served - both in terms of numbers and demographics. An outreach
component is often expected. Arts organizations are usually expected to offer
educational programs.
· Match between the organization's goals and the funder's objectives.
Checklist of Materials for New Applicants
The following materials are necessary to have on hand for almost any grant application. The process of preparing them can itself serve as an invaluable tool for self-evaluation, and often strengthens the organization even before any funds are obtained.
1. A One-Page Organizational History - chart any expansion in membership, board or programs, any moves or upgrades in facilities, date of non-profit incorporation, major accomplishments, changes in leadership, any shifts in mission or goals, current size, status, activities.
2. Brief, board-approved Mission Statement.
3. List of Board of Trustees with affiliations/occupations, addresses and phone numbers. It often helps to include a page listing frequency of board meetings, average board attendance, and a statement of ³100% Board Participation² saying that all board members make a financial contribution to the organization (you donıt have to say how much).
4. List of key Administrative and Artistic/Technical Personnel with short bio, list of credentials or resumes. Numbers of full-time, part-time and volunteer workers.
5. IRS 501(c)3 letter documenting organizationıs official not-for-profit status and date of incorporation.
6. Most Recent Financial Statement - either an audit, a Form-990 or in some cases a Treasurer's statement.
7. Grant history - a list of all grants applied for and received from all sources during the last five years including: names of funders, amounts requested/received and description of programs supported. Note any grants not fulfilled.
8. Funding Needs: List and describe the activities, programs or physical needs that require funding.
9. List of actual or estimated demographics of the populations served by your organization - whether as participants or audiences. In addition to total numbers of people served, demographic categories should include: geographical area, type of region (city/suburb/rural), age, income level, race/ethnicity.
10. When applying for large grants, long-range grants, or endowments, organizations should have a Board approved Long-Range Plan, three to five years is typical.
11. Three Budgets: for preceding year (actuals), current year and succeeding year. Current and future budgets should balance and indicate status of any grants as either received or pending. Increases or decreases of more than 15% or so should be fully explained as well as any surpluses, deficits or long-term debt. Budgets should be broken down into the following general categories:
Expenses
Income
Earned:
Unearned:
* Keep track of which funders have committed funds, which you've applied for,
and which are still prospects.
* Include "in kind" donations of goods and services to show the true size of
your organization and its programs.
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