Grant Application/Award Readiness and Grant Application Writing
Cay Communications offers to provides your organization grant readiness. Grants applications are proposed business plans which become legally binding business contracts upon award. As for profit businesses put in bids for business contracts, grant applications are very similar. They are highly competitive. The most generous funders award up to 6% of the applications they receive for each of their funding cycles.
Even small, private family foundations in addition to a possible application form or list of required items to be included in a letter of inquiry (LOI); also require some essential support documents, such as, list of board of directors that includes their board office, their employment and any other NPOs with which they are involved, the organization’s budget for the fiscal year for which funding is being requested and at least two subsequent years and the line item budget for the program/project for which funds are being sought, your organization’s most current IRS determination letter, the list of proposed funding sources for the program/project and if they are committed; the most recent audited or professionally reviewed organization’s financial statement. Another essential for grant award readiness is the ability to track for reporting awarded grant funds. The grant funders require periodic funds expenditure reports with receipts. Grant funders are mandated to be good stewards of their funds. When you receive grant awards, it is important to prove you are also a trustworthy steward of their funds by keeping the records they state are essential in the final award agreement and that you send in all reports at the due dates. This is no less important for mature organizations with good reputations than it is for start-ups seeking to establish a good reputation among the funding organizations.
We also provide grant writing and consulting services to nonprofits ranging from grant seeking research and strategy, writing grant proposals, and managing awarded grant funds and mandated reporting by the funder. Applying for and securing foundation philanthropic grants is an intricate and competitive process. You can anticipate that Cay Communications will:
Write proposals for funding based on results of potential funder research or on RFP/funder identified by the organization.
Gather detailed information about your organization’s programs and activities.
Work from cooperatively developed project or program plans; or current, existing program/ project plans to develop grant application proposals.
Conduct external and/or internal research as needed to strengthen your grant application proposal
Provide support and consultation for any unique requirements of the funder.
Submit letters of inquiry and their required support documents; and coach your organization’s appropriate staff and/or board members on contacting funders to gather further information.
Write and tailor grant proposal(s) to each grant maker’s specific requirements and to their mission and stated specific goals for the immediate funding opportunity.
Provide editing suggestions and application proposal critiques to assist your staff in strengthening application proposals and increasing chances for success
We also offer grant writing workshops and staff development programs to support professional growth and command in all areas of writing, including the basics, research and establishing an effective annual resource development calendar; funding area specific, current evidence-based best practices tools to address program effectiveness, timely, complete reporting to funders with support documents as required and importantly, approaches to cultivating relationships with leaders in the philanthropic community.