Foundation Grants & Corporate Support: The Basics and More!

How does the small, community-based nonprofit organization find and cultivate foundation funders?

Are you better off going after your region’s “major player” funders – or seeking out those small to mid-sized foundations?

When you’re responsible for “doing it all” in a one-person marketing and development department, how do you find the time to fit in grants?

$46 BILLION in foundation dollars were granted to non-profit organizations in 2012. And now GivingUSA reports that foundation funding increased by 4.4% in 2012 — and corporate funding increased by a whopping 12.2%!

Are You Getting Your Share?

Finding foundations that will support your programs, writing a grant proposal that will make program officers sit up and take notice, and knowing how to build relationships with grant funders are just the first steps in building a solid portfolio of foundation grant funders that your organization can rely on — year after year after year.

Many thanks to you for your excellent work! I am going to miss hearing from you weekly. I’ve learned so much with this course.

Mimi Evans, Participant, Secrets of Master Grantwriters eCourse

Whether you’re a novice grant writer or an experienced pro, you’ll benefit from this four-week ecourse created to guide you through the intricacies of growing your foundation and corporate grant funding.

Imagine a foundation program officer sitting before a stack of 20 grant proposals. She begins to sift through them, only to find that, despite the variety of worthy missions, the proposals are nearly indistinguishable from one another. How do you set your grant proposal apart and make it rise to the top of the pack? And how do you create strong relationships with foundation grant funders?   Learn the secrets of foundation grant funding from a true “insider” who spent over seven years  in programming and communications for a large grantmaking foundation.

Who Should Attend?

• Chief Development Officers and professional fundraisers
• Executive Directors
• Communications directors and staff members, including online community managers

Here’s how it works:

The Basics & More! eCourses are structured, self-paced, learn-by-doing experiences. Every Monday, you’ll receive (via email) comprehensive guides and worksheets covering the topic of the week that you can read on your computer, smartphone, tablet or e-reader, or print out to read at your convenience. Each guide contains 5-10 pages and presents everything you need to know to develop your organization’s foundation and corporate grants strategy.

“Breaking down the process into segments takes away the ‘overwhelm factor’ of a workshop or a webinar and guides you incrementally into achieving what you thought was impossible! You provided valuable insight into all angles of how to write a meaningful piece to insight reaction from donors. Great work!”

Class Participant, Direct Mail Fundraising | The Basics & More!

Rather than a one-off webinar or workshop, the Basics & More eCourses have been designed to fit into your schedule on your time. You’ll always have the materials to refer back to and as these courses evolve, you’ll always have access to the latest edition.

Here are the course modules you’ll be receiving for this four-week course:

Week One:

August 5th Week One – On your way to success: Getting started

• Getting your ducks lined up: are you ready for foundation grant funding?
• Myths about foundations you need to know
• How and why to build a portfolio of foundation grant funders
• Researching grant funders: your best friend

Week Two:

August 12th Week Two – Writing your Best Grant Proposal

• Storytelling is for everyone
• Your Letter of Intent. More than a short proposal | Knowing what to cut and what to keep
• Simple things you can do right now to improve your chances
• Avoid these red flags
• Budgets simplified
• When the foundation comes to call: The ins and outs of site visits
• Are you missing this key ingredient?

Week Three:

August 19th Week Three – Rinse and Repeat!

• Systematizing for success
• How your board can help
• What to expect on your first site visit
• Streamline your grant reports
• Building relationships with foundation funders: Dos and Don’ts

Week Four:

Finding corporations: it’s easier than you think

• Finding “perfect match” corporations
• Surprising tips on how to approach corporations
• How to create meaningful corporate volunteering projects
• New trends in getting corporate grants

Even better? You can register as many individuals from your organization as you’d like. That way everyone, from your ED to your board members to program staff will be “on board,” learning about the importance of foundation grants and how they can contribute to make it happen!

“I found the substance as well as the form of presentation very compelling. I intend to recommend it to some of my clients who desperately need annual fund enhancement. Also, I will use it with my graduate students at Brandeis University where I teach fundraising management—and have for the past 22 years.”

David A. Mersky, Mersky, Jaffe & Associates (Monthly Giving | The Basics & More!)

Ask Questions — Get Answers!

This course is taught by Pamela Grow, the author of Five Days to Foundation Grants and the creator of Simple Development Systems, the only online coaching program created for the overwhelmed fundraiser in the one-person marketing and development shop and Mazarine Treyz, author of The Wild Woman’s Guide to Fundraising. All participants in this course will have direct email access to both Mazarine and Pamela for questions about the course materials and how they apply to your non-profit. Ask one question or one hundred questions…we’re here to help your organization succeed.

BONUS: Get feedback from your peers. As a registrant of Foundation Grants & Corporate Support: The Basics & More! you’ll have lifetime access to our private Facebook group, where you can engage with me and and your colleagues with your questions.

Once you register for Foundation Grants & Corporate Support: The Basics & More! the materials are yours to keep, to re-use when you need a refresher, or to share with a new volunteer or staff member.

Questions?  Email me.

The total investment for this class, including all of the course guides as well as direct email access to Pam, is just $67.