Association and Society Grants: How to Find Them Fast

As a medium to large nonprofit, you may have already searched for government or corporation grants. But, did you know that certain associations and societies also award hundreds of thousands of dollars in grant money? The money is out there, but where do you begin?

We are going to outline how to find association and society grants quickly and efficiently. In this article, we’ll discuss the following:

• What association and society grants are and why they are important to nonprofits.
• Some examples of association and society grants.
• How to use Instrumentl to find them fast.

Let’s dive in!

Association and society grants are awarded by specific associations and societies for projects or initiatives in their field. 

They are different from other types of grants because of their specificity - that is, they usually only award grants for programs or projects that are directly related to the mission and goal of their association or society.

These grants are typically aimed at supporting research, education, projects, or initiatives that align with the goals and missions of the associations or societies offering them.

Association and society grants can be very important for nonprofits because they are targeted funding and networking opportunities that can support specific projects or initiatives. 

For example, the Pennsylvania Automotive Association may award a grant for clear air initiatives due to vehicle emissions. Or, the St. Louis Institute of Food Technologists could focus on food technology for the greater population. 

These grants are almost always directly related to the association and society awarding the monies.

There is a common saying about associations, and that is that “there is an association for everything.”  This bodes well for nonprofits because it means there is more than likely an association and society that has a mission that aligns with yours.  

Here are a few examples of association and society grant monies given:

• The Luis Palau Association gave more than $600,000 in 2021
• The Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations gave more than $7M in 2022
• The Association for Financial Professionals gave $3000 in 2022

These three examples illustrate that there are both large and small association and society grants available for nonprofits. But how do you find them?

Many associations and societies announce their grant opportunities on their websites, but searching through all of them is a time-consuming and extensive process.

Luckily, you can use Instrumentl to find grants that align with your nonprofit’s mission quickly.

Instrumentl focuses on matching your nonprofit with grant opportunities that best fit your organization. This streamlined search process ensures you aren’t searching through association and society websites only to be overwhelmed with a multitude of irrelevant grants.

To start finding association and society grants, here’s how you do it.

• Create a free Instrumentl account and get access to Instrumentl’s grant management platform for 14 days. 
• With over 400,000 funders on Instrumentl, we ensure that your nonprofit is matched with the most relevant association and society opportunities.
• Instrumentl simplifies the process of finding association and society grants because we have the most comprehensive database of active funding opportunities in the U.S.
• Use Instrumentl’s grant management platform for FREE for 14 days!

This section will guide you through a step-by-step process of finding grants using Instrumentl.

After you’ve signed into Instrumentl, you’ll start creating a new project. You’ll have three steps to complete:

1.  Share details about your organization and its location.

2.  Create a project name.

3.  Set up your grant search.

You will start by entering your organization’s information.

Fill In Details On Your Organization

In the “1. Organization” section, you’ll fill in details on your nonprofit, such as your location and fiscal year. 

You will also want to choose your state and what specific counties your nonprofit serves. That way, Instrumentl can filter out grants that are not relevant to the area you serve.

Click “Save and Continue” to complete this first section.

Provide An Overview Of Your Project

In the next section, “2. Overview,” you’ll create a project. Think of a project in Instrumentl as similar to a “saved search.” You can title your project anything you would like that is related to your search for association and society grant opportunities.

Next, you will select “Matches & Tracking'' because it will provide you with both a tracker and funding opportunity matches. You will want to select this type of project if you are seeking out new funding opportunities. 

Choosing “Tracking” is only best if you already have grants and you just want to track them in Instrumentl.

Once done, click “Save and Continue.”

Specify The Types of Grants You’re Looking For

In the last section, “3. Matches Setup,” you will specify the following:

• The type of nonprofit you are (most commonly, just “Nonprofit” rather than “College/University” or “Zoo”).
• If you’re a faith-based nonprofit and only want to see grants specifically for that purpose.
• The geographical areas you serve.
• Your fields of work.
• The grant size you’re looking for.
• What you intend to use the funding for (projects, programs, operating expenses, etc.).

We chose “Nonprofit” for our applicant type, and since we want state and local government grants - not grants specifically for faith-based organizations - we chose “No” for that section.

Then you will want to select your location based on your state and counties you serve so that you can focus on Associate and Society funding options in your geographic area.

In our example, we chose Pennsylvania, specifically the counties surrounding the state capital of Harrisburg. Simply search your state and then select the counties that are relevant to your nonprofit.

Now, you will select the field of work you operate in to ensure you get matches with grants from state and local government funders who support nonprofits that do the work you do.

It’s best practice to select 2-3 fields of work so you have a wide enough scope of relevant grants.

When clicking “+Select fields of work,” search the cause you support and select 2-5 keywords from the drop-down that fit your mission. In our example, we searched food and homeless fields.

In our example, we selected four fields of work related to food and one related to the homeless.

Next, set a minimum or maximum type of grant you would like to be matched with. This will filter out grants that are either too small, making them not worth pursuing, or too large, making them too competitive.

In our example, we set a minimum of $1,000 and no maximum. Our medium- to large-nonprofit will take all the funding we can get!

Finally, you will need to choose what you will be using these funds for if awarded. We chose “General Operating Expense” because these grants are more flexible and unrestricted. This means Instrumentl will filter out restrictive grants that only support specific projects or programs.

Specify That you want to see Association and Society Grants

You can configure Instrumentl to target Association and Society grants next. If you are curious about all available grants, you can click them all and then narrow your search to Association and Society grants once you’re in Instrumentl.

Now you can click “Save and Exit.” 

Invite Your Team Members

Don’t worry about having to research Association and Society grants all on your own, as Instrumentl allows you to invite up to 9 team members to collaborate on your grant research.

Once you have finished following these steps, we will display all of the top grant matches for you to review.

When you first start reviewing your matches, you’ll notice that Instrumentl resembles an email inbox. The matches are on the left, and when you clock on one, the details will show on the right.

The left side shows all of your matches:

• “Funding Opportunity Matches” are individual active grants.
• “Funder Matches” are funders who match your search criteria.

If you are curious about all of the grants in your field, don’t worry. You can filter by “Association and Society” grants under the “Filter” dropdown tab or by all categories.

As a result, you’ll only see Association and Society grants.

Briefly Review Your Grant Matches

You can briefly review your grant matches and then choose the ones you want to analyze in more detail. The matches are on the left, and when you click on one, the details will show on the right.

You will also see that on the left, Instrumentl shows the “Funding Opportunity Matches,” which are individual active grants, and “Funder Matches,” which are funders who match your search criteria.

You will also see that on the left, Instrumentl shows the “Funding Opportunity Matches,” which are individual active grants, and “Funder Matches,” which are funders who match your search criteria.

Often, funders in your “Funder Matches” tab are invite-only because they don’t have a live grant to show. Therefore, if you find a funder you are interested in, consider reviewing their website and board of directors. 

For more details on how to find invite-only funders, check out our in-depth guide.

Briefly Review Your Funder Matches

Once you have a list of the most suitable association and society grant opportunities for your nonprofit, you can review each one in detail.

Clicking on the profile of each opportunity will allow you to examine the “FUNDER OPPORTUNITY” and “FUNDER” tabs.

These sections contain essential information that will help you evaluate whether a grant aligns with your nonprofit’s goals and objectives.

For example, the “FUNDER OPPORTUNITY” tab provides key information about the grant, including focus area, support type, and priority funding areas.

Filter Your Results

You can use Instrumentl’s filters to narrow down search results by geographic location, funding amount, and more.

We decided to stick to a local level, so we filtered our search to the surrounding counties where our nonprofit is located.

Now that you have filtered your results only to see association and society grants, you can dig deeper into each potential grant for your nonprofit. By clicking on each profile, you can quickly review the relevant information.

Review the Grant Guidelines

The “FUNDER OPPORTUNITY” tab provides a snapshot of the association and society opportunity and the grant guidelines. Here you will see relevant information such as the grant’s focus area, type of support, and priority funding areas.

You can also get a detailed look at the funder’s eligibility and application specifics.

Gather Insights On Funders From Their 990s

If you also want to see the 990 reports, click on “FUNDER 990 REPORT” to view a summary of data from the organization’s 990 filings with the RIS. This data offers invaluable insights, such as:

• average giving,
• the number of grants awarded,
• the organizations it has previously funded,
• the geographic focus,
• its openness to new grantees, and
• the causes it supports

For example, this funder was open to new grantees in 2022, which bodes well for our nonprofit.

Once you’ve gone through the association and society grant matches thoroughly, you can save the ones that catch your attention. 

By doing so, you can easily revisit the grants at a later time in your Grant Tracker, where you can keep track of which you’ve decided to pursue with a letter of intent, or a full proposal.

Leave Notes On Your Saved Grants

Since you are working with a team on your search, you can leave important notes that record key insights and considerations for each grant.

Assign A Status To Stay Updated On It

Instrumentl also allows you to organize your saved grants by marking them as “Researching” in the beginning and then the application status if you decide to apply for the grant.

This allows your team to manage your grant search progress effectively.

The Instrumentl Grant Tracker serves as a reliable and efficient tool for managing your pool of saved association and society grants. 

The Grant Tracker functions as a personal database for your prospective association and society grants, keeping all of your selected opportunities in one place for easy access and organization.

Update Your Grant Details

The Tracker also allows you to update and monitor the status of your grant applications. Each grant that is saved in your Track can have its status updated as you progress through the application process.

To update a grant’s status, simply click on the grant within your Tracker.

You’ll find the “Status” dropdown where you can select the appropriate status for your grant. You can choose from various status options, including “Researching,” “Planned,” and “Submitted.”

This feature allows you to have real-time updates on your tasks and helps you efficiently manage your application processes. 

Set Fundraising Goals

You can also use the Tracker to align your grants with your financial targets. In our example, we set a fundraising goal of $350,000 over the next three years.

Never Miss A Deadline

Your team can also use Instrumentl’s deadline tracking features so that your saved grants are organized by deadline. That way, you can focus on what deadline is coming up first and then work on the later applications as they arise.

Assign Tasks To Your Team

As different tasks arise, the Tracker has an efficient task distribution and tracking section in which you can assign specific tasks to each member of your team. This will keep everyone organized and on track.

Report On Your Progress

Finally, you can use Instrumentl to generate reports for internal and external stakeholders. Reports can organize your award opportunities, the awards that you have won, any tasks, and even contact information of funders.

Association and society grants can represent a significant avenue of financing for your nonprofit. Yet, navigating through the landscape of these grants can be daunting.

Below, we answer some frequently asked questions about association and society grants.

What is the typical application process for association and society grants?

The application process for association and society grants is similar to other grants. They will usually specify if there is an application deadline and specific eligibility requirements depending on who in the community the association or society is seeking to help.

Are association and society grants typically recurring or one-time funding?

Most of the time, association and society grants are one-time funding opportunities because they are for a specific project or initiative. 

Are there specific reporting requirements for association and society grants?

Reporting requirements are dependent on the association or society organization awarding the grant. However, some associations and societies require applicants to be a member of their organization. Therefore, make sure to review the eligibility requirements before applying for this type of grant.

Can small nonprofits apply for association and society grants?

Yes! Association and society grants may range from a few thousand dollars to a quarter or half a million, so if you have the manpower to successfully complete the grant, you can apply for it.

What are the common mistakes to avoid when applying for association and society grants?

Be sure to note the application deadline immediately, as many grant proposals are rejected simply due to missing a deadline. Also, be sure to research the association or society organization to ensure your mission is in line with theirs.