If you’re a nonprofit organization looking for grants, funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) are great places to start. These publicly advertised notices can be found across the internet and offer funding for everything from health and wellness initiatives, to educational activities, to social action programs.
In this article, we’ll explain what FOAs are, look at some funding opportunity announcement examples, and then give you some tips for how to properly align your project with the funder’s needs.
Let’s dive in.
What Is a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)?
A funding opportunity announcement (FOA) is a publicly advertised notice made by a federal agency that announces federal grant funds they have available.
FOAs are ideal funding opportunities for nonprofits and research entities, but it is important to understand how to analyze the different sections of an FOA when preparing grant applications. By clearly knowing the funding organization’s mission, objectives, and eligibility requirements, your nonprofit will be able to submit an effective proposal.
The Outcome of FOAs: The Basics
As noted above, FOAs are often great funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations.
Reviewing a funding opportunity announcement can help you determine the agency’s objectives, award information, and whether you are eligible for the grant funding. FOAs are different from RFPs in that they're publicly available, whereas some RFPs are private and won't accept unsolicited applications.
Here’s a brief overview of some of the common components found in an FOA:
We will break down each of these components of an FOA in more detail in the following sections.
Failing to adhere to the requirements of each section listed above could result in your proposal being rejected. So, it’s important to review and understand each section of the FOA carefully.
Why It's Important to Examine FOA Examples
Knowing how to properly examine an FOA is imperative when applying for grants. Grant proposals can take weeks or even several months to complete, so you only want to apply for funding opportunities you are confident will result in success.
FOAs make it easy to determine whether a grant is worth pursuing for your organization. By reading through the FOA, you can make sure your proposal meets the eligibility criteria and aligns with the intent of the funder. In most cases, this should significantly boost your chances of success.
Core Components of Funding Opportunity Announcements
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Most FOAs follow a similar structure and include the same basic elements.
A typical FOA has the name of the organization and type of funding opportunity at the top of the announcement. Then, you will find the organization’s goals and objectives, along with a description of the specific program related to the FOA. Other sections of a typical FOA may include:
Submission deadlines and the specific length of time for the project
Contact information of the federal agency
Award and budgetary information
Reporting requirements
Eligibility requirements and review criteria
Application and submission instructions
Let’s look at these sections in detail and a funding opportunity announcement example.
1. Title and Purpose of the FOA
Each FOA will have a formal title and include the purpose of the funding opportunity.
Both the Grants.gov and the National Institute of Health (NIH) Guide to Grants and Contracts website will list the FOA titles in their search listings. We suggest using their search mechanisms and their keyword search options so that you can narrow your search results to specific opportunities that meet your nonprofit’s objectives.
Instrumentl is also a grants database that lists thousands of government grant opportunities. Simply plug in your organization’s mission and funding needs, and Instrumentl will automatically match you with relevant grants! ‍
2. Eligibility Criteria and Requirements
After reviewing the title and purpose of the FOA, you should skip down to the eligibility criteria and requirements.
All FOAs will have specific headers that stipulate the eligibility criteria for applying for funding.
Some questions you may need to answer in order to be eligible for an FOA include:
Where are you located? Are you in the United States or are you international?
Is your nonprofit subject to section 501 (c)(3) of the U.S. tax code?
Have you registered on SAM.gov, which is a free site used to register to do business with the U.S. government?
Does your nonprofit meet certain specifications, like educational, small business, or governmental institution requirements?
Do you have the technical capabilities to submit the application forms online?
When you scroll to the eligibility section of this FOA, you can see that one of their specific requirements has to do with mentorship. ‍
This example illustrates how specific an FOA’s eligibility requirements can be and why it is so important to verify your nonprofit meets these requirements.
3. Funding Amount and Duration Details
All FOAs specify the funding amount and duration details of the grant.
You will want to review the funding amount to make sure it is enough for your nonprofit’s project. In addition, determine whether your proposal aligns with the specified duration details.
4. Application Submission Process and Deadlines
In addition to reviewing the award amount, you will want to make note of the closing date and time (usually 5:00 p.m. EST) so that you can determine if you will have enough time to properly complete and submit your proposal.
For example, the NIH FOAs have a specific key dates section so that you can clearly determine the open date and the first date the system will accept applications (usually, the FOA opens 30 days before the first due date). You can also find the submission deadline dates within this section.
3 Real-World Examples of Funding Opportunity Announcements
As we mentioned earlier, there are hundreds—if not thousands—of FOAs online that you can search through. We’ve rounded up a few examples here so that you can see what a real-world FOA looks like.
Below is a screenshot of the table of contents of this FOA showing just how detailed and organized the document is. ‍
Each section is clearly laid out for nonprofit organizations looking to submit proposals. You should first review the funding opportunity description, award information, and eligibility information to determine whether your organization should apply.
This FOA starts with a helpful executive summary outlining all of the key points of the funding opportunity, including its purpose and funding amount. ‍
Executive summaries like these can be incredibly helpful in quickly determining whether an FOA is the right fit for your organization.
3. Social Responsibility Projects
If your nonprofit organization is interested in social responsibility projects, Grants.gov has a very helpful “Category” search option.
We found 21 FOAs in the section for “Disaster Prevention and Relief,” including Community Wildfire Defense Grants across the United States. Other categories include housing; law, justice, and legal services; and regional development. Using this category tool will help you find social responsibility projects that may meet your own nonprofit’s needs.
You can also search Instrumentl’s database for grants based on specific categories as well. For example, we searched for “Grants for Youth Programs” and came up with over 400 different funding opportunities! You can further narrow your search by location, grant size, and more. ‍
And though it may take some searching, you can also find FOAs on specific government websites, such as the Environmental Protection Agency.
Once you’ve found the perfect FOA, how do you craft your response so that it stands out among the others?
Check out some of our best nonprofit proposal tips below:
Aligning Your Proposal With the FOA's Objectives
One of the most important things in any grant application is aligning your proposal with the objectives of the funder.
When it comes to an FOA, pay attention to the federal organization’s purpose. You should also be sure to use any keywords from the FOA within your proposal, as that will help you properly align your application with what they are asking for in the announcement. That way, you can make sure the funding organization knows that your nonprofit and its programs align with their objectives.
Since FOAs are all on a federal basis, sometimes there may not be a clear match for your nonprofit—especially on a local level. We have a helpful article that discusses how to match your grant application to the funder's interests when your search for FOAs comes up dry.
Showcasing Past Successes and Credibility
The best way to illustrate that your proposal is one worth funding is by touting your own past successes and credibility. Have you received similar funding before? Make sure to communicate with the funders how you will achieve success with their support.
For more winning grant writing strategies, check out this workshop with experts Amanda Day and Kimberly Hays de Muga.
Demonstrating the Impact and Feasibility of Your Project
Finally, you want to clearly demonstrate that your project will be both impactful and feasible. What is your plan of action and how will you analyze the results?
In addition, you will want to tie in the impact of your project to the individuals or group the FOA is targeting. For example, if the FOA is focused on environmental conservation, how can your organization make a significant impact?
Wrapping Up: The Next Steps
FOAs can be great funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations. And as you’ve learned in this article, paying attention to the objectives, eligibility requirements, and funding amounts of an FOA is key for success.
As long as you take the time to study each section of the FOA, you should be ready to craft a proposal that stands out to the grant funders. Happy fundraising!
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