One of the keys to securing grant funding is leveraging relationships with foundations and their staff members.
However, approaching foundations for funding isn’t always easy. Research overload, navigating eligibility, and finding effective ways to engage foundation staff can make it an overwhelming process.
In this guide, we are going to provide you with the tools and knowledge needed to make these “asks” less challenging and scary—no matter what stage you’re at in your funder relationships.
We will show you how to:
Cold pitch a foundation for funding
Build relationships for a warm ask
Navigate open grant opportunities
Leverage Instrumentl to enhance your funding efforts
Ready to feel confident approaching a foundation for grant funding? Keep reading for a list of research and networking strategies you can use to make an effective ask.
Cold Pitching a Foundation
Successful cold pitching is a daunting skill to develop, but it is one of the most valuable you can have as a grant seeker. Instead of waiting for opportunities to come to you, you go out and create them.
Research
To a degree, cold pitching is a numbers game. But by fine-tuning your aim and being strategic about which foundations you pursue, you can land grants more quickly and efficiently.
For a high success rate with cold pitching, you need to identify foundations that are aligned with your organization’s values. These are the foundations that will be most motivated to fund your projects.
“The more background research you do, the more prepared you can be to put out a great proposal. And that means understanding your prospect.”
How do you conduct that research effectively? Here are some helpful resources:
Foundation websites: A foundation’s website is an excellent starting place. On the site, you should be able to explore the foundation’s primary areas of focus as well as their values. There may be a list of key personnel with a little background on each. You also might find information about grants they have made previously.
Social media: Foundations often have presences on social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Checking through recent updates should give you a stronger understanding of the foundation’s mission and grant cycles. The foundation may even offer tips on how to apply successfully or open up networking events that you can attend online or in person.
990s: Foundations must submit Form 990s to the IRS annually that include important details such as the foundation’s size, its contact information, its assets, and more. You also can see what grants the foundation gave during the previous fiscal year and their amounts. Learn how to make efficient use of 990s in this guide. These forms are available for any member of the public to read.
Network
Once you have discovered a foundation that may be a suitable fit for your organization, it is time to identify individual staff and board members to target for outreach.
As you conducted the research we just discussed, you may have already circled the names of some key personnel to contact.
If you are still at a loss, we recommend visiting foundation pages on LinkedIn. Click on the “People” tab, and you will be able to scroll through all listed personnel. You can even search by job title or keyword to quickly find the best people to contact.
The Scott Foundation lists its key personnel under the “People” section of their LinkedIn profile.
Another idea is to reach out through professional organizations. If you have any mutual contacts, they may be able to help you network by recommending someone to talk to and perhaps even setting up an introduction.
Ask
For most grant seekers, the most daunting part of the cold pitch process is the initial contact. How do you reach out to a person you have never spoken to in order to ask for funding?
Here are a few tips:
Personalize your cold email. Address your recipient by name. You do not need to spend time on niceties, but mentioning something specific you like about the foundation or your recipient’s work can help as it shows you did your homework.
Be direct and to the point. Your recipient has a lot to pack into a busy work day. Do not waste their time. Say what you want, and exactly how it will help.
Include some visuals that tell your story, such as photos of your beneficiaries that showcase the impact of your work. Doing so can create an emotional link and offer clarity on the work you are doing and its benefits.
If you do not hear back from your prospect within two to four days, send a follow-up. You can also use split testing to try out different cold pitch approaches and find out which are most effective for your organization.
Cold pitching is challenging. You will need thick skin for rejection (and in many cases, outright silence). But you will get used to it, probably faster than you think. And once you start seeing success with this method, you will realize how powerful a well-crafted cold pitch can be.
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Cold pitching is not your only option for asking for grant funding. Another option is to cultivate a relationship with a foundation in preparation for a warm ask.
This approach involves a significant investment of time, effort, and patience. However, many foundations are more responsive to warm asks, so this technique can often deliver results when cold emailing might fail.
Research
If you are in the process of building up to a warm ask, you probably already have some sort of connection with a foundation or are at least familiar with their mission.
This is the perfect time for digging into their giving cycles and priorities. If you can develop a deep understanding of the nuances of their funding cycles and adopt a tone that best mirrors their giving priorities, you can improve your chances of a successful ask.
Pro Tip: You can use Instrumentl’s NTEE Code tool to easily look up what causes a foundation has awarded the most grants to in the past.
Instrumentl reveals key insights into the types of nonprofits a foundation awards grants to
Network
To begin cultivating a relationship, you can start out with something as simple as leaving some positive comments on the foundation’s social media pages. Doing so will circulate your name and help build a positive association with your organization.
If the opportunity arises, try to attend a networking event or informational session where you can introduce yourself to the foundation’s staff and ask questions. Networking like this can be especially effective when you are pursuing invite-only opportunities.
“Look for ways to start a relationship. See if you or anyone on your board or staff have a LinkedIn connection to anyone at the funder. Go where they might run into you, like civic clubs etc. Make sure that you have a rock solid mission match with them, so that when you do meet them, even informally, you can quickly get their attention as a possible grant recipient.”
At some point, see if you can set up an introductory meeting (likely with a program officer) where you can discuss your organization’s needs and goals in more detail. If you have a common contact, consider writing to that person to request that they introduce you to the funder.
Ask
A few days before your meeting, send over a brief agenda to the program officer. Tell them what you want to discuss, and ask if they would like to add anything to the agenda.
Taking this step will help facilitate a smooth and efficient meeting, and assure the program officer that you are looking for opportunities with mutual benefits.
During the meeting, try to home in on funding opportunities that will help both your organization and the foundation achieve its goals. You would not be requesting this meeting if you did not believe that your organization’s goals and the foundation’s align. Make your case, but listen to the program officer’s feedback, questions and ideas as well.
If the meeting goes well, the program officer should tell you what steps to take next to apply for funding.
A word of warning: Try not to get discouraged if your warm ask is not a success. Follow up and be polite. Sometimes foundations refresh their strategies or personnel are replaced. When that happens, priorities may change, and that overlap you are looking for may emerge. When it does, you will be perfectly positioned to make a convincing warm ask. By then, the foundation will be familiar with you, and you will have established some basic trust and respect.
“I call that environment Grants World, and because it is an ongoing process, in an ever-changing and dynamic environment, it's an adventure, right? It's never the same thing twice, things are constantly changing, and evolving, and moving forward.”
While there are amazing grant opportunities just waiting for you to seize them, you will often be up against stiff competition. Below we will share strategies for how to ask for funding for a project through an open grant opportunity.
Research
While researching open grant opportunities using Google or other grants databases, pay special attention to grant guidelines and requirements.
Every foundation has its own set of funding priorities and rules to follow, and you don’t want to waste your time applying for opportunities that you weren’t eligible for or you weren’t a good candidate for.
Only apply for grants once you are sure you check off all the eligibility requirements and align closely with the funder’s giving priorities, ensuring you are a competitive applicant. Grant proposals are time-consuming, so it is essential to streamline your efforts to maintain a high rate of efficiency and success.
During the application period, you can engage with foundation staff through webinars and public events to warm up the relationship. Many foundations offer opportunities to engage with their staff to ask questions during the application stage.
The Longwood Foundation provides information sessions to prospective grant applicants so they can learn more about what the foundation is looking for in a proposal.
However, be careful not to overstep during the application period. You want to build trust, awareness, and connection, but not come across as rude or overzealous.
Ask
When it comes time to write your grant proposal, the most important thing is to make sure you follow the foundation’s specific instructions exactly as they’ve outlined them.
Here’s a list of the most common elements you can expect in a grant proposal:
In this post, we have talked about using websites, social media accounts, and 990 tax forms to search for funding opportunities and learn more about foundations.
Doing all of that on your own can take weeks, which is why Instrumentl was created. Our platform consolidates data from over 400,000 funders and 15,000 active grant opportunities. With our sophisticated search parameters, you can find the best fit opportunities and learn about foundations’ giving priorities in seconds.
To get started, simply begin your 14-day free trial. When you provide us with your project details, we match you with grants based on your funding needs and mission. You can refine your list of grant results by fine-tuning your keywords and applying filters for funding use, field of work, location of project or residency, past giving, and funder type.
For each of the foundations in our database, we also provide Advanced Funder Insights where you’ll be able to see Past Grantees, Giving by NTEE Code, Openness to New Grantees, and more all in one place.
These insights make it easy to determine whether you align with the funder’s giving priorities and would be a competitive applicant. Finding grants and learning about foundations has never been easier!
General Tips for All Types of Asks
You should now have a pretty good idea of how to ask a foundation for funding—whether through a cold pitch or open grant opportunity. To close this post, here are a few general tips for success, regardless of the strategies you use:
Communicate with foundations using their preferred methods. Some organizations may require a letter of inquiry before further contact. If they do not require this step, you can call or email them directly based on what they specify on their website.
Be proactive. If you are tired of waiting for networking events to come along, try hosting your own. Invite your prospects to learn more about your organization.
Focus on mutual benefits. While you may feel passionate about sharing your mission with the foundation, do not lose sight of the foundation’s mission. Your goal is to engage in a dialogue that leads to a mutually beneficial funding opportunity.
Follow up graciously. Every connection you make can offer you value, even if it does not immediately lead to grant funding. Follow up even if your application or ask is rejected, and politely ask for feedback. You never know what doors your conversation might open.
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Wrapping Up
Building relationships with funders and applying for grants is a continuous, long-term process.
Now that you have learned how to ask for funding in an email, a face-to-face conversation, or through an open application process, you can approach the request with confidence. While you can do funder research manually, the much more efficient way is to dive deep into Instrumentl’s Advanced Funder Insights. Sign up today to get matched with good-fit funders and uncover insights that will make relationship-building a breeze.
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