Funded! : successful grantwriting for your nonprofit

209 Pages·2017·5.266 MB·English

by  Richard Hoefer

FUNDED!

FUNDED!
SUCCESSFUL GRANTWRITING
FOR YOUR NONPROFIT
Richard Hoefer
1
1
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Hoefer, Richard, author.
Title: Funded! : successful grantwriting for your nonprofit / Richard Hoefer.
Description: New York, NY : Oxford University Press, 2017. |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016055689 (print) | LCCN 2017013336 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780190687267 (updf) | ISBN 9780190681876 (alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Proposal writing for grants. | Nonprofit organizations—Finance.
Classification: LCC HG177 (ebook) | LCC HG177 .H635 2017 (print) |
DDC 658.15/224—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016055689
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Printed by WebCom, Inc., Canada
To Paula Norine Homer and Sharon Elizabeth Hoefer,
bringers of music and joy to my life.

CONTENTS
Preface ix
1. Grantwriting and You 1
2. Grantwriting in the Age of Scarcity 24
3. Finding Foundation Funding Sources 37
4. Finding Government Funding Sources 49
5. Uncovering Need in Your Community 65
6. Finding and Creating Evidence-B ased Programs 81
7. Logic Models 103
8. Program Evaluation 112
9. Program Implementation Planning 130
10. Budgeting 142
11. Agency Capacity and Capabilities 155
12. Final Details 171
Index 189

PREFACE
C
ongratulations on being interested in becoming a grant writer. It is a
very rewarding job but also one that has no clear career entry point. It’s no wonder that
most people have little idea how to get started as a grant writer. This book introduces you to
some of the current realities of the field and what you need to know to join us in our career.
Just so you know where I’m coming from and why this book means so much to me, let
me tell you about my introduction to being a grantwriter.
In the fall of 1980, I was a graduate student beginning an internship where I would learn
to write grants (so you can see I’ve been at this a long time!).
On Monday, my first day, I met my new supervisor, Judy. She handed me two pencils and
a yellow legal pad. Then she gave me a stuffed 10” × 13” brown manila envelope.
Judy instructed me, “I’d like you to start reading these materials. You’ll see that there’s a
request for proposals from the Labor Department in there, and a couple of pages of notes
that you can use to develop the 20- page, single- spaced, application.”
I smiled and told Judy, “Wow! This is exactly what I’m looking for in my internship.”
Her reply: “Great! Just be sure it’s done by Thursday at noon, because I want to look it over
before we have to overnight it to DC by 5 p.m.”
My joy turned to panic in a heartbeat. I must have looked as frightened as I felt.
Remember, this is on Monday, and I have classes and other things to do before
Thursday noon.
Plus, I’ve never written a grant before. I gasped, “That’s not much time, is it?”
Judy just flatly responded, “No, it’s not. You better get started.”
I thought she would continue with, “but we will all pitch in and help you,” but she didn’t.
She just ended her sentence with a cold, hard period.
But then she said, “When you are done with that, here is this other folder. This is another
grant that we’re working on.” It was a big envelope, like the first, also stuffed with forms and
paper. Then she smiled and continued. “But don’t worry. It’s not due until the next Friday,
so you’ll have over a week to finish it.”
I was having second thoughts about this internship.