Knowing how much to ask for in a grant can be stressful. This post explores 3 factors to ask when figuring out how much to ask for. We'll dig into tools you can use starting today to know exactly what you should ask for in your next grant application.
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Determining how much funding to request in a grant proposal can feel like a guessing game, but it doesn’t have to be!
Taking a strategic approach when thinking about how to ask for a grant helps ensure that your ask is for the right amount of grant funding—one that aligns with the funder’s giving history and your organization’s needs.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to determine an appropriate grant request amount by leveraging historical funder insights.
The result? A higher chance of grant success.
First things first: understanding the grant application process.
Securing grant funding involves following a structured series of steps. While specific grant requirements may vary by funder, the application process will generally look the same.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect:
1. Identifying Funding Opportunities: To win a grant, you have to start by researching potential funders to find those that align with your organization’s mission, project goals, and geographic focus—and that are actively requesting applications.
2. Preliminary Outreach: Some funders encourage initial contact before submitting a full application. This could involve submitting a letter of inquiry (LOI) or having a preliminary meeting to discuss the project you’re seeking funding for.
3. Preparing Your Proposal: Developing a compelling application includes drafting these key proposal components:
4. Submitting the Application: Funders have different submission requirements; following each funder’s guidelines carefully is crucial. Some require applications to be submitted through an online portal, while others may still require hard copies sent via snail mail.
5. Review and Follow-Up: Some funders operate on a rolling basis, reviewing applications as they are received, while others have a strict grant cycle with specific deadlines. Understanding how and when a funder reviews applications is essential for planning and ensuring timely submission. Be prepared to answer follow-up questions, as some funders may request additional details or conduct site visits as part of their review process.
6. Award Notification & Grant Management: If awarded, you move into the post-award phase of the grant lifecycle, where effective grant management is key. Once you receive the grant award, you must comply with reporting requirements and use funds as outlined in your proposal. If denied, we recommend requesting feedback for future applications.
One of the biggest pain points for grant seekers is the uncertainty surrounding how much to request in a proposal. Asking for too little could leave your project underfunded, and asking for too much could make your proposal unrealistic to funders.
Fortunately, you don’t have to pull your ask out of thin air, hoping it resonates with the review team. Instead, you can identify an appropriate request amount by researching the funder’s past giving.
Most foundations stick to patterns in how they fund organizations. Their past giving is the best predictor of future giving—so looking at their previous grant history provides key insights into what you can expect.
For example, if a foundation typically gives between $25,000 and $50,000 per grantee, it’s unlikely that they will suddenly award $200,000.
The only problem: where can you find data on a specific funder’s giving history?
Keep reading and we’ll show you.
Every year, foundations are required to file Form 990 with the IRS, officially known as the "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.”
This document provides detailed information about their finances, governance, programs, and compliance with tax-exempt regulations. It is used by the IRS as well as the general public to assess the transparency, accountability, and financial health of nonprofit organizations.
Form 990s are publicly available, meaning anyone can look up a specific foundation to learn more about their annual financials—including their grant funding.
However, if you’ve ever used the IRS 990 finder to look up a funder’s 990 form, you know they’re long and super difficult to read. It can be tricky to find the information that you need and even more difficult to discern what information is relevant to you.
Here’s an example of just one section of a 990:
But don’t worry—Instrumentl makes the process of uncovering giving trends much faster and easier.
To begin, You’ll want to set up your 14-day free trial of Instrumentl (no credit card required to get started).
Next, navigate to your dashboard and select the “Quick Find” search bar in the upper left corner of your screen to type in the name of the foundation you want to learn more about.
Click on the funder under “990 Reports” in the search bar to access their full grant-making history, key people, and geographic focus.
Once you’ve clicked into a funder’s 990 profile, you should be able to scroll down to the “Grant Amounts” section to see key statistics, including:
In the image above, you can see that grant amounts for this funder range from $2,500 to over $1 million.
You’ll also notice that the median grant amount awarded by this funder is $43,889, and the average amount given is $67,324.
It’s also important to pay attention to the number of grants awarded (visible on the Y-axis of the above graph). In this case, most awards fall between $21,000 - $50,000.
Another key piece of data to consider before submitting a proposal is the median grant amount for new versus repeat grantees.
Some funders award higher grant amounts to repeat grantees, so if you’re a new applicant, you’ll want to look at their past giving specifically for new grantees.
According to the snapshot above, the median grant size for a new grantee was $15,000, while the median grant size for a repeat grantee was over $150,000—that’s a huge difference!
As a new grantee, taking an evidence-based approach to determining an appropriate ask amount is key.
Instrumentl’s 990 breakdowns also include a “Past Grantees” section. Here, you can see who the funder has given grants to in the past, as well as other key insights such as:
These insights are incredibly valuable as you evaluate your nonprofit’s alignment with a funder’s past giving and determine what sort of grant you could expect to receive.
For example, in the image below, we see that most grantees for this particular funder were from California, with a few in Illinois and Texas. If you scroll down a little further, you’ll see a list of the actual grantees, their award amounts, and their funding purpose.
Finding out how much funding similar nonprofits have received from a specific funder can help your organization come up with an appropriate and effective ask.
As you determine an appropriate grant request size, spotting big-picture trends is also essential.
For example, you'll want to identify if a potential funder shows an increasing, decreasing, or a relatively stable trend in their giving.
In the image below, we see that this organization saw a drop in both its giving average and median grant amounts in 2020. What was going on in 2020?
Well, how could we forget? A global pandemic. Yet, we see in 2021 and 2022 an immediate return to their regular giving patterns. While not every drop can be explained away by the COVID-19 pandemic, these are the sorts of patterns you should be paying attention to.
Understanding a foundation’s giving trends can help you determine a realistic grant request amount that aligns with the funder’s giving history. This strategic alignment increases your proposal's chance of success!
How Much Money to Expect From a Grant
Now that we’ve walked you through the steps to determine how much to request, you’re probably wondering, “How much of my request will actually be funded?”
The answer varies widely based on the funder type, sector, and relationships with grantmakers. While some funders fully fund requests, many only provide partial awards. Understanding these trends can help set realistic expectations.
According to our insight report on success rates across different grant funders:
The Value Provided By Advanced Funder Insights
Manually reviewing IRS 990 Forms can be a time-consuming and tedious task—these documents often exceed 50 pages and can be challenging to navigate. However, the information they contain is crucial for understanding a funder’s giving patterns.
As grant expert Jacob Chase advises:
“Always review the funder’s 990 – this will help you understand what types of organizations a foundation will typically fund, how much they typically give, and where (geographically) they tend to give.”
With Instrumentl, you no longer have to spend hours sifting through dense tax documents. Instead, you get instant access to key funding insights in a fraction of the time.
Here are some of the top benefits of Instrumentl’s advanced funder insights:
By eliminating the guesswork and simplifying the research process, Instrumentl allows you to focus on what matters most: securing the right funding for your organization.
Grant Funding FAQs
We’re going to break down some of the most common questions that grant seekers have, from what costs you can include in a grant to how long the process typically takes. Whether you’re new to grants or looking to refine your strategy, these insights will help you confidently approach funding opportunities.
Grant-eligible costs vary depending on the funder and the grant type. Commonly-covered expenses include:
To make sure that you are only requesting funds allowable by your funder, it’s critical to review the grant guidelines before drafting your budget and budget narrative.
The timeline for receiving grant funding varies widely from funder to funder. Some grants are awarded within a few weeks, while others may take several months. It all depends on the funder’s application review process and disbursement procedures.
Be sure to plan accordingly when submitting a grant and factor in time for potential delays.
A good rule of thumb is that the average grant professional has a 40% success rate.
This means that to meet your funding goals realistically, we recommend that you aim for 250% of your funding goal.
So, if your goal is $1 million, this means applying for at least $2.5 million in potential funding to account for the 60% of grants that you likely will not be awarded.
Want to learn more about how we calculated this? Check out our guide on how many grants to apply for to raise $1 million.
Wrapping Up: How To Determine the Size of a Grant Request
Securing funding isn’t just about writing a strong proposal—it’s about making a strategic, data-driven ask. By following the steps in this article, you can take the guesswork out of grant research and maximize your chances of success.
With Instrumentl, you’ll have access to the data you need to make confident, well-informed funding requests, without worrying about over- or under-asking.
Ready to level up your grant-seeking efforts? Sign up today for a 14-day free trial and see how Instrumentl can transform your funding strategy.
You should consider the specific needs of your project, the funding priorities of the grantmaker, and your organization's capacity to manage and justify the requested amount. Aligning your request with your project goals and the grantmaker's expectations is crucial.
Develop a detailed budget that outlines all project costs, including personnel, materials, and indirect costs. Use this budget to calculate the total funding required. Be transparent and realistic to build credibility with the grantmaker.
Requesting too much could make your proposal less competitive, especially if the amount exceeds typical awards or the scope of your project seems inflated. It may raise concerns about your organization’s financial planning and management capabilities.
Not necessarily. While asking for less might make your proposal more appealing to some funders, it’s essential to request the amount that accurately reflects your project’s needs. Underfunding your project could lead to challenges in implementation later.
Provide a clear explanation of how the funds will be used, supported by a detailed budget and evidence of the project’s potential impact. Highlight how your proposal aligns with the grantmaker’s mission and priorities.
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