February 5, 2024
The Impact Issue #1: The Secret to Your Next Successful Grant Proposal
Explore winning grant proposal strategies, spotlighted grant opportunities, expert language tips, and AI tools to elevate your grant writing in this issue of The Impact.
Hey there,
In case you haven’t noticed, we’ve revamped our newsletter a bit.
Welcome to The Impact – your weekly dose of grant writing tips, opportunities, and inspiration.
We know it can feel impossible to keep up with the industry on top of running the grant-writing show.
That’s why we’re here.
So take a few minutes to peruse all the great stuff we’ve collected this week, and we’ll see you on the other side.
Opportunities Spotlight
AWS Imagine Grant Program
Who It’s For: Nonprofits looking to upgrade or implement new technologies
Next Deadline: Jun 1, 2024 (Letter of Inquiry only)
Grant Amount: Up to US $150,000
The Details:
- Includes a mix of unrestricted financial support, AWS promotional credit, and implementation assistance from AWS technical specialists
- Two separate grant opportunities:some text
- The Go Further, Faster Award: For highly innovative projects leveraging the cloud to improve an entire industry or field
- The Momentum to Modernize Award: For organizations looking to modernize their current operations with technology
AARP Community Challenge Grant
Who It’s For: Nonprofits and government agencies with short-term projects
Next Deadline: March 6, 2024
Grant Amount: US $500 - US $50,000
The Details:
- Provides funding for quick-action projects that help communities become more liable for people of all ages
- Three different grant opportunities:some text
- Flagship Grants: Available for a variety of projects benefiting residents, especially those age 50 and older.
- Capacity-Building Microgrants: Available for projects focusing on improving walkability or community gardens.
- Demonstration Grants: Available for projects that help advance transportation systems change or increase understanding of accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
Don’t see what you’re looking for? Explore thousands of other grant opportunities now.
Pitfalls and Pointers
Wording. It’s a simple choice that could be the difference between your readers feeling disheartened by your challenges or empowered to join your cause.
When you’re writing a grant proposal, the words you use matter. Let’s touch on how a simple shift could transform your grant-writing strategy.
⚠️ Pitfall: Deficit-Based Language
When we use deficit-based language, we’re focusing on the problem.
- We’re listing all the things we need but don’t have.
- We’re saying, “The people in this community are suffering.”
- Your reader might think to themselves, “If this problem is so big, what difference could I make?”
They feel overwhelmed by the situation. They feel alienated from your cause. And worst of all, they feel like no matter how much they give, it will never be enough to make a difference.
That’s why we use asset-based language instead.
💡 Pointer: Asset-Based Language
When we use asset-based language, we’re telling our readers how we’re already improving the lives of people in this community using what we have.
- We’re sharing all the success we’ve had so far.
- We’re showing them just how much more we could accomplish with their help.
- We make them want to be our partner for this life-changing cause.
Because at the end of the day, all your reader wants is to make a difference.
Show them that with you, they can, and they will.
Get more tips on deficit- versus asset-based language on our blog.
Featured Nonprofit
Villa Madonna Catholic School
$129,000 Raised with Instrumentl
Location: Tampa, FL
Mission: To educate the youth, especially the disadvantaged.
The Salesian Sisters of Tampa opened Villa Madonna as a Saturday club in the early 1990s, where children could play basketball, participate in activities, and spend time at the youth center, housed within a school gym.
Today, Villa Madonna has partnered with the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay to educate children in early childhood through eighth grade.
Theresa Anderson, Director of Development, is responsible for finding and applying to grants that keep the school’s doors open for children in need. However, working primarily out of Excel made the process long, tedious, and overwhelming.
“I started looking at Instrumentl and thought—wow, this is the answer to my prayers!” Theresa recalls. “Now that I look back, I just think about how much Instrumentl fundamentally changed the way we work, especially in terms of finding foundations that really fit us.”
See how Villa Madonna continues to fulfill its mission with the help of Instrumentl.
Tech You Should Know
Artificial intelligence has been a hot topic in recent months. But if you’re unfamiliar with the tool, overwhelmed by the lingo, or just aren’t sure where to start, we’ll break it down for you.
What: Artificial intelligence (AI): An ultra-smart computer program that can research and write in seconds what might take a human hours.
How Grant Writers Can Use It:
- Saving Time: By automating mundane or repetitive tasks with AI, you can focus your time and energy on other human-only activities.
- Idea Generation: When you’d usually turn to a traditional search engine, AI can instead analyze your request and search its own knowledge base to give you as many ideas as you want in whatever format you’d prefer.
- Drafting: Stuck on how to begin your abstract? With the right prompt, AI can produce a draft similar to what human grant writers can produce, but in seconds.
- Editing: Tone of voice, more impactful phrasing, formatting, careful proofreading – just tell AI what you need it to do with your draft, and you’ll come out on the other side with a better proposal.
Keep in Mind:
- Give It a Once-Over: Like humans, AI isn’t perfect. Double check that the program followed your word count requirements and didn’t pull any outdated information by accident.
- Treat It as a Tool, Not a Replacement: Although its possibilities are endless, there’s one thing artificial intelligence can never do: be human.
Ready to add AI to your processes?
Get 20+ free ChatGPT prompts you can start using in your grant writing today.
Expert Perspectives
Dr. Bev Browning: Grant Writing and Relationship Building Pro
After being thrust unknowingly into the world of grant writing nearly 50 years ago, Dr. Bev Browning is now the Executive Director of the Integro Bank Foundation, a grant writing trainer and coach, and author of some 47 grant publications, including seven editions of Grant Writing For Dummies.
We had the chance to speak with Dr. Bev about the best ways to develop relationships with funders.
Here’s her expert advice:
- Do your research: Look at who’s making decisions, put their names into LinkedIn, and request a connection.
- Choose the right speaker: The person speaking on behalf of your organization shouldn’t be the grant writer. Instead, send someone like the Executive Director, who can manage the relationship for years to come.
- Start a conversation: Find time to meet, introduce your organization, answer their questions, and make sure your cause aligns with what the funder does.
- Seek a partnership: Grants don’t have to be one-and-done. Begin building that relationship and aim to work together long-term.
For more on how Dr. Bev navigates the challenging world of grant writing, check out her full story.
Networking Nook
The opportunities that were originally shared in this issue of The Impact have since passed. To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.
In Case You Missed It
Article: How I learnt to write research papers as a non-native English speaker
After struggling through his first few grant applications, Sri Lankan chemist Nuwan Bandara set out to learn the art of grant writing. No matter your language, his tips can apply to any grant writer looking for an easier way to reach the finish line.
Video: Grant Me Success – 2024 Grant Writing Master Class
Grab your pen and paper! In just an hour and a half, grant writing expert and CEO of Grant Me Success Janise Wiggins leads us through everything from grant writing basics to the application process to common mistakes nonprofits make.
Podcast: Decolonizing Grant Research: Crafting an Inclusive Grant Template for Funding Success
In Holly Rustick’s latest episode of “Grant Writing & Funding”, she lays out how to create a grant writing master template along with its benefits, what it looks like in action, and how to avoid making assumptions while writing.
Simplify Your Grant Work
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Discover thousands of grant opportunities and find your perfect fit – so you can get the funding you need to keep making the impact your cause deserves.
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