Last year, corporate and private family foundations alone gave more than $56 billion in grants to nonprofit organizations. Are you getting your share? This presentation evens the playing field for all nonprofits to learn how to access corporate, private foundation and government funding.

1. WELCOME!
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About
Foundation, Corporate, and Government Grants,
featuring Betsy Baker

2. Our Speaker
Betsy Baker, MPA
President of YourGrantAuthority.com
Author, Trainer, Coach, Speaker, Grant Writing
Consultant
Betsy is a regular presenter for the Foundation Center,
the Grant Professionals Association, the Georgia Center
for Nonprofits and United Way agencies and is a regular
contributor to Opportunity Knocks!, CharityHowTo and
CharityChannel.
Master's in Public Administration, Auburn University
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3. Agenda
• Review of:
▫ Corporate Sponsorship
▫ Private Foundation
▫ Government Funding
• Critical steps to writing a winning proposal
• Resources to identifying grant funders
• Q&A

4. Corporate Foundations
• A corporate foundation is a charitable foundation which serves as a channel for
distribution of a firm’s profit for nonprofit activities
▫ The company-sponsored foundation often maintains close ties with the donor
company, but it is a separate, legal organization, sometimes with its own
endowment, and is subject to the same rules and regulations as other private
foundations
• According to the Council on Foundations, there are more than 2,000 corporate
foundations in the United States holding an estimated $11 billion in assets
• It serves as an expression of corporate social responsibility.
▫ McDonald’s – Ronald McDonald houses
▫ Boeing – Math education
▫ Target – Local schools

5. Corporate Foundations – What are they
looking for?
• An opportunity to further their specific mission
• An opportunity to reach as many people as possible
• An opportunity to impress “branding” on the community
they serve
• Get to know the company, their brands and their interest
• The “sweet spot” – where society’s needs meet corporate
objectives
• Find information on the company’s website under
“community” or “corporate citizenship”

6. Are you ready for Corporate Funding?
• Do you have an established marketing effort in place?
▫ Examples include: e-mail, a website, events, newsletters,
conferences, television, radio and print advertising
• What do you know about your organization's demographics?
▫ Where they live? Whether they are young families, empty
nesters, or teens?
• Have you worked with corporate sponsors before?
▫ Do you have testimonials from a corporate executives about the
value of your organization? Do you feature those in press kits or
other marketing materials?

7. Foundation Grants
• Also a nonprofit organization, a private
foundation is usually created with a single
primary donation from an individual or business
whose funds and programs are managed by its
own trustees (aka Board of Directors)
• Usually generates income by investment of its
initial donation, often disbursing the bulk of its
investment income each year to charitable
activities – not from private donations

8. Two Types of Private Foundations
• Private operating – actually run the charitable
activities or organizations they fund with their
investment income
▫ Art museum – money is used for their own
activities serving the public
• Private non-operating – simply disburse funds
to other charitable organizations
▫ Family foundations are an example

9. Government Grants
• The U.S. government is not giving away free
grant money!
• “A form of gift that entails certain obligations on
the part of the grantee and expectations on the
part of the grantor.” Jay M. Shafritz, American
Government and Politics
• Obligations – Getting a government grant will
get you loads of them and not fulfilling them will
get you a load of legal troubles.
• Can apply for city/county, state and federal

10. What’s Expected of
Government Grantees
• Project expenditures must be strictly accounted
for
• Granted funds must be spent or they go back
into the Treasury
• Any project changes must be approved by the
Program Officer (federal government employee)
• The project should be completed with apparent
success

11. How to Write a Winning Proposal
• Meet funders objectives
▫ Different for private, corporate and government grants
• Review their restrictions and ensure you meet them
• Ensure your budget aligns with their guidelines
• Tell a good story
• Follow directions
• Timeliness – ensure your proposal is submitted on time!

12. 10 Steps to Effective Proposal Writing
Step One:
• Effectively state your organization’s purpose and
mission
Step Two:
• Show need for the work of your organization
▫ Demonstrating need is critical and is best illustrated
through relevant statistics of the problem and specific
examples
▫ Should show why the organization exists, how they’re
meeting a need and the severity of the need

13. 10 Steps to Effective Proposal Writing
Step Three:
• Detail your organization’s expertise and experience
in helping solve the stated problem in your
community
▫ What gives you the edge over competing nonprofits?
▫ Describe in terms of benefits, not features
Step Four:
• Write clear and measurable grant objectives
▫ Describe what you want to specifically accomplish and
how you will achieve those accomplishments

14. 10 Steps to Effective Proposal Writing
Step Five:
• Determine how your staff will fulfill a grant project
Step Six:
• Write a detailed evaluation plan to measure your
progress
Step Seven:
• Present your official request for funding for
maximum impact

15. 10 Steps to Effective Proposal Writing
Step Eight:
• Build an efficient project budget
Step Nine:
• Establish proof of community support
Step Ten:
• Include requested documentation and an
engaging cover letter

16. Identifying Grant Funders: What are
you searching for?
• Eligibility
• Foundation’s Purpose
• Funding Restrictions
• What the Foundation Funds
• What the Foundation Does Not Fund

17. Free Grant Funding Resources
• FREE Research – Foundation Websites
• More FREE Research – Form 990’s (found on the
www.FoundationCenter.org website) – find who they’re
funding
• The Foundation Center also produces The RFP Bulletin –
send grant opportunities right to your inbox!
• Also register at www.NozaSearch.com for grant activity
updates
• FREE continued…Chronicle of Philanthropy,
www.philanthropy.com →Fund Raising Tab→ Guide to
Grants→ Guide to Grants Database
• Also FREE – The Grantsmanship Center, www.TGCI.com →
Funding Sources Tab → View top givers by state
• FREE – www.FundsNetServices.com – funding by category

18. Fee-Based Grant Funding Resources
• The Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory
Online (FDO) – different subscription levels
available
• www.GrantStation.com – offers member
benefits including grant research opportunities
• www.BigDatabase.com – BIG Online – Their
Grant Development Services offers products and
services useful to a grant writer

19. Finding Federal Grant Opportunities
• www.Grants.gov – The Best Source! - sign up for
daily announcements or search by agencies and
programs

20. Questions?
Want a fr.ee rating system for your grant proposals?
“Like” me on Facebook and receive a complimentary copy of my
Grant S.A.T. – a 75-item rating system that scores your grant
proposals before ever sending them out.
(Be sure to email me at betsy <at> YouGrantAuthority <dot> com so I can
send you the system.)

21. Contact Information
• Connect with Betsy on her website,
www.YourGrantAuthority.com or via email at
betsy<at>YourGrantAuthority<dot> com
• Connect with Sage
– Email nps <at> sage <dot> com
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www.slideshare.net/sagenonprofit
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