Government Grants For Nonprofit Organizations

What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of Grants

Grants can fuel big structural projects, enabling large-scale societal impact that otherwise probably wouldnt be possible. Additionally, once you have obtained one grant, you are more likely to receive others. Furthermore, receiving grants is a good way to build your organizations visibility and credibility.

On the other hand, grants can be very time-consuming. It first takes time to develop grant-writing skills that actually win grant proposals, then it takes time to write a winning application, and then it can take quite a while for you to see the funds in your bank account.

Additionally, grants usually come with strings attached. Typically, there are conditions that will refer to how exactly you can use the money. These conditions can also be related to particular program outputs or outcomes.

Do You Need To Hire A Grant Writer

Some nonprofits have employees who are skilled at writing grants while other nonprofits will contract outside writers to write the grants for the nonprofit. To determine if you need to hire one, consider your bandwidth and your budget.

In terms of bandwidth, ask yourself if someone on your team can take on the responsibility of researching and applying for grants. If not, you may want to hire an outside person to write the grant for you or consider bringing on a staff member whose responsibilities will include researching and writing grants.

In order to decide whether or not to bring on a full-time staff member, consider your budget. It may be more financially beneficial to outsource the job to someone on a contract basis.

If youre looking for a grant writer for your nonprofit, we recommend reading CauseVoxs blog post on How To Hire A Grant Writer.

The Foundation Center Online

This is a site that maintains a great online database that is am amazing resource for anyone seeking grant funding for a non-profit company. While there is a small fee it will give ou access to a large database of potential funders of your business! There are multiple critera you can search, and it is by far one of the best sources of info in regards to grants online.

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Island Coastal Economic Trust

The $50 million Island Coastal Economic Trust was created by the Government of BC in 2006, through the North Island- Coast Development Initiative Trust Act, to support economic development initiatives on central and northern Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast. They have two main streams of funding: the Economic Infrastructure Program, which supports strategic economic diversification investment in the regional economy to spark new and sustainable regional economic growth and jobs and the Economic Development Readiness Program, which supports the growth of economic development readiness in communities of all sizes across the ICET region, to support high value investment attraction and retention and to foster regional economic collaboration.

How Do Nonprofits Benefit From Grants

Nonprofits benefit from grants in many ways. The most obvious benefit is simply that, unlike with loans, you do not need to pay a grant back.

Because grants typically come from large, established organizations, they are often much larger gifts than those that come from individual donors. Large, one-time gifts like grants can give your nonprofit the push it needs to fund a much-needed program or purchase necessary supplies. This can bring your nonprofit into a new phase of growth, attracting increased attention and new donors.

Grants also build your nonprofits visibility and credibility. According to the Society for Nonprofits, once you receive one grant, you are more likely to receive others. In other words, once grantmakers see that other notable organizations have given to your cause, they are more likely to give to you themselves.

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Grants And Federal Domestic Assistance

Finding Grants For Nonprofit Organizations

As we have mentioned earlier, grant providers vary greatly. You need to determine which category your organization fall into, judging from the funding needs and project goals. In general, there are two sectors offering grants which are:

Government Agencies

Looking for a grant from government agencies is pretty simple and straightforward. All you have to do is to make a call to the possible local agencies that is related to your project and ask whether they are currently opening grant opportunities or not. Check three governmental levels for this kind of opportunities. It is common that besides the Federal grant program, there are additional grant program in State and/or Local government, so you should get in touch with them too.

More information can be obtained from:

• Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance List of US Government benefit programs, including grant opportunities for nonprofit organizations
• Grants.gov is also a good source for federal grant opportunities for nonprofit organization.
• USA.gov for Nonprofits, by the U.S. General Services Administration is a good source of information for federal grants for nonprofit organization, families, personal, etc.

Grants Available to Non Profit Organizations

Foundations and corporations

Remember to take your time in writing the proposal. A successful grant is often started with a good grant proposal for nonprofit organizations.

References :

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Crime Prevention Action Fund

Provides time-limited funding to assist communities and organizations in two specific areas. The first is developing and implementing crime prevention initiatives that address known risk and protective factors associated with offending behaviour. The second is developing and implementing knowledge transfer initiatives that focus on the application of research-based evidence to inform crime prevention practice.

Community Investment Strategy The Regional Municipality Of York

Through its Community Investment Strategy , the Regional Municipality of York provides funding for projects from not-for-profit agencies that deliver services to low and moderate income residents. Investments are directed to initiatives that help to achieve the four Community Results as well as the goals of the Making Ends Meet initiative and the York Region Immigration Settlement Strategy. The funding also strengthens the capacity of York Regions human services system and promotes innovative, collaborative programs and service delivery models.

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The Mixed Capital Opportunities Fund

The Toronto Enterprise Fund sponsors a Mixed Capital Opportunities Fund for nonprofit organizations and charities. To apply, you must attend an informational session and submit an application with a detailed business plan approximately a month later. In most years, the group holds two sessions, and it awards funding worth between $10,000 and $30,000. If your application is approved, half of the funding is a grant, which you do not have to pay back, and the other half is a loan. The program is restricted to groups in the Toronto-Hamilton area.

How To Find Grants For Nonprofits

âVideo transcript â

If you’re trying to grow your nonprofit, securing funding can be a huge challenge.

To help with this, creating several streams of income can stabilize your finances and set your nonprofit up for success. One of those streams are grants.

So in this video, I’m going to show you how to find grants for nonprofits, so your nonprofit’s income can be rock-solid!

I’m Addie with Anedot, and let’s get into it!

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Rural Alberta Development Fund

This organization works to help rural communities, regional alliances, and organizations kick-start projects that would contribute to the betterment of rural Alberta. Successful projects must focus on at least one of four pillars: economic growth, community capacity and quality of life, rural health delivery, and learning and skill development.

Local And State Sources

You might also consider finding government grants from your local municipality, county, or state. These entities have billions of dollars available as well, and they might provide the right opportunities for your needs.

Contact your local or state Department of Health, Jobs and Family Services, Human Services, Department of Development, Small Business Development, Department of Education, Department of Transportation, County Commissioners, or City Councils. Ask about grants they have available.

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Prepare To Submit Grant Applications

Now that you have some grants to apply for in mind, it’s time to start your prep work.

As you consider submitting applications to the grants you have found, you’ll need to consider whether you will hire an outside professional or take it on yourself.

Either way, you should have your documentation together. Items you should have handy include:

• Past Form 990’s
• List of programs and partners
• Organizational chart
• List of achievements and awards

You should also consider additional resources that may help you with the grant application process.

For example, Boss on a Budget has a Facebook group named Nonprofit Grant Writing Support Group that is exclusively focused on giving feedback and assistance with completing proposals for grant funding.

The group has weekly tips shared, notices about new funding announcements, and a form to hire a grant writer if you need outside help.

The group has over 9,000 members and is a good resource to pick others brains on how you can improve your grant writing.

There are additional Facebook groups like Grant Writing, The Grant Writers Forum, and Grant Writing Mastermind Group that can also provide tips and feedback.

On LinkedIn, the Finding Grants, Fundraising, and Writing Grant Proposals group is the place to connect with others who might be in a similar position to you.

If you decide you want more formal training on grant writing, you should take a look to see if there are any courses at your local state college or university.

What Are Nonprofit Grants

Grants, and by extension, grant writing is the process of applying for funding from foundations, corporations, government bodies, or community organizations. These can take various forms, from the offering of in-kind services, to credits to a particular vendor, to simple funding. Generally, they can be categorized by the type of institution providing the funds: government grants , foundation grants, and corporate grants.

Essentially, its money that could help fund your nonprofits next big initiative. In fact, many nonprofits rely on grant funding to seed any new initiatives and even to support their core operating costs. Most grants typically focus on supporting a particular function or project, rather than an organization as a whole, so specificity is key!

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Canada Council For The Arts

The Canada Council for the Arts distributes grants to nonprofit artistic organizations all over Canada as well as to individual artists. In 2015-2016, it gave away over 4,000 grants. The council runs several different grant programs each year. If you run an arts-based organization, check the site regularly for opportunities and deadlines.

Provincial Heritage Organization Grants

Provincial Heritage Organization Grants – This ministry provides annual operating support to the 12 Ontario Provincial Heritage Organizations. They are umbrella organizations for the major types of heritage activities across the province, representing disciplines such as archaeology, genealogy, architecture, history, archives, and museums.

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How To Know If My Nonprofit Should Apply For A Grant

Every grant-giving organization will have different requirements. These requirements will differ from one country to another, and from one grant-giving organization to another.

Before deciding to apply for a grant, take the time to discuss and consider these with your team:

• Are we able to invest the necessary resources in writing winning grant applications?
• Can we meet the grant conditions?
• Are the activities we would conduct consistent with our mission, our aims, and our strategy?
• Can the activity continue after the grant funding ends?
• What do you need to be funded? Why is the grant necessary for your organization to continue your work?
• Do you have the right staff with the right qualifications in place to implement your program?
• Do you have outcomes related to your past work? How healthy are those outcomes?

Its also useful to take a breather, remind yourself of your organizations mission and vision, and review your short-term and long-term organizational goals. If youre going to give grants a go, then they should have a clear place in your overall organizational strategy.

In 2017, according to Giving USA, foundations contributed 16 percent to the overall philanthropic pie, corporations gave 5 percent, while individual giving accounted for 70 percent.

Keep this in mind when developing your annual fundraising plan. While grants matter, individual donors make up the bulk of most charitable income.

How To Get Grants For Your Canadian Nonprofit

Adequate funding is an important factor in the success of any nonprofit organization, but money from charitable donations and fundraisers isnt always enough to cover your operational costs. This is where grants come in. Canadian organizations offer a wide range of funding opportunities for nonprofit organizations. Learning how to create a winning grant proposal or application can set your nonprofit apart and help you help your community.

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Reconnect Festival And Event Program

The Reconnect Festival and Event Program offers non-capital funding for events in Ontario that:

• Provide safe experiences that encourage people to rediscover the beauty and diversity of all that Ontario communities have to offer, virtually or in-person when it is safe to do so
• Draw attendees, whether in-person or virtually, through innovative programming, and provide positive economic impact for the local community, the region and the province
• Provide job opportunities for Ontarians, particularly in the tourism, culture and entertainment sectors
• Increase Ontarios profile through media and/or broadcast exposure to instill interest in future travel to the province once it is safe to do so again.

The Celebrate Ontario Blockbuster program supports costs related to hosting:

• Major one-time events in Ontario
• Events that do not recur annually or biennially in Ontario
• National or international events in Ontario

American Rescue Plan Grants To Organizations: Eligibility

Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501, U.S. organizations units of state or local government or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply. Applicants may be arts organizations, local arts agencies, arts service organizations, local education agencies , and other organizations that can help advance the goals of the Arts Endowment.

To be eligible, the applicant organization must:

• Meet the Arts Endowments Legal Requirements, including nonprofit, tax-exempt status at the time of application.
• Have completed a three-year history of arts programming prior to the application deadline. For the purpose of defining eligibility, “three-year history” refers to when an organization began its programming and not when it incorporated or received nonprofit, tax-exempt status. Programming is not required to have taken place during consecutive years.
• Have submitted acceptable Final Report packages by the due date for all Arts Endowment grant previously received. This requirement does not apply to brand new applicants to the NEA or prior applicants that have never received an NEA award.

An organization whose primary purpose is to channel resources to an affiliated organization is not eligible to apply if the affiliated organization submits its own application. This prohibition applies even if each organization has its own 501 status. For example, the “Friends of ABC Museum” may not apply if the ABC Museum applies.

Registration with Grants.gov and SAM is always free.

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The Heritage Organization Development Grant

The Heritage Organization Development Grant provides annual operating support to historical societies, museums and other heritage associations, located throughout the province, that promote public awareness of Ontario’s rich and diverse heritage. Organizations that receive this support are required to meet the criteria established in Regulation 879, “Grants to Incorporated Historical Societies and Associations under the Ontario Heritage Act.

Where To Find Grants For Nonprofits Sources For Nonprofit Grants

Competition for all grant funding has intensified significantly during the last few years. Additionally, most nonprofits grapple with a lack of time, lack of staff, lack of money for database subscriptions, and lack of understanding/knowledge about grants.

According to Small Business, the competition is high because billions of dollars in grants are available every year. There are 26 federal grant-making agencies and more than 900 federal programs in the federal government alone. These include the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Housing/Urban Development, Justice, Labor, and Treasury. as well as the National Endowments for the Arts and Humanities.

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