Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Grantseeking

by Andy Robinson

Overview

In the revised second edition of the bestselling guide to grantseeking, author and activist Andy Robinson walks you through the challenges of incorporating grants into a complete fundraising program, using grant proposals as organizing plans, designing fundable projects, building proposals piece by piece, and fostering effective communication with funders who support the activist community. This updated edition keeps pace with the changing times and contains all new budgets and model proposals, interviews with funders from the grassroots community and timely information about grantseeking on the Internet. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780787965785
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	04/01/2004
Series:	Kim Klein's Fundraising Series , #13
Edition description:	2nd ed.
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Andy Robinson has worked with a variety of nonprofits as a fundraiser, grantwriter, editor, and community organizer. All told, he has raised more than $4 million for grassroots organizations and written 150 successful proposals. He is the author of Selling Social Change (Without Selling Out): Earned Income Strategies for Nonprofits, available from Jossey-Bass.

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Table of Contents

List of Exhibits, Exercises, and Worksheets.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

The Author.

The Contributors.

1. Up from the Grassroots: The Evolution of Grants and Grantseeking.

The Expanding Philanthropic Sector.

A Different Set of Circumstances: Economy, Politics, Technology.

Grantmaking: An Experiment in Democracy?

Funders Don’t Act the Way They Used to Act.

2. What Grants Will Get You . . . and What They Won’t.

Who’s Got the Money?

The Downside: Ten Ways That Grants Can Drive You Crazy.

The Upside: Ten Ways That Grants Can Benefit Your Work.

How Grants Fit into a Complete Fundraising Strategy.

3. Why People (and Funders) Give Away Their Money.

Who Gets the Money? Criteria for Giving.

Foundation Culture.

4. The Grant Proposal as Organizing Plan.

Building the Case for Support.

Programs, Projects, and Campaigns.

General Support Grants.

Designing Fundable Projects: The Grantwriter as Feasibility Tester.

Involving Your Coworkers, Your Allies, Your Neighbors.

How Much Money? Developing Budgets for Grant-Funded Projects.

5. Finding Funders.

Do Your Homework!

Follow the Guidelines.

Phase One: Sleuthing.

Phase Two: Using Computer Resources and Web Searches.

Phase Three: Doing Library Research.

Phase Four: Studying the Current Guidelines.

6. Building Peer-to-Peer Relationships with Grantmakers.

Leveling the Playing Field.

Grantmaking: It’s a Job.

Are We Partners or What? The Value of Honesty.

Pick Up the Telephone.

Honor the Gatekeepers.

How to Meet Grantmakers.

Donor-Directed Grants.

Letters of Inquiry.

Be Professional, Be Patient.

7. Creating Your Proposal, Piece by Piece.

The Value (or Not) of Good Writing.

Should You Hire an Outside Grantwriter?

Layout: Creating a Good-Looking Proposal.

The Components of a Grant Proposal.

8. A Tour Through Four Winning Proposals.

Urban Garden Resources of Worcester (UGROW).

Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington.

Supportive Parents Information Network (SPIN).

Wildlands Project.

9. Creative Ways to Leverage Your Grants.

Matching and Challenge Grants.

In-Kind Donations.

Program-Related Investments and Loans.

10. Successful Grants Administration.

Record Keeping and Reporting.

Managing Grant Money.

The Value of Honesty, Revisited.

Your Mother Was Right: The Value of Good Manners.

11. The Grantseeker’s Guide to Surviving and Thriving.

Dealing with Rejection.

Diversifying Your Funding.

Using Your Time and Energy Effectively.

The Perfect Organization.

Resource A: Useful Publications.

Resource B: Grant Database Tools, Jean Lewis.

Resource C: Raising Money from Faith-Based Grant Programs.

Resource D: Legal Issues for Nonprofit Advocates, John Pomeranz.

Resource E: Sharing Grants: A Strategy for Collaborative Fundraising, Wendy Wilson.

References.

Index.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“With the new edition of Grassroots Grants, Andy Robinson has done all of us a great service. He's compiled and organized dozens of commonsense tips for building effective partnerships with funders, many presented in the words of the grantmakers themselves. From the art of the schmooze to effective letters of inquiry to simple, fun exercises that will help get your organization off the dime and into the money, Grassroots Grants is a must-read for those in charge of sustaining and strengthening community voices. Thank you, Andy!”
—Jay Harris, publisher, Mother Jones

“Your indispensable guide for navigating the world of foundation fundraising.”
—Frank I. Sanchez, senior program officer, The Needmor Fund

"Combines a tough and thorough approach to fundraising with a deeply ethical world view. A must-read for caring community organizations operating in a competitive world."
—Maude Barlow, national chairperson, Council of Canadians

“The experience, tactics, tools, and case studies needed to launch an effective fundraising strategy for social change.”
—Robert Bray, communications consultant and founder, SPIN Project

“Well worth your time before, during, and after your grant submissions!”
—Tricia Rubacky, senior development adviser, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations

"Can save you years of learning the hard way."
—June Rostan, director, Southern Empowerment Project

“Artfully demystifies the world of grants by drawing on the experience of a wide range of activist groups.”
—Guadalupe Guajardo, senior consultant, Technical Assistance for Community Services