The 2024 Report

The 2024

State of Grantseeking        
Report

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Our Underwriters

We extend our appreciation to these underwriters for their invaluable support.

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Our Advocates

We extend our appreciation to the following organizations and businesses for their generous support in promoting the survey.

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Introduction

The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Report is based on the 22nd informal survey of organizations conducted by GrantStation to help illustrate the current state of grantseeking in the U.S. and Canada. The primary objectives of this report are to shed light on the current trends in grantseeking and generate benchmarks by which grantseekers and the organizations they represent can measure their success in the field.
Measuring an organization's internal and external grantseeking experiences against other similar organizations and their accomplishments will help you build a stronger, more resilient grantseeking program. By comparing your own organization's performance to the data represented in this report, you will be able to generate a realistic grantseeking plan for 2024 and into 2025. 

I would like to thank our lead survey and report underwriters Foundant and the Grant Professionals Association for their continued trust in our process and our analysis. Additionally, a large thank you to ARNOVA (Association for Research on Nonprofit Organizations and Voluntary Action), CampaignCounsel.org, Giving Payroll, and TechSoup, who all served as survey and report underwriters. I also want to extend my appreciation to the many organizations that were advocates for the survey. 

And of course, I must thank the 2,306 respondents who made this report possible. This is a lengthy and intensive survey that requires true commitment from the respondents, but which ultimately benefits the entire third sector. I hope that the information and benchmarks provided will assist each of you in your good work.

Finally, I would like to thank my GrantStation team—especially Ellen Mower, Juliet Vile, and Diana Holder—who dedicate hundreds of hours to this survey each year.  

Cynthia M. Adams

Founder, GrantStation 

 

Executive Summary

The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Report reflects the experiences of agile organizations and funders, and skillful organizational leadership.

Grant funding is available for those organizations that engage in active grantseeking. Ninety-one percent of our respondents submitted at least one grant application in 2023, and of those, 88% received at least one grant award. 

Submitting a higher number of applications increased the likelihood of winning awards. Among organizations that submitted just one grant application, 62% won an award. However, at least one award was received by 88% of respondents who submitted three to five grant applications, and 96% of those who submitted six to ten applications. So, one way to increase the chance of winning grant awards is to submit at least three applications. 

Private foundations continue to be a funding source for most respondents; 82% received awards from this source. Private foundations were most frequently reported as the largest source of total funding (34%) and the source of the largest award (34%). Although government awards are still “big money,” private foundations are more frequent funders. 

The median largest individual award for all respondents was $75,000. This figure varied by grantmaker type and organizational annual budget. For example, the median largest individual award received from community foundations was $25,000, compared to $615,000 from the Federal government. Within budget ranges, the median largest individual award received by small organizations (budgets under $100,000) was $10,000, while extra-large organizations (budgets over $25 million) reported a median largest award of $1.8 million. 

Even an organization’s mission focus has an impact on award size. Organizations with a Religion Related mission reported a median largest award of $20,000, while the median largest award was $250,000 for Public Benefit organizations and $1 million for Educational Institutions.

The opportunity cost—the in-depth knowledge, staff, and time required in the grant process—should be weighed against the size of an award and the likelihood of winning that award. The grant process takes an investment of days, and in many cases weeks, to complete an application.

Respondent data continues to suggest that successful grantseeking is made more difficult by organizational staff and time limitations (24%), difficulty in finding grant opportunities that matched with specific missions, locations, or programs (15%), increased funder requirements (14%), competition for finite monies (10%), and building funder relationships (9%). These struggles relate to the most frequently reported techniques for lowering or maintaining indirect/administrative costs, which included reductions in the number of staff (39%). 

While it was reported that non-government funders will generally assist with indirect/administrative costs, they limit the amount that they are willing to cover. Only 8% of respondents reported that non-government funders would not cover any level of indirect/administrative costs. However, 42% of respondents reported an allowance of 10% or less for these costs and 27% were unsure of cost coverage. 

We at GrantStation hope The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Report helps to alleviate some of the frustration among nonprofit organizations as they engage in grantseeking activities. Overall, this report speaks to the importance of targeting the right grantmakers. How can this report help your organization find the funding it needs?

Compare your organization’s grantseeking to this report and note the benchmarks for funder type and award size for your organization’s annual budget and mission. You may wish to use our free Benchmarker tool, which enables you to get personalized information and reports from the results of The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Survey. Are there areas where your organization excels, or where it could stand to improve? Next, using the results of this survey as one of your guides, set realistic expectations for both the projected contribution of grant awards to your total budget, and the time and staff required to engage in grantseeking.

And, consider investing in tools to help organizational growth, such as Membership in GrantStation. At GrantStation, we help you to keep your organization financially healthy through assistance in developing a strong grantseeking strategy. Member Benefits provide the tools for you to find new grant sources, build a strong grantseeking program, and write winning grant proposals. 
 

 

Ellen C. Mowrer

Ellen C. Mowrer

Chief Executive Officer, GrantStation

 

 

Key Findings

Grantseeking Activity
Awards
Federal Government Awards
  • Of all respondents to The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Survey, 40% stated that their organizations receive Federal funding on a regular basis and 33% stated that they received Federal funding in 2023.
  • The largest award median for the Federal government was $615,000. 
  • Most organizations that received Federal funding in 2023 reported that their largest Federal award came in the form of grants (64%), contracts (12%), or another form (15%), including cooperative agreements and reimbursements.
  • Forty-seven percent of the funds for the largest Federal award originated directly from the Federal government; 24% originated as pass-through Federal funding via a state government. 
  • Thirty-two percent of respondents reported that matching funds were required in their largest Federal award. Of those, 38% reported a match of 25% or less.
  • Fifty-seven percent of respondents reported that their largest Federal award included indirect or administrative cost funding.
Largest Award Logistics
  • The grant cycle length—from proposal submission to award decision—for the largest grant award was between one and six months for 58% of respondents.
  • The grant process requires staff. For 64% of respondents, one to two people were directly involved in the grantseeking process for the largest individual award, while for 24% of respondents, three to five people were directly involved.
  • The grant process takes time. Grant research took three days or fewer for 64% of respondents. Project design and planning took three days or fewer for 51% of respondents, while writing the grant application took between two days and two weeks for 69% of respondents. Application submission took three days or fewer for 70% of respondents and reporting requirements took three days or fewer for 59% of respondents. Post-award monitoring took three days or fewer for 41% of respondents, whereas it wasn’t applicable for 19% of respondents. 
  • Once an award decision had been determined, funders released the award monies quickly; 67% of respondents reported receiving the award within three months of notification.
Indirect/Administrative Costs
Collaboration
Challenges to Grantseeking
Organization Annual Budget
Organization Mission Focus
  • Award sizes varied by organizational mission focus. The median size of the largest individual award ranged from $20,000 for Religion Related organizations to $1 million for Educational Institutions. Religion Related organizations reported a median award total of $21,500, while Educational Institutions reported a median award total of $2.5 million.
  • Private foundations were the largest source of total grant funding for most mission focuses. The Federal government was the most frequently reported source of total grant funding for Educational Institutions, Housing and Shelter organizations, and Public Benefit organizations.

 

 

Grantseeking Activity

Respondents to The 2024 State of Grantseeking™ Survey actively pursued grant funding for their organizations; 91% submitted at least one grant application in 2023. 

Recent Activity

In 2023, 84% of respondents applied for the same number of grants (24%) or more grants (60%) than they did in 2022. Of respondent organizations, 75% were awarded the same number of grants (30%) or more grants (45%) compared to the prior year. Moreover, 77% of respondents reported that their organizations received awards of the same size (32%) or larger (45%). 

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Application and Award Rates by Funding Source

Application and award rates varied by funder type. Grantseekers most frequently applied to private foundations (92%), community foundations (84%), and corporate grantmakers (84%). Forty-six percent of respondents reported applying to donor-advised funds. Among government funding sources, state government application rates (75%) were higher than those of local government (70%) or the Federal government (64%). Fifty-five percent of respondents applied to “other” grant sources (including religious organizations, the United Way, civic organizations, other nonprofit organizations, and tribal funds).

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More frequent award rates were reported from private foundations (82%), community foundations (73%), and corporate grantmakers (76%). Fifty-eight percent of respondents reported awards from donor-advised funds. Among government funding sources, state government (71%) and local government (66%) award rates were higher than those of the Federal government (57%). Awards from “other” grant sources (including religious organizations, the United Way, civic organizations, other nonprofit organizations, and tribal funds) were reported at a rate of 51%. 

Number of Grant Applications

Most respondents (91%) applied for grant funding in 2023. Of those respondents that submitted a grant application during that time, 40% submitted between three and 10 applications. One or two grant applications were submitted by 12% of respondents. Eighteen percent of respondents submitted between 11 and 20 grant applications, and 10% submitted between 21 and 30 applications. Thirty-one or more grant applications were submitted by 18% of respondents. One percent of respondents reported submitting some applications of indeterminate quantity.

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Number of Grant Awards

During 2023, a total of 88% of respondents received at least one grant award. Twenty percent of respondents received one or two grant awards and 38% received between three and ten grant awards. Twenty-one percent of respondents received between eleven and thirty grant awards, while 7% reported receiving over thirty awards. One percent of respondents received awards but were unsure of the exact number, whereas 12% of respondents reported receiving no awards.

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Grant Applications vs. Grant Awards

The relationship between applications submitted and awards won can be seen in the chart below. A larger number of applications was more likely to result in a larger number of awards. Some awards received in 2023 resulted from applications submitted at an earlier time, and some applications were submitted for which awards had not yet been determined.

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  • One Application: 72% of respondents were awarded at least one grant.
  • Two Applications: 80% of respondents were awarded at least one grant. 
  • Three to Five Applications: 88% of respondents were awarded at least one grant; 70% of respondents were awarded two to five grants.
  • Six to Ten Applications: 96% of respondents were awarded at least one grant; 79% of respondents were awarded three to ten grants.
  • 11 to 20 Applications: 97% of respondents were awarded at least one grant; 76% of respondents were awarded six to 20 grants. 
  • 21 to 30 Applications: 100% of respondents were awarded at least one grant; 71% of respondents were awarded 11 to 30 grants. 
  • Over 30 Applications: 100% of respondents were awarded at least one grant; 85% of respondents were awarded 21 or more grants.

Applying for at least three grant awards increases the frequency of winning an award. Applying for at least six grant awards almost ensures winning at least one award. 

 

Grant Funding Sources

Private foundations (78%), community foundations (69%), and corporations (56%) were the most frequently cited sources of grant awards. Donor-advised funds were a source of funding for 34% of respondents, while corporate gifts of products or services were reported by 27% of respondents. Among government funders, state funding sources (51%) were reported more frequently than local (43%) and Federal (40%) funding sources. Other funding sources (including religious organizations, the United Way, civic organizations, other nonprofit organizations, and tribal funds) were reported by 8% of respondents.

Staff

Organizational staff were the primary grantseekers for 69% of respondents. Board members (12%), volunteers (6%), and contract grant specialists (9%) were also cited as the primary grantseeker. Four percent of respondent organizations were not engaged with active grantseekers.

Among those organizations with active grantseekers, 74% reported that one to two people were directly involved with the grant process. Three to five grantseekers were reported by 17% of respondents. Larger grant staff sizes of six to ten people (2%) and over ten people (2%) were also reported. Four percent of respondents said they did not have active grantseekers at their organizations.

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GRANT Funding

Total Grant Funding Budget Contribution

Grant funding was 10% or less of the annual budget for 27% of respondents, and 11% to 25% of the budget for 22% of respondents. Grant funding comprised 26% to 50% of the budget for 18% of respondents, and 51% to 75% of the budget for 16% of respondents. Seventeen percent of respondents reported grant funding of 76% or more. 

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Recurring Grants

Recurring grants (a fixed grant award which takes place on an ongoing basis) comprised 10% or less of total grants for 44% of respondents, and 11% to 25% of total grants for 16% of respondents. Recurring grant funding comprised 26% to 50% of total grants for 16% of respondents, and 51% to 75% of the grant budget for 15% of respondents. Nine percent of respondents reported recurring grant funding of 76% or more. 

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Total Grant Funding

Total awards under $10,000 were reported by 16% of respondents, while 19% reported total awards between $10,000 and $49,999. Ten percent of respondents reported total grant awards between $50,000 and $99,999, whereas 24% of respondents reported total awards of $100,000 to $499,999. Total awards between $500,000 and $999,999 were reported by 9% of respondents, while 14% reported total awards of $1 million to $4,999,999. Eight percent of respondents reported total awards of $5 million or more. The median value of total awards was $170,000 and the average value of total awards was $2,593,100.

Largest Source of Total Funding

Private foundations (34%) were the most frequently reported largest source of total grant funding, followed by the Federal government (16%) and state government (15%). Community foundations were the largest source of total grant funding for 11% of respondents. Eight percent of respondents reported local government grants as the largest source of total grant funding, while 7% reported corporate grants as the largest total grant funding source. Donor-advised funds were the largest source of total grant funding for 2% of respondents. “Other” grant sources (including religious organizations, the United Way, civic organizations, other nonprofit organizations, and tribal funds) were the largest source of total grant funding for 7% of respondents.