Part of our engagement with Members is to interview them for wisdom around grantseeking. Kristin Olson of Grants Galore has been a Member since 2017.
David: Thank you for agreeing to talk with me about your work during your call the other day to renew your Membership. I’m interested in hearing more about your business.
Kristin: I established Grants Galore about 13 years ago, but I’ve been writing grants since 1998 so I’m one year older than GrantStation! I have submitted more than 500 grant proposals during my career.
David: That is quite a history! Tell me about one of your early efforts of grantseeking.
Kristin: The very first federal grant request I ever submitted was for a 21st Century Community Learning Centers program through the U.S. Department of Education. The purpose of the four-year $4.5 million grant was to establish after-school programs in 20 schools in 11 school districts across a four-county region in west-central Illinois. One of the biggest challenges was to describe the complexity of the project in enough detail so that the grant reviewers would have a clear understanding of the scope of the project, but also to be succinct enough to meet the page limit. I inserted vignettes in the Need Statement to put a face on the problems that the students, schools, and communities needed to overcome. I used a variety of line styles in the organizational chart to depict the different types of relationships - advisory, administrative, direct service, etc.
David: You mentioned succinctness. That is such a challenge for many of our readers, fitting their case for funding within a limited word count. What sort of advice do you have for that?
Kristin: The best way to write succinctly is to use active voice. It is direct, powerful, and word-frugal. I have found that many people tend to write in passive voice, which is an indirect means of communication. While using passive voice may be acceptable and widely used, it takes up more space and is cumbersome to the reader. My ultimate goal with grantwriting is to keep the grant reviewer engaged from page one. And using active voice – writing succinctly – is one of the best strategies for achieving that goal.
The second best way to write succinctly is to edit and rewrite the narrative to make it as lean as possible without losing clarity. My advice to my workshop participants is to NOT fall in love with their own writing. There is no byline for the grantwriter. It’s not about getting recognition; it’s about getting funded. Sometimes cutting carefully-crafted text is painful, but if you exceed the page limit, you risk the possibility that your proposal will be screened out before it reaches the reviewing panel.
David: I can resonate with that. When grantseekers are trying to explain their work in a proposal, it’s about conveying the passion of the work, and so it gets personal. We need to be objective and stand back from our writing.
Kristin: I liken grantwriting to completing an essay test. Answer the question and move on to the next one. It’s not necessary to write on and on, repeating yourself or, even worse, wandering off-topic. Fully respond to the grant guidance for each section and resist the urge to keep writing.
Another method is to present data in charts and graphs and then discuss the specific data points you want the reviewer to notice – the data that helps make the case.
When I’ve applied all these strategies, I rely on formatting the text to meet page limits. But this is not the time to adjust margins or line spacing or font size. You must follow the grantmaker’s guidelines exactly. And, to the greatest extent possible, keep readability in mind. You don’t want your reader to disengage just because there’s no white space to break up the text.
David: Thanks for calling that out. It’s easy to get lost in our words and to articulate every point we possibly can in a proposal, but we do need to pare down our paragraphs to make the proposal easy to absorb.
Can you tell me about a project that was particularly rewarding?
Kristin: My most rewarding experience to date was working with a collaborative of four state-wide primary care associations (IL, IA, OH, MI) to submit a proposal to integrate dental care into primary care practices in all four states. One of the assets of working with this team is that they had collaborated on previous projects and served on a national taskforce related to the topic of integrated care. I worked with them to develop a logic model to guide the grant proposal and help us stay focused. Within the collaborative, each state has the autonomy to implement the program through its existing infrastructure. So, once again, I needed to describe a complex project in a limited amount of space. I used maps to illustrate the scope and geographic reach of the project. SAMHSA fully funded the five-year $6.4 million grant. The proposal scored 99 points with no weaknesses cited.
David: Wow, congratulations on such a success! Collaboration is such a key strategy these days. We try to encourage it regularly, but it has its challenges. What are the elements to making it successful?
Kristin: Building collaboration does not come naturally for many nonprofits. I have found that a lot of organizations are reluctant to share resources – even if it means increasing the chance to get funded. Much of it depends on organizational leadership and culture. Based on my observations, there are factors that contribute to a successful collaboration.
Leadership is key. There needs to be buy-in from executive-level staff in every partner organization. You have to facilitate meaningful conversations with key decision-makers that identify common needs and goals.
There are also the logistics that help make it work. Get signed MOUs that specify the role of each collaborative partner and the contribution that each will make to the success of the project. Have early and frequent communication to keep all parties informed and to address concerns as they arise. Develop a process for sharing data and resolving conflicts.
David: It is helpful to hear the mechanics of what makes collaboration work. I think many organizations find it daunting because they don’t know much about those factors, so thank you for mentioning them.
You must have a lot of experience working with grantmakers. Can you give an example of a “lesson learned” in one of your interactions?
Kristin: The Internet is a boundless resource for locating information. But I learned to use discretion. I was researching potential funders for a client. When I reviewed one funder’s profile – I believe it was a family foundation – the only contact information was a mailing address. I wanted to call to inquire about the geographic area they serve, so I did a Google search and found a telephone number associated with the foundation. When I called, a woman answered the phone. And when I explained the purpose of my call, she explained that I had called her on her home phone and kindly answered my question. Embarrassed, I apologized for disturbing her and thanked her for the information. The lesson I learned – and now pass along to my workshop participants – is to respect the wishes of the funder! If they publish a telephone number in their profile, then they are open to receiving phone calls. If no number is listed, then phone calls are not welcome.
David: That can apply to so many aspects of working with a grantmaker! We stress the importance of following their directions for the proposal, recognizing their giving scope, etc., but thanks for highlighting the communication protocol to follow. That is why we are very careful about the contact information that we post on our funder profiles.
Many of our Members are small organizations just getting started. They are easily overwhelmed when they get a GrantStation Membership. What are a few pieces of advice that you'd give to someone in a small organization who just drew the short straw and has to start grantseeking?
Kristin: I have a whole list of tips for new nonprofits and for those small nonprofits that are new to grantseeking.
The first thing is to have experience under your belt. Most foundations do not fund new organizations. Two years of operation is a typical requirement before they will accept an unsolicited grant proposal. Spend that time developing detailed program plans, logic models, and budgets for the projects you intend to seek grants for. Also build your capacity re: board training and data collection.
David: That is helpful advice for laying the groundwork for grantseeking. On our site, we do have a filter for grantmakers who will give to startups, but indeed most do want to see a track record before funding. What are your tips for an organization when it becomes established?
Kristin: After you have taken those steps, you can partner with a successful grant recipient to submit a joint application.
David: Back to collaboration!
Kristin: Indeed. Then when you’re ready to apply on your own. Start with local funders that already know the community and what you do – United Way, and the local community foundation, corporations, and family foundations. Apply for a small grant and demonstrate that you can administer the funds effectively before you apply for larger grants. You can find a copy of a successful grant proposal and use it as a model.
David: We just held a contest for successful grant proposals and we have them on our site. It’s so helpful to see “what good looks like” before diving into this work. What are some other tips?
Kristin: Once you have learned how to craft your story, develop boilerplate passages for information that is commonly requested in grant proposals – staff bios, org history, service area description, target population description, mission statement. You can also complete an audit to demonstrate your organization’s fiscal health.
Also, you don’t have to do this work alone. Assemble a team of board members, staff, or volunteers to divide the work.
David: We tell that to Members almost every day on the phone. It takes a village to win a grant. Any other advice?
Kristin: Look for opportunities to become a grant reviewer – it’s an effective strategy for learning what’s important to funders and to see the process through the funder’s eyes.
David: Well now, that is taking things to the next level! Thank you so much for sharing from your wealth of experience with us.
ABOUT KRISTIN OLSON
Kristin Olson began writing grants in 1998 when she was a graduate student. After earning her Master’s degree in nonprofit organization management, she worked in the nonprofit sector for seven years. As Project Coordinator of two county-wide programs, Kristin was responsible for renewing the grants that supported program operating costs and for securing grant funding for new agency initiatives.
She currently consults as Grants Galore, established in 2006 and based in Illinois, providing a broad menu of services with the mission of expanding the capacities of nonprofits to fulfill their missions. With a success rate of 54%, she has secured more than $157 million in grant funds and government contracts for U.S. nonprofits and units of local government.
In addition to various services on grantseeking, Grants Galore offers customized training in face-to-face and online formats. Topics range from a general overview of grantwriting to deep dives into logic models and federal grants.