Foundations Outreach Checklist

At this point, you’ve set your sights on a specific grant. Perhaps a high-net-worth individual or leadership member has made you aware of a foundation or a grant that would be perfect for your 501(c)3 nonprofit, or perhaps you’ve done your research and have uncovered some promising grants that you’re eager to apply to.

Congrats! Truly, finding an applicable grant is a huge hurdle to securing grant funding. But another challenge is about to commence, and I don’t mean the application. The steps in between finding and applying for a grant are crucial. These are small tasks, but without them, you take a major risk of rejection either because you missed an important aspect of the application, you didn’t make a name for your nonprofit ahead of time and get left unread, or you waste your time with a grant that actually isn’t aligned with your nonprofit or is unable to accept your application.

This checklist will provide you with a list of tasks to help determine whether you’re the right fit for a grant and potentially boost your chances of approval.

1. Have a deep understanding of the foundation’s values and process

Before diving into the specifics, make sure that you know the ins and outs of the foundation and grant opportunity itself. These questions will help you feel secure about the alignment between your program/project and the foundation’s values, as well as the timing of the grant writing work.

• Which one or more of the foundation’s values aligns with your program/project?

The foundation may have a series of values that they offer grants to. Make sure that you know which value or values match with what aspect of your nonprofit and take note of the phrasing used to describe the value.

• What is the application process (Invitation required)?

Many grants do not allow unsolicited applications, meaning that a board member or program officer must invite you to apply. If this is the case, and you do not have the proper connection, you’ll need to do extra development work to learn who within your circle may know a board member.

• What are the requirements for the grant?

Most foundations will have a list of application requirements available online or by special request offline. If they do not, you will need to make sure to ask this when you’re in contact with a program officer or board member.

• What are the grant cycles?

This will help you prepare your timeline for contacting the foundation and writing your application. Make sure that you have plenty of time to complete this process. You do not want to be rushed.

2. Research the foundation’s 990

Use tools such as Guidestar to find the Foundation’s most recent 990’s. Examine at least three years and look for commonalities in:

• Previous recipients:

Review the list of 501c3 organizations that have received grants over the last few years and the dollar amounts granted to them. You will be looking to see if the foundation has gifted organizations that are comparable to yours. If so, find the dollar amounts gifted and try to determine an appropriate range in which your nonprofit might be gifted.

• Their investment strategy year-over-year:

Take note of investment trends and try to deduce in which direction the foundation is growing. Are they expanding their values into more innovative organizations? Do they have a strict geographical area of giving? Have their number of grants increased? Dollar amounts increased?

• List of board members/stakeholders

Especially for those who have uncovered this foundation via research, write down the board members and stakeholders listed on the 990. Share these names with the leadership within your nonprofit. Take advantage of any and all connections that your nonprofit may have to the Foundation.

3. Get connected with the appropriate contact at foundation

• If you were made aware of this foundation through a high-net-worth individual or fellow leader, then make sure to follow-up with that person for the name of that board member.

• After you’ve shared the list of board members/stakeholders with the leaders within the 501(c)3 organization, find out if anyone has a connection. If yes, pursue that connection first. Otherwise, find the name and contact information for the program officer at the foundation and prepare to reach out.

4. Prep for the conversation with board member/program officer

The following are questions that you may know but will want to have polished for your conversation with the foundation’s board member or program officer. You will quite likely need to provide this information within the application, so even if these questions are not asked on a phone call, having the messaging ahead of time will only give you an additional leg-up.

• What is the program/project?

• Have an elevator pitch prepared that sums up your program or project. Try to use the messaging that is used to describe the grant within your elevator pitch. This will support the synergies between the nonprofit and foundation.

• What stage is the program in? What are the goals?

• What does it take to operate the program/project?

Get the numbers. If you haven’t already, collect the program or project’s financials and be able to provide tangible evidence to support your need.

• Who does your program/project serve?

• Clearly define the community that will benefit from your program or project. Describe in a way that explains the adversity but is not demeaning.

• Collect the demographics of the community that is served. How many male/female? What race? What age range?

• Prepare a case study of at least one member of the community as a short but exemplary sample of what your program does.

• Who have you partnered with? Why?

They may want to know who you’ve chosen to work with and how you support one another, as well as to gauge your ability to function with partners.

• What is the current makeup of the admin staff? How many people on staff?

• Prepare to describe the framework in which your nonprofit functions. 

• Provide the ratio of staff to community members served.

Questionnaire & script for program officer

Hello <<Contact>>. I’m calling from <<Nonprofit>> and we’re eager to talk to you to learn if our program/project properly aligns with <<Foundation>>’s values.

• How much time do you have? (Use this to tailor the following conversation)

• Great. I’ve had the opportunity to review your website and 990, but would love to hear from you what the foundation’s goals and philosophy are around grantmaking.

• What characteristics have grantees had that have been advantageous in the application process? What does the board like to see?

• Are there any other elements of the application that we should be aware of?

• With an organization that is establishing a new relationship with you, how can we be the best potential partner possible? How does the foundation like to work with partners?

• I see the foundation’s grants range from $X to $X. How has the foundation determined the appropriate amount to ask for? Is there an amount that you recommend?

• Are there areas within the program that the foundation prefers to support?

• How does the foundation like to be stewarded over the life cycle?

• Do your relationships transcend from one year into a long-term partnership? 

• Can you clarify the application process and timing?

• Closing comment: This has been really helpful, thank you. Appreciate your time. What would you consider the best next step in our relationship if we seem to have a match?