Article - Government Grants - governmentgrant-resource.com

GOVERNMENT GRANT WRITING

Writing of a grant to raise funds for an organization or project is called ‘Grant writing’. Many organizations depend on the grants to run their business. Based on the needs of the organization and business the grants are taken by them.

Let us have an overview on the types of funds and the reasons. Operating money is one type of fund which is used for successful functioning of the organization. This type of fund can be granted by a direct mail campaign or interest from an endowment, foundation grant, a corporate grant, or a direct mail campaign.

Funds are given to special projects. They include new projects as well as existing projects. The money to these funds is granted by corporations, foundations, government, etc. Capacity funds are provided to enhance finance, staff, etc. It is also used for renovation as well as constructions of new building. In this case the fund is raised from foundations, government agencies, corporations and through gift campaign. Endowments are grants which are provided to organizations as a long term gifts.

According to the statistics government is the best resource for getting grants.  It is estimated that $350 billion is provided as grant annually. Grants are provided as ‘direct grants’ for non profit or individual organizations. ‘Competitive grants’ is obtained and there is hectic competition to obtain single share of this grant.  ‘Pass through’ grants can be obtained from the state agencies and are less competitive.

The federal government allocates money toward this fund for each state agency for distribution. So to seek this grant you need to apply to the state agency. ‘Project funds’ are provided by the company for a period of time and the information can be collected via Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CDFA). Under this the government grants are classified in to 20 categories. It includes the details like name of the grant, agency that is providing the grant, eligibility criteria to obtain the grant and the required documentation. Past funded organization information can also be obtained.

The Writing Matters:

The sanctioning of the grant depends on the proposal that is sent to the government or any funding agency. Objectives and needs of the organization should be clearly stated in the proposal. The chance of grant being sanctioned depends on the clarity of the proposal. Things to be noted for writing grant proposal.

The two types of letters are ‘Letter of intent’ and ‘Letter of proposal’. Letter of intent gives a brief summary of project and its aims and objectives. It should also provide information in what way these funds fulfill the needs.

‘Letter of proposal’ gives complete information on project, its requirements, and how the fund is used in it. This letter should have the following details:

1. A cover letter.
2. Proposal summary.
3. Nearly ten pages of proposal text.
4. Objectives and goals.
5. Appendices giving details of the project.

Loan is granted by the agency or government by following a process like interviews, past record, observation, etc. So an impressive proposal would help in getting the grants sanctioned.