Drawing Attention to Yourself Sometimes Helps Win more Funds

This is especially true with local givers, foundation officials tell us.

Local foundation staff are usually nearby and more likely to have the time and interest to make such visits, foundation staff point out. Giving them an opportunity to see your program in action can enlighten them to additional needs of your organization, which may lead to supplemental or continuation grants.

A case in point is the Cafritz Foundation of Washington, DC, which provides millions of dollars annually to health and community services, particularly projects assisting AIDS victims and the homeless. (Cafritz only funds local projects.) Cafritz staff occasionally like to see fist-hand how the foundation's resources are used by accepting invitations to visit grantees.

For example, Cafritz once provided general operating funds for a day school serving inner-city homeless children. On a site visit, a foundation official discovered that the kids had to be lured out of the facility at the end of the day with snacks. The children didn't want to leave because they had to go back to the public shelter, which can be depressing and sometimes frightening. Consequently, Cafritz provided an additional $50,000 so the school could hire 2 after-hour counselors and stay open until midnight.

Site visits also offer givers an opportunity to witness the quality of your program's leadership, another local foundation person says. For example, foundations can see first-hand that top program officials are focused and that you have an active and supportive board that participates in fund

raising. Ultimately, if your organization appears energized and committed, and if your board is helping to bring in operating funds, a foundation may be inspired to continue supporting you financially.

Many times, foundations will approach you on their own initiative if they've heard about your program and feel it fits their mission. Consequently, don't shun publicity. Keep the local media informed about your program. You might also consider submitting articles on your operations and clients to appropriate foundations and associations for publication in their newsletters.

Letters of support, which organizations often include in grant applications, are another way of calling attention to your program. However, they usually aren't critical to winning funds, foundation officials advise. Letters of support are more important if they are from your peers, people who know your work.

These letters should also indicate whether foundation staff may call for additional information from the organizations writing them.

What's more, the worst kind of support letter is the one that speaks about your program in general terms, as though it's a form letter. The best ones come from independent experts. They're more credible because the writers have no stake in your program.

It's also important to include letters from clients who tell how they've benefited from your project.

Additional tips from foundation staff:

• Be Prepared: It's helpful to call foundations before submitting a proposal to explore the possibility of getting funded. But do so judiciously, keeping in mind that local funders often have small staffs.
  When calling, make sure you've done your homework beforehand and indicate this in your conversation. For instance, know the foundation's major interests and its latest giving priorities. Also, if you belong to a network of service providers, know whether any of the member agencies received grants from the foundation or if any of their officials belong the foundation's board.
• Be Concise: Write proposals in short, declarative sentences, and use double spacing. Also, save your money -- don't use binders. Stapling your proposal is sufficient.
• Be Cost-Conscious: Try to keep program overhead and other administrative costs to 30% or below. Overhead costs of around 25% are the norm.
  Give the foundation periodic progress reports on the program. "We love an executive director who calls up with an update, for the sake of an update alone, not when it's time for more funding," one foundation official says.
• Be Realistic: Don't worry if your program doesn't succeed.
  Foundations are aware that not every project they support will have positive results. The idea is to try new approaches and learn from failures