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Grant-writing is an essential need for many nonprofit
organizations seeking funds from corporate and foundation grants. As grant monies become more
limited in this challenging economy, the pressure for your organization to submit a professional and competitive proposal increases. You don't have to go it alone, feeling frustrated wondering where to begin and how does it this thing called "grant writing" work?
VMG Grant Writing
Sevices provides you with:
Excellent
writing skills. We not only know how to write, but we write extremely well.
Your organization's success in obtaining the grant hinges in large part on the
quality of the written proposal. Whether we are writing for a request of $1,000
for a community activity or a $5 million research project, we are able to
clearly communicate how the funds will be effectively used to reach a
worthwhile goal.
Clear
understanding of the project process. Our role as a grant writer is to
convert your organization’s ideas and concepts into a workable and concrete
program. VMG will serve as the bridge between the grant applicant and the grant
provider. VMG’s role is to put into writing your organization’s concepts and
transform them into a project that the funding institution will support. The
grant proposal document must assure the funding institutions that their funds
will be put to the best possible uses. To create a successful grant proposal,
one must have imagination. Part of VMG’s work will be to visualize how a
$75,000 project, for example, is going to play out over three-year project
duration.
Strong
research skills. More than just providing a well-written document, VMG
grant writers possess strong research skills. Part of the work of the grant
writer is the identification and selection of appropriate potential donors. VMG
will research grant-making organizations and analyze them to identify likely
funding sources for specific projects and programs. A philanthropic
organization focusing on children's education is not likely to approve an
application for a tree-planting project. Or an organization that funds medical
research projects may not support a diversity project. VMG will increase the
chances of getting the funds by advising on submitting the proposal to the
right institution.
Discipline
and organization. VMG will keep track of grant application deadlines and
follow-up on submitted applications. VMG considers it essential to keep track
of trends in the field and be aware of changes in the priorities of funding
institutions, as well as new funding sources.
In addition to Grant Writing, VMG provides the following services:
- Grant
Funding Search: VMG will search and develop a list of potential funding
resources from corporations and/or foundations that match your organization's missions, goals and activities.
- Grant
Research: VMG can assist your organization with completed project proposals
to look for possible funding sources from corporations and/or foundations. VMG’s output will include a redrafting of
the proposal to fit the guidelines of the new funding source.
- Grant
Proposal Review: VMG can also review completed proposals prior to the
organization's submission to the potential funding source of corporations and/or foundations to ensure the
proposal's completeness and overall fit with the funding guidelines. VMG’s task
will be to proofread, identify weaknesses and revise the proposal accordingly.
- Grant
Proposal Evaluation: VMG can also provide a professional evaluation or
assessment of the proposal, which does not include rewrites. VMG will provide a
summative and/or formative expression of the proposal's contents.
VMG grant writing services cover the following scope of work:
- Through interviews and other means, we gather
information that will easily allow VMG to grasp the concept of a project or
program for which funding is sought as defined by the person responsible for
carrying it out.
- Acquire and maintain sound knowledge and
understanding of the organization, and use that knowledge and understanding to
better comprehend all projects and programs for which grants will be sought and
to recommend the seeking of grants.
- Compile, write, and edit grant applications
exhibiting strong expository writing skills and a high-level command of grammar
and spelling.
- Review the budget of a project or program for
which funding is sought and make recommendations to better present it to
grant-making organizations.
- Develop individual grant proposals in accordance
with each grant-making organization's preferences and follow exactly each
grant-making organization's guidelines.
- Keep in contact with grant-making organizations
during their review of a submitted grant application in order to be able to
supply additional supportive material.
- Manage the process of supplying progress reports
when required by a grant-making organization that has funded a project or
program.
Tips for the
organization:
When you are seeking grant-writing services, the better
prepared you are, the more easily we can determine if there is a good fit.
Prior to an engagement of VMG providing services as a grant writer, you should
already have:
- Defined the project or program you want to get
funded.
- Developed the essence of your "Case for
Support."
- Identified prospective grant sources for the
project or program. (This service can be provided by VMG if needed.)
- Determined who will actually solicit the funds
and how they will do it.
Begin the definition process by first setting your
grant-seeking priorities as they fit within your organization's long-range
strategic plan and mission. The three basic areas for which you are likely to
be seeking grants are:
- To create new programs and services.
- To support ongoing programs and services.
- To provide annual operating funds.
Next, clearly and precisely define each project or program
for which you will seek grants in terms that grant-making organizations will
recognize and respond to. Make sure that while you're doing this you also plan
for life after the grant. How will you support the project or program in the
future if it is to last longer than the timeframe covered by the grant? It's a
question every grant making organization will want answered.
Be certain that you have reasonably determined in advance
the scope, intent, and "case" value to the community of the project
or program you wish to have funded before you engage grant-writing services.
VMG can coach you through the process and prepare you to meet
with grant makers so you will be better able to respond to funder’s questions.
Click here and submit your email inquiry regarding VMG's Grant Writing Services.
Would you like to learn how to write your own grant proposal? VMG offers an 8-course Grant Writing Certificate Program. Click here for more information and upcoming classes.
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