LIFELONG MAINE MASTER CLASS
Fueling Your Grant Strategy
Embedded Files
Holly Korda Introduces Fundraising Module
Laurie Gilman tells us about the
Maine Council on Aging CHEF Grant opportunity
Katie Howard describes the many funding opportunities offered by the Maine Community Foundation
Ruta Kadonoff shares the grant programs offered by the Maine Health Access Foundation
Hannah Olshansky
explains the funding available through Rotary
Gavin Robinson provides hints and tips to apply for funds from Bangor Savings Bank
Identifying, Winning and Managing Grants
Topic Facilitator - Holly Korda,
Grants and Development Professional
Introduction
Do you need funding to complete some of your lifelong community goals? Grants may be part of the answer. Holly Korda will lead us in a discussion of how to build relationships with organizations interested in funding your work. She will be joined by a panel of funders who will tell us about the kinds of projects that are the best fit for their organization and to give us the inside scoop on what they commonly see in successful applications (and the mistakes to avoid). Panelists will include:
Laura Gilman, CHEF Grant Coordinator, Maine Council on Aging
Katie Howard, Community Partner, Maine Community Foundation. Click here to see a list of their available grants.
Ruta Kadonoff, Vice President for Programs, Maine Health Access Foundation
Hannah Olshansky, Rotary Club of South Portland - Cape Elizabeth. Click here to learn more about their micro-grant application.
Gavin Robinson, Vice President, Community Relations Manager, Bangor Savings Foundation
We heard a number of hints and tips for developing your application:
Funding isn't only for 501c3 organizations. You can partner with a fiduciary organization that is a 501c3 to develop the application. During the call, we heard that Age-Friendly Biddeford has partnered with Biddeford Heart and Soul as their fiduciary. Now the committee can apply for grants that are only open to 501c3 organizations. Other communities, such as Age-Friendly Communities of the Lower Kennebec work with their municipality as the fiduciary.
Reach out to the funders for guidance and to make sure that your project is a good fit for their funding opportunity
Take the time to learn a bit about the funding priorities of the grant program. There should be a close match between your project and their focus. When writing your proposal, connect the dots for the funder. Link your proposal to the funder's mission and areas of focus.
Make the answers to the application as simple and straightforward as possible.
We heard that funders read a lot of applications. You don't have to fill up all the space allowed if your answers can be more succinct.
Read the questions carefully and answer what is being asked.
Last of all, don't think of grant writing as the only way to get funds for your projects. There are other approaches (think old-fashioned fund raising, such as bake sales). If grants are what you need to move to the next level, don't be afraid to write your first (or 101st) grant. The funders want to spend their money and look forward to working with you!
Holly Korda opens our session with advice for developing a fundraising strategy that fits your funding goals.
Tara Mozdziez, Danforth Livable Communities, describes their approach to fundraising--from pig roasts to grants.
Jean Saunders, Age-Friendly Saco, shares funding success stories and gives hints and tips to fund your projects.
Resource from Holly
Holly shared the Fund Raising Strategy Tracker, a worksheet she uses to identify unders that are a good fit for a particular project.
Developing a Fundraising Strategy
Deciding which funders to approach about specific projects and programs involves developing a fundraising strategy, assessing funding opportunities, and finding the right fit for your group’s needs. Holly Korda opend the call with tools to develop your funding strategy. Then, we heard from Danforth Livable Communities and Age-Friendly Saco about the approaches they have taken. Our panelists were:
Tara Mozdziez - Member, Danforth Livable Communities
Jean Saunders - Chair, Age-Friendly Saco
These are some of the materials shared (or referenced) during the session:
Hints and Tips
Keep your work organized for easy reference and tracking. Holly uses this Funding Strategy Tracker. It is easily adaptable to any funding need.
Fundraisers
Fundraisers are a great source for operational income such as heating and internet (hard to fund through grants).
Fundraisers are also friend raisers. Find the fundraiser that will entice your community to participate in the fun and will engage them in the work you are doing. Add a creative twist to what you do to make it unique to your community. What works in one community won't work in all communities.
Develop a few fundraisers that keep on providing funds (such as a cookbook or community calendar). Another suggestion was to put a "Qgiv" widget on your website to solicit donations.
Ask and people will give.
Develop an annual appeal with specifics of the impact people will make by donating a suggested amount (e.g., 25 dollars will fund installation of a grab bar).
Grants
Tell your story. Communication with funders starts when you reach out to them and explain what you are hoping to achieve, continues with your application, and goes even further after you earn the grant funding when you share regular updates about the impact the funder's investment is having in your community.
It builds trust with funders when you show that you have the capacity to deliver what you promise (so don't over-promise).
Combine age-friendly goals with other local projects.
Carefully follow grant submission deadlines and instructions.
Don't be discouraged. Even if one funder isn't the right one for your project, you will find another one that is.
More information about the projects that were highlighted
Holly mentioned the video, From Faded to Fabulous about a project related to the basketball court transformation.
Tara referenced a video created by Danforth Livable Communities about the history of the community that was featured on MPBN (click here to watch)
The first Challenge Grant won by Age-Friendly Saco was to install an accessible beach mat. (To watch the video, click here). She also mentioned their Tech Handy Helper Program (click here to watch a video about it). You may also enjoy checking out their newly revamped website for AgeFriendly Sao: https://agefriendlysaco.org/.
A question was asked about assigning an hourly rate to in-kind volunteer work. The Independent Sector report suggests a valuation of $28.89 for volunteer time given in Maine. Maine State government uses that guideline when it offer guidance to value in-kind, volunteer time so it is a good guideline. Click here to see the Independent Sector guidelines.
The Nuts and Bolts of Grant Seeking and Grant Writing
From identifying funding prospects, establishing relationships with funders, and evaluating and communicating results to funders and the community; to planning, writing, and submitting proposals, and leveraging relationships with funders and community members; and managing the projects and relationships with funders once funding is awarded—these are the nuts and bolts of grant seeking and grant writing. We addressed the details of crafting a project proposal, implementing funded projects, the pros and cons of hiring a grant writer and more. We also heard community examples from Tara Mozsziez, Danforth Livable Communities.
Session Resources:
SMART Goals worksheet. This version can easily be adapted for any project, including (but not limited to) work in the eight domains of livability.
Age-Friendly Logic Model. Many grants require a logic model. This is just one template you may find useful.
Additional Resources...
Additional Resources...
Candid Learning Grants Space. Proposal Writing Course (1-hour) (free).
Community Toolbox - Getting Grants and Financial Resources also Planning for Sustainability, which includes several sections on funding
Comstock, Brandon - Friend-raising before Fund Raising: Connecting your values to those of your constituents can give you a leg up.
Landsdowne, David - Fundraising Realities that Every Board Member Must Know
Lifelong Maine. Fundraising Strategies page
Lifelong Maine News, Donna Palmer. How We Pay to Get Stuff Done
Lifelong Maine News (Lisa Joyce). Golden Rules of Grants
Maine State Library. Funding and Grant Resources page
Purdue Online Writing Lab - Grant Writing
Wild Apricot, 130+ Awesome Fundraising Ideas: Contests, Raffles, Challenges, and More!
UMaine. Introduction to Grant Writing
We are deeply grateful to AARP Maine for their thought leadership and for funding the Master Class.
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