Grant Abstract Writing

An abstract is an arcane term synonymous with summary/executive summary. It is a summary of a grant proposal and it is generally written last. The abstract is important if it’s scored or not because it may be the first thing that the person scoring your proposal will begin reading. The abstract is rarely included in the scoring used to rank proposals.

Most abstracts follow a typical format -

1. Introduction - Intro sentence or two – Name the project, who is applying, where it is going to happen, what it will do, and for whom.

2. Goal(s) and Objectives – This may be an outright listing of these components or it may be a summary of the key points of them. It will depend on how much space you have to work with and the Request For Proposals (RFP) directions.

3. A summary of how effective management of the project is ensured.

4. A summary of the evaluation measures that will ensure achievement of the objectives.

It's a good thing that this is all that's required because generally those items are going to take the full page usually allocated for an abstract. Sometimes the abstract is even limited to 300 words. This is the case when the agency intends to use them as PR copy to describe the successful applications on a web site or in a brochure.

Related Posts:
 
Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Grant Objectives
Preparing for the Grant Writing Process
 
Helpful Grant Writing Resources:
 
Federal Grant Resources eBook - Helpful in finding those government grants.
101 Tips for Aspiring Grant Writers  - A book to help you with all the various sections of the grant.  This is written by Veronica Robbins, a highly successful grant writer.

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Grant Writing Mission: Demonstrate the Effect of Your Cause!

Lack of success in grant writing to foundations usually means that the applicant is trying to convince a grant maker that the agency's cause IS the grant maker's desired effect. In other words, a good cause isn't enough, grant makers expect the cause to have an effect on their field of interest.  Many times the cause an applicant is promoting has no direct impact on the field of interest; there may a sliver of attachment but slivers of impact don't generate grant money.

The correct approach is exactly the opposite. The convincing grant is the one that presents a cause that makes a grant maker say “BINGO, BULL'S-EYE, that cause has DIRECT IMPACT on my field of interest!" There must be clearly a demonstrable connection between the cause and the effect (on the field of interest).

Ways to improve your chances of securing grant funding:

1. Be absolutely clear about what your cause is. You must know what fields of interest your cause directly impacts. Your mission must inspire that “AHA! DIRECT IMPACT!” moment for the grant maker. Remember, round pegs in round holes and square pegs in square ones.

2. Validate the effect of your cause.  It does not matter if your cause is innovative or common the effect must be demonstrated.

3. Try to get in front of as many people as possible to talk about your cause. Expect to answer a lot of tough questions. Use these meetings to learn and to fine tune your arguments.  Use them to explore all possible linkages to the fields of interest your cause serves.

4. Rally people to your cause. Collaborate and give up some control! Don’t be afraid to reach out to potential partners. Don’t be afraid to bring in powerful Board members. Don’t be afraid to share the vision with others. Many organizations fail to thrive because there is a leader who climbs up on their philanthropic high horse and rides off without the constituents, the Board members, or even the staff! Feed your cause by sharing it and being inclusive; you’ll only starve it if you hold it by the throat.

Grants are given to agencies with a worthy cause that can demonstrate DIRECT IMPACT within a field of interest.  Agency leadership must be clear on what the cause is, who to include, what the impact is/could be, and where the likely funding sources are.

Related Posts:
Taking Your Grant research Beyoind the RFA
Grant Writing - Don't Chase the Money
Photo Credit - Asif Akbar

Where Do I Start? Advice for New Non-Profit Organizations

Here is some advice from non-profit consultant Derek Link for new non-profit organizations:

I get calls from leaders of new non-profit organizations periodically to help them raise money. Often these individuals have already gone through an awful lot of work to get their organization established. Usually they’ve already a) established a mission; b) written bylaws; c) established a board; and d) filed paperwork with their state and with the federal government to establish non-profit status.

They’re ready to find funds to get started and many think that foundations are the deep pockets they need to establish their services. Often at this point they’re a little frustrated because they’ve discovered that foundation grant seeking is difficult. They’ve probably written letters of inquiry with no return so they suspect they’re doing something wrong – because their mission is so worthy.

My guess is that what they’re doing wrong isn’t presenting the importance of their mission; it’s more likely to be that they haven’t built an internal case for funding – they very simply haven’t gotten started yet and foundations often see “start-ups” as risky investments.
Here is my advice to people wanting to start up a non-profit organization from scratch.

1. Build a budget and strategic plan before filing your non-profit paperwork.
2. Build an influential board that is willing to contribute financially or raise a percentage of the budget you need for year one.
3. Build your local network with agencies that care about your mission, that may either have a budget for your services, or who may include you in future grant applications to provide services.
4. Include other non-profits in your local network, including your local community foundation.

So, I suggest to you that you start your non-profit by building a local base of support before looking outside the community for funding. Foundations want to see that the local/impacted community is committed to your cause, and that you are doing a good job of establishing a solid business model for achieving your mission.

Resource: The Foundation Center

The Foundation Center website is full of valuable information for individual and non-profit grant seekers. In addition to giving access to The Foundation Directory (both paper and online versions), the site gives you access to a plethora of online training opportunities. Some of them are offered for a fee, but some a totally free.

You can also sign up for a number of very valuable free email newsletters that will send even more grant seeking and grant writing resources directly to your inbox.

Take a few minutes to explore this valuable resource.

New Episode in the Tips from the Grant Goddess Podcast Series

I just recorded a new episode in the Tips from the Grant Goddess podcast series. You can view it by going to our helloWorld site or you can click on the icon below and veiw it right now!

This episode is all about gathering effective MOUs and letters of support for your grant effort. The video is about 15 minutes long.

New Grant Related Articles Just Published on Hub Pages!

I just published two new grant-related articles. The first is End of Year Grant Management Tips. The article provides some down-to-earth tips for addressing the last quarter of your grant year.

The second article is What Comes Next If Your Grant Was Not Funded? This article gives some good tips for moving forward from a grant rejection notice.

I published these on HubPages where I have also published several other articles (or hubs, as they are called on HubPages). Feel free to add comments after you read them.

Take a few moments to check them out!

Evaluating When a Grant Opportunity is Right for Your Organization

I just published a hub page on "Evaluating When a Grant Opportunity is Right for Your Organization."

I can't tell you how many times organizations approach us just wanting money. Sometimes they come with a grant application in hand that is clearly not right for them. Pursuing grants that are not right for you is usually a futile effort.

Learn how to know when an opportunity is really right for you.