Introduction to Grants Research

With more than 30,000 nonprofits in Massachusetts, competition for funding is high. How does one get a leg up?

The first step is to do your homework. It is vital to the success of your proposal that you find funders who are aligned with your organization’s mission and program areas. Google is not an effective tool for grants research as many funders still do not maintain a website. It is therefore imperative to know the key resources for finding reliable information.

This introductory program is ideal for grant seekers who are new to the process or who would like to brush up their skills. We will provide brief tutorials in the Foundation Directory Pro and other search engines, and cover the beginning, middle and end of the grants research process including:

• Key resources to find potential funders
• Where you can locate Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
• Tips to consider as you conduct your research
• How to find contributors to peer organizations
• Determining if your organization is grant-ready
• Best practices on making the initial approach to a foundation