Encouragement for an Ailing Colleague

As many of you know, Creative Direct Response Founder and CEO Ray Grace has been battling esophageal cancer for some time. If you would like to offer your support to Ray, you can leave a comment at a CaringBridge page set up in his name.

Webinar Roundup: Grantseeking During a Recession
By Abny Santicola

In a Jan. 30 article at the Network for Good Learning Center, Joanne Fritz, a 30-year nonprofit veteran and author with About.com: Nonprofit Charitable Orgs, summarizes some of the key points from the Network for Good teleconference "Grantseeking During a Recession" presented by GrantStation CEO Cynthia Adams.

They are:

1. Foundations might be suffering, but there's still money out there for grants, and a lot of foundations are making money available specifically for nonprofits in need right now. Look for special "community relief" programs at foundations. Organizations best suited for these types of grants are social-services groups that provide essential aid to disadvantaged populations.
2. If you are a new nonprofit, look for "seed money" grants. Money for nonprofit mergers also is available.
3. Corporations might be cutting way back on their grantmaking, but many are increasing in-kind gifts to offset this. Think about goods you might need, such as building materials or computer equipment.
4. Federal and state government grants are not available, so look for grants from private sources.
5. Give your grant proposal a sense of urgency. Tell funders the story of what will happen if your organization can't provide the services you need funded. Especially stress what will happen to the people you want to.

To download the transcript, slides and MP3 audio recording of the presentation, click here.