Grants

How to Avoid 5 Big Grant Proposal Mistakes
January 4, 2016 at 10:08 am

If you don't have Marvin Teitel's book, "The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Winning Foundation Grants: A Foundation CEO Reveals The Secrets You Need to Know", you'll want to give it a spot right on your desk when you are grappling with a grant proposal. Teitel gives us the view from the other side of the…

4 Quick Tips for Winning More Grants for Your Nonprofit
December 15, 2015 at 10:17 am

While individual giving should form the backbone of every nonprofit’s fundraising strategy, grants from foundations and corporations play an important role in many organizations’ fundraising plans. In the past, we’ve talked about the grant-writing process, as well as different places to find grants for your organization. We went into even more detail in our two-part…

These Two $1M Grants Are a Waste of Money
November 16, 2015 at 10:25 am

At a time when small grassroots, advocacy and watchdog nonprofits are desperately fighting to maintain their precarious budgets, two recent million-dollar grants to two established, well-financed organizations seem inappropriate and a waste of philanthropic resources. It is hard to tell why the Ford, Hewlett, Packard, Kresge and Robert Wood Johnson foundations and the Rockefeller Brothers…

'I Know Better' Nonprofit Doesn't Know Federal Grant Rules
October 29, 2015 at 10:59 am

A nonprofit located near Ferguson, Mo., was awarded $1.6 million by the Department of Justice to promote child safety issues, but then neglected a multitude of federal grant laws and regulations. The nonprofit ignored federal stipulations intended to ensure that tax dollars are spent efficiently and ethically, including cost analyses, competitive bids for goods and…

The V Foundation Awards More Than $20 Million in Cancer Research Grants in 2015
October 19, 2015 at 10:20 am

The V Foundation for Cancer Research, Cary, N.C., a leading cancer research funding organization, recently announced it has awarded more than $20 million in cancer research grants this year. The announcement marks the most The V Foundation grants awarded and largest financial contribution to the fight against cancer in a fiscal year to date...

Two Nonprofits Get Surprise $1 Million Grants
October 14, 2015 at 10:22 am

Phil Buchanan and Kathleen Enright both lead organizations with similar goals—to help foundations improve their grant making so they have more impact. They both are founding presidents of their groups, the Center for Effective Philanthropy and Grantmakers for Effective Organizations. And they started their jobs within a few months of each other in 2001. Now…

National Science Foundation Awards $440,885 Grant for Robots That Read to Kids
October 7, 2015 at 9:17 am

The National Science Foundation awarded a $440,885 grant to researchers at MIT to develop social robots specifically to be reading companions for children. The investigation is led by Cynthia Breazeal, who's been in headlines during the past few years with her consumer personal robot named Jibo. The study, which began last month, is "developing and…

MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ Winners for 2015 Are Announced
September 30, 2015 at 6:00 am

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer and star of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” thought it was the cable company calling to beg him to reconsider his recent service cancellation. Nicole Eisenman, the artist, was in the meat section of a Fire Island grocery store, buying bacon. Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of the best-selling nonfiction book “Between the…

Google to Award $5 Million in Grants to Bay Area Nonprofits
September 30, 2015 at 6:00 am

Google wants Bay Area residents to pick the groups with the best ideas for transforming local lives. Google.org, the search giant’s philanthropic arm, is seeking public input on its Google Impact Challenge grants to “change-makers and forward-thinkers who challenge the status quo ... with big ideas for an even better Bay Area,” as it says…

How Private Foundations Can Be Proactive in Summer
August 18, 2015 at 2:15 pm

It’s widely accepted in the world of fundraising that summer can be slow. Funders tune out, travel, spend time with family. In general, giving slows to a crawl. If private foundations can utilize these six easy-to-implement strategies during the remaining weeks of summer, funders will be more likely to maximize the social return on their giving, which is good news for all nonprofits and the causes they champion...