Beth Goldowitz, who’s been managing nonprofit organizations for the previous 20 years, says that when “managed accurately, grants can maintain organizations afloat. They’re steady and predictable, a income stream that the group can rely on during a contract.”
However are you aware how lengthy it takes to put in writing a single grant software?
Over 30 hours, and contemplating that grant writers often receives a commission between $25 and $100 per hour, relying on their expertise, it’s a major price. That’s why it’s so necessary for nonprofits to determine which grants to select.
Your group could make it a lot simpler for candidates to evaluate in the event that they’re the fitting match on your venture. All of it comes all the way down to getting your RFP for grants proper, together with including the fitting sections and asking the fitting questions.
Earlier than I dive deeper into the topic, let’s reply the query: what’s an RFP for grants?
The Challenges of Writing an RFP for Grants
The Anatomy of an RFP for Grants
Methods to Write an RFP for Grants
Finest Practices for Writing an RFP for Grants
What’s an RFP for grants?
An RFP for grants, or Request for Proposals, is a doc issued by grantors comparable to foundations and authorities businesses encouraging nonprofit organizations to submit proposals for funding.
Basically, RFPs supply nonprofits an alternative to safe funding for varied initiatives, no matter whether or not they relate to training, healthcare, or environmental causes.
Every RFP is tailor-made to realize a selected aim, so submitted proposals have to be according to the targets outlined within the RFP.
The Challenges of Writing an RFP for Grants
I’ve spoken to a couple folks working at nonprofits to seek out out what challenges they got here throughout, both whereas creating their very own RFPs or getting ready RFP proposals. Listed here are the commonest obstacles.
Lack of Ample Info In regards to the Procurement Course of
The standard of your procurement course of will affect the standard of the functions you obtain. Should you don’t share sufficient details about it, just like the timeline, price range, choice standards, and so on., then two issues may occur:
- You’ll obtain functions that aren’t the fitting match for the venture.
- Lots of candidates who’re the fitting match received’t participate within the course of as they’ll really feel discouraged by the shortage of readability.
The extra detailed and logical your procurement course of is, the upper the probabilities of receiving high-quality proposals.
RFP Grants Failing to Talk the Imaginative and prescient Clearly
That is an RFP grant problem that has come up probably the most often.
Gauri Manglik, CEO and co-founder of Instrumentl, says that “many organizations battle to articulate what particular points they’re attempting to deal with and the way the grant they provide will drive affect.”
What usually occurs is that RFP grant writers take a scattered method as an alternative of getting a cohesive strategic framework. Because of this, it’s arduous for founders who give out grants to guage the proposal’s goal and potential.
Manglik provides that “the simplest RFPs have a sharply outlined focus outlining the targets, goal inhabitants, and idea of change for proposed actions.”
Not Understanding the Authorized Implications of the Grant
Grants usually include phrases and circumstances that have to be adopted to remain compliant. Failing to take action may end in penalties and even in grants being revoked.
These phrases and circumstances must be clear and straightforward to know to attenuate the chance of breaching them.
Jonathan Feniak, common counsel at LLC Legal professional, says, “When writing RFP grant proposals, it’s essential to know the authorized implications of the grant and issue any liabilities into your plan.
If any IP is developed with grant funding, you have to specify possession rights to keep away from potential conflicts with donors later.”
Feniak additionally notes that proposals ought to clearly define your expectations, and you have to agree on whether or not the charity or the investor owns its rights.
“Typically, it’s greatest to seek the advice of your authorized staff all through the RFP writing course of to handle the dangers and clearly define IP possession,” provides Feniak.
Guaranteeing readability and specificity within the language used.
It’s very important to make use of a language that’s not solely clear but in addition particular so it’s simpler for potential bidders to know what’s anticipated of them. This is applicable to the necessities, targets, and expectations of the venture.
Kimberly Wall, co-founder of BibleKeeper, says, “The problem lies in articulating the venture’s targets, targets, and anticipated outcomes clearly utilizing phrases that aren’t actually overwhelming the potential candidates with pointless particulars.”
Utilizing the fitting language will remove confusion amongst nonprofits and guarantee that their proposals precisely correspond to the wants of the RFP issuer.
The Anatomy of an RFP for Grants
RFPs for grants are available in two types: concise, brief tables, the place data is crammed out in bullet factors, and longer ones, which cowl every part intimately.
The previous goals to present a high-level overview, whereas the latter is the place candidates take a deep dive into their proposal.
So, there isn’t such a factor as an “very best” size for an RFP. These kind of paperwork can take up a number of pages and often operate as downloadable PDFs.
Should you’re questioning what parts grantors ought to embrace, then right here’s an RFP construction we suggest at HubSpot.
RFP: [Project Name]
Proposal Due By: [Date]
[Organization Name]
Along with the identify, this part may additionally function a brief overview of your mission. Don’t embrace an extended historical past of your group. As an alternative, use this house to offer a little bit of context on what it does and its goal market.
Undertaking Overview
A short introduction to the venture itself to let nonprofits know immediately if it’s one thing price bidding on — not than 1-2 paragraphs.
Undertaking Targets
This part identifies what you hope to perform via assigning funds to related organizations. Specify what you’ll see as a “win” so everyone seems to be on the identical web page.
Scope of Work
An outline of the venture and a scope of labor — both detailed, if it’s an extended RFP, or bullet factors if it’s brief.
Present Roadblocks and Obstacles to Success
On this part, point out any potential constraints that might both disqualify sure candidates or improve the operational complexity of assembly targets.
Analysis Metrics and Standards
Right here, you define the way you’re going to decide on grantees. There are totally different approaches — some firms use easy “sure” or “no” evaluations to test if a proposal meets the venture targets.
Different organizations use percentages to attain extra necessary standards greater than others.
Submission Necessities
Precise pointers bidders should adhere to.
Undertaking Due By
If there’s a particular venture supply date, point out it within the RFP. This can assist you filter out candidates who can’t assure finishing it throughout the required timeline.
Funds
Right here, it’s best to embrace the goal price range. Specify if this price range will likely be distributed amongst a number of organizations or assigned to a single grantee.
Common Situations of Contract
This might embrace data like:
- Applicant’s authorized standing.
- Your stance on subcontracting.
- Indemnification, insurance coverage, and liabilities.
Some templates additionally counsel asking questions that you simply count on bidders to reply — these can function a option to additional test their alignment together with your mission.
Methods to Write an RFP for Grants
So, now that you realize what goes into an RFP, let’s discover ways to write them. Beneath, I’ll describe the steps it’s best to take when tackling this paperwork.
In every part, I’ll work via the steps, as I construct a mock RFP for sustainability nonprofits.
My pattern group, Earthly Companions, is seeking to fund sustainability initiatives primarily based within the Southwestern United States. Let’s get began.
1. Establish the targets.
On this step, I wish to checklist all the important thing data, like targets, timeline, price range, and applicant profile.
As you collect these, you’ll probably come throughout some informational gaps or issues that require knowledgeable data, like authorized issues and grantor/grantee obligations.
This is a vital preliminary stage, which ought to finish with a whole checklist of data you’ll want to guage bidders.
Testing It Out
So, what does my group, Earthly Companions, wish to accomplish? We wish to concentrate on preventing local weather change within the South West, significantly via drought reduction and group advocacy.
We’re in a position to present grants of as much as $50,000 to every nonprofit.
2. Write an introduction.
Now, I wish to present a little bit of details about the group and the realm we concentrate on. I may embrace my group’s values, present challenges, and the issues we wish to deal with.
Testing It Out
Right here is an instance of an intro to Earthly Companions’ RFP. Right here, we spotlight the mission that we concentrate on and just a little bit about our mock group’s historical past.
Earthly Companions is happy to announce the provision of grant funding to assist initiatives that align with our mission of environmental conservation and advocacy.
Established in 2010, Earthly Companions has been devoted to selling eco-friendly practices, water conservation, and group empowerment.
We acknowledge the significance of fostering modern options and collaborations inside our group, and thru this grant alternative, we intention to assist initiatives that display creativity, sustainability, and vital affect.
We’re most occupied with initiatives centered on group advocacy for local weather insurance policies and drought reduction.
3. Present a venture description.
This part ought to function a high-level overview. Potential candidates will have a look at it to shortly assess whether or not they can suggest a related venture throughout the required timeline and accessible price range.
Testing It Out
Right here’s my venture description for my mock sustainability nonprofit:
Grant Function: The aim of this Request for Proposals (RFP) is to solicit proposals for initiatives that deal with environmental conservation, local weather change mitigation, or sustainable improvement.
We search proposals that provide modern approaches, foster group engagement, and contribute to the long-term sustainability and resilience of ecosystems and communities.
Grant Particulars:
- Complete Funding Out there: $50,000
- Grant Period: 12 months
- Grant Quantity: Grants could vary from $2,500 to $10,000
- Eligibility: Nonprofit organizations and group teams working throughout the Better Metropolitan Space are eligible to use.
- Utility Deadline: July 31, 2024.
4. Record clear necessities.
Right here, I can specify what precisely I have to know concerning the proposal. That features asking the candidates for the venture description and the way it will assist fulfill the targets of your grant.
Testing It Out
Persevering with with the sustainability grant venture from above, this part may seem like the next:
Proposal Pointers:
Candidates are invited to submit proposals that deal with the next key parts.
- Undertaking Description: Present an in depth description of the proposed venture, together with its targets, actions, goal inhabitants, and anticipated outcomes.
- Undertaking Influence: Clearly articulate the potential affect of the venture on the setting or the area people. Describe how the venture will contribute to constructive change and deal with recognized environmental or social wants.
- Innovation and Creativity: Spotlight any modern approaches or methods proposed to deal with the recognized environmental or social problem. We encourage candidates to suppose creatively and suggest options that could be exterior conventional approaches.
- Sustainability: Show the venture’s sustainability past the grant interval. Describe plans for ongoing funding, partnerships, and stakeholder engagement to make sure the long-term success of the venture.
- Roadblocks to Success: Establish potential challenges or roadblocks that the venture could face and describe methods to beat them. Think about elements comparable to regulatory hurdles, group resistance, funding constraints, or technical limitations.
- Funds and Timeline: Present an in depth price range that outlines how grant funds will likely be used. Embody a venture timeline with key milestones and deliverables.
5. Embody a submission deadline.
Right here, I wish to name out the deadline for submissions and clarify my most well-liked approach of submitting proposals.
Testing It Out
For Earthly Companions, I wish to have proposals by the tip of July. I name that out, together with my most well-liked submission format, under.
Submission Directions:
Please submit your proposal electronically to [email address] no later than July 31, 2024. Proposals must be submitted in PDF format and embrace the group’s identify, contact data, and the title of the proposed venture within the topic line.
6. Be clear on the analysis elements.
It’s necessary to elucidate all the weather your group will take note of whereas evaluating functions.
Candidates who don’t meet your standards will probably withdraw from submitting their proposal in the event that they don’t see they’re a superb match. This, in flip, will assist you pre-qualify organizations and shorten the choice course of.
Testing It Out
For Earthly Companions, I wish to clarify how we plan to guage candidates and provides an summary of subsequent steps. This enables me to elucidate what initiatives are prone to obtain funding and the timeline for these evaluations.
Analysis Course of:
Proposals will likely be evaluated primarily based on the next standards:
- Alignment with Earthly Accomplice’s mission and grant targets.
- Readability and feasibility of the venture proposal.
- Potential affect and sustainability of the venture.
- Innovation and creativity of proposed approaches.
- Funds justification and cost-effectiveness.
Notification:
Candidates will likely be notified of funding choices by August 31, 2024. Profitable candidates will obtain additional directions concerning grant agreements, reporting necessities, and funding disbursement.
7. Proofread and edit the doc.
I take advantage of the modifying course of to guarantee that all the mandatory parts are included in my RFP and that the directions are simple to observe.
Failing to make use of easy-to-understand language may end in low-quality submissions. It’s a good suggestion to ask a number of of your colleagues for suggestions to make sure you’ve not missed any necessary particulars.
Finest Practices for Writing an RFP for Grants
Listed here are a number of issues to consider whereas getting ready your RFP.
Dedicate time to deciding on the fitting eligibility and software standards.
That is, arguably, the only most necessary part of your RFP — maybe much more necessary than “price range,” as NGOs will wish to shortly assess their eligibility.
Esther Strauss, co-founder of Step by Step Enterprise, agrees:
“Given the variety of causes we assist, from training to environmental conservation, discovering a grant that gives the mandatory funding and in addition aligns with our targets will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
Strauss says that, each time making use of for a grant herself, she must know if her group can genuinely meet the grantor’s necessities whereas staying true to the group’s targets and values.
The necessity to get the appliance “proper” may also prolong to deciding on the fitting software format or methodology. “The stress to get it proper is immense, as these grants can considerably affect our capacity to serve our group,” she provides.
So, how are you going to make it simpler for candidates to evaluate in the event that they’re the fitting match and keep away from software errors?
Embody clear data like:
- Solely bidders who meet at the least X out of Y standards will likely be thought of.
- Proposals have to be despatched in [FORMAT] by [DEADLINE]. Functions despatched in via different channels won’t be thought of.
- Utility wants to incorporate a proposed schedule.
- Proposals have to be shorter than [NUMBER] pages. Failure to adjust to this guideline will end in an computerized rejection.
For a real-life instance, you can too have a look at this RFP proposal from the U.N., which retains the requirement descriptions clear and concise.
As you possibly can see, the standard of the proposals and group match lies largely in your arms.
Simplify negotiations by together with key contract phrases.
Earlier, I’ve talked about that many RFP grant writers battle with translating authorized necessities within the RFP.
Wayne Tung of Sendero wrote an awesome piece on this topic, encouraging RFP publishers to present it the identical degree of consideration as necessities and scope.
“Many individuals don’t embrace contract time period necessities, comparable to authorized and business phrases, in RFPs. This ends in extended negotiations,” and even failed grants, he says.
That includes the primary contract phrases within the RFP reveals respect for each events — you because the venture operator and the organizations looking for funding.
Generally, fewer questions are higher.
I spent fairly a while going via Reddit threads common among the many RFP group, and one of the crucial fascinating factors I’ve seen was about question-fit.
One Redditor, roger_the_virus, blatantly says grantors ought to keep away from “ineffective questions that received’t present useful solutions. I do my greatest to ensure we’re not asking for a bunch of data we don’t want and received’t do something with.”
That mentioned, with regards to questions, don’t mechanically discredit candidates who can’t reply all of them. Supply organizations which have pitched a becoming venture and price range the chance to ask follow-up questions.
This can stop them from submitting solutions with low informational worth, i.e., responses which are obscure or unrelated to your question.
Talking of supplementary questions, this results in the subsequent level.
Present clear contact data.
The bigger your group, the much less probably it’s that there’ll solely be one particular person liable for proposal reception and answering questions from candidates.
Nevertheless, even when it’s a whole workplace, it’s best to present contact data with the related communication methodology — both walk-ins between a selected time, like Monday to Friday, e mail deal with, or telephone quantity.
Keep in mind that many nonprofits apply to RFPs ongoingly and can solely accomplish that in the event that they see that the grantor can assist with applicant requests. Right here’s an opinion on Reddit from an RFP proposal author, which garnered a number of upvotes:
“I received’t reply to an RFP until they decide to giving me their time for detailed discovery and an opportunity for them to learn me the RFP necessities line by line and why they’re necessary.”
Disclose any potential blockers.
Lastly, be clear about any potential roadblocks successful bidders may come throughout.
When making use of for grants, NGOs have to know if they’ve the means to finish the venture and if there are every other points, like battle of curiosity.
For instance, say your group needs to assign funds to spice up literacy charges in distant rural areas. One of many stipulations could possibly be having established relationships inside goal communities.
Such an method will assist preselect candidates, significantly those that don’t have the operational capability to navigate round any potential constraints.
RFP for Grants Sources
Listed here are three sources which may turn out to be useful whereas drafting an RFP for grants.
1. Candid’s Basis Listing
Candid’s Basis Listing shares important data that will help you make good and strategic funding requests. These sources and instruments offer you entry to funding alternatives that transcend RFPs.
It features a checklist of foundations, together with their profiles, funding priorities, software procedures, and call data.
RFP writers can undergo the proposals which were printed already and use them as inspiration to create their very own.
2. Free RFP Templates From HubSpot
HubSpot’s Free RFP templates are an awesome starter equipment and can assist you draft your request very quickly.
This useful resource offers you two RFP variations — a shorter one and an extended one. Each paperwork are absolutely customizable, permitting you to simply add your organization identify and brand.
You may obtain them in PDF or flip them right into a Microsoft Phrase or Google Docs file.
These templates embrace all of the essential parts of an RFP, comparable to:
- Firm identify and background.
- Undertaking targets.
- Anticipated venture timeline.
- Submission necessities.
- Analysis standards.
- Potential roadblocks.
Every part comes with a fast explainer that will help you get the contents proper.
Obtain HubSpot’s RFP Templates for Free
3. Reddit – RFP Subreddits
Unsurprisingly, Reddit is likely one of the greatest locations to study from RFP specialists in addition to perceive the applicant’s perspective.
I particularly suggest following the RFP subreddit and navigating into extra intricate conversations and matters from there.
Whereas lots of the discussions cowl not solely grants but in addition business initiatives, the recommendation is common.
It additionally goes with out saying that you simply shouldn’t simply lurk across the nook — if there’s a problem you’ve come throughout whereas drafting your RFP, that is the group it’s best to ask for recommendation.
Getting Your RFP for Grants Proper
Writing the RFP is the primary — and arguably — most necessary step in the whole grant course of. How so? It’s as much as you because the grantor to pick out the fitting questions and standards and clarify the aim of the venture.
Bear in mind, the extra data you present potential candidates, the simpler it will likely be for them to evaluate in the event that they match the grant targets. And this, in flip, will result in the next high quality of proposals.
Whereas there isn’t a one-size-fits-all template for every venture, there are specific must-have sections to incorporate. So, consult with this text to get a head begin subsequent time you have to create an RFP for grants.
Good luck!
