Writing Competitive Proposals for Private Funder Grants

Dates: September 27 - October 11, 2024

Meets: F from 9:00 AM to 12 N

Location: ONLINE - Live

COURSE: $115.00

Sorry, we are no longer accepting registrations for this course. Please contact our office to find out if it will be rescheduled, or if alternative classes are available.

Description
Fees
Location
Sessions

Course Description

Have you been tasked with getting funding for a new or ongoing project or program at your organization, but you don't have experience doing this? I am intentionally offering this virtual two-day, six-hour workshop in the Fall to prepare you for the final funding cycle for many private funders and any that have leftover funds because they did not meet payout (did you even know that was a thing?). The first of the two days will focus on identifying potential private funders and assessing their fit for your program or project. We will discuss relationship-building, using the foundation's language to connect to your program, and what would make a competitive proposal. You will get an outline of common grant proposal components and what should be included. Finally, I will show you common places to find data and information for your needs statement. You will then have two weeks to start to write your own grant proposal to a funder. We will meet after that two weeks to troubleshoot, provide feedback, and get ready to submit. While part one will focus on writing a program or project proposal, we will touch on general operating support and why that requires a different approach for many funders. In part two, participants will bring their written grant proposal to receive feedback and get ready to submit their proposal to the funder.

Course Level: Beginner

Objectives:

Participants will understand how to describe their program or project within the context of the funder’s interests.
Participants will understand how to use a logic model or theory of change to clearly articulate their program or project.
Participants will understand common proposal questions or components for funders.
Participants will use a logic model or theory of change to clearly articulate their program or project.
Participants will have experience answering common proposal questions for funders.
Participants will feel more confident with a multitude of grantmaking terminology and funder jargon.

Instructor

Liz Delaney, MSW

With a flair for turning the mundane into the magnificent, Liz is on a mission to revitalize tired, outmoded evaluation practices wherever she finds them. Whether it's strategizing with foundations, nonprofits, or government agencies, Liz brings her unique blend of knowledge, experience, innovation, and enthusiasm to the table.

Liz fell into philanthropy after working as a Chemistry and Physics teacher in middle and high school, while getting her master's in social work at Grand Valley State University. She was offered a graduate assistant position at the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University (the Johnson Center) as an evaluator. After completing her MSW, she continued to work at the Johnson Center. Throughout the years, she has worked with many foundation and nonprofit clients to support with strategy development, evaluation and learning development and implementation, and capacity building. She has worked as a Learning Officer and Senior Learning Officer at two foundations and has run her own consulting firm for a total of three years. She has been consulting with philanthropy since 2011.

In her spare time, she is getting ready to defend her dissertation proposal, which is focused on program officers’ use of evaluation and learning in the grantmaking process. She loves spending time with her five dogs and traveling (not with all the dogs).

Meeting Times

Friday, September 27 from 9am to 12pm EST
Friday, October 11 from 9am to 12pm EST

Location

Online via Zoom. You will receive the link to the Zoom meeting in an email three days before your event.

To view our policies, please visit: www.gvsu.edu/learn/policies

Special Accommodations

Please contact our office regarding any accommodations you may need prior to attending our program(s). We will work with you to ensure your needs are met. You may email us at learn@gvsu.edu, or call us at (616) 331-7180.