One of the most difficult parts of funding is NOT jumping in as quickly as you might think you need to. The reality is that there is a lot that goes into asking for a grant that happens way before submitting. 

It helps to get your boilerplate pieces together first. The work out the nuts and bolts of your non-profit, but they also walk you through why your group exists in the first place. Using a combination of facts and just enough story-telling you bring the problem you are trying to solve, to life. You also lay out why you are better positioned to deal with this problem than any one else.

So the pieces that you will repeatedly use are done, and maybe you gave yourself a little cheer in there too. Now figure out your funding strategy. Funding an elephant and the only way to eat it (Though why you would…) is one bite at a time. In your boiler plate you wrote about your programs. Realistically, if you got millions of dollars in funding right off the bat as a new non-profit, would you be able to use it effectively? Most likely, the answer is no. you need to build up to that point. Developing a funding strategy that leverages where you are now and shows a path for growth is a strength. Have a North star/ dream grant you’d like to get but start local and build your connections in your community.

Taking the time to put those two pieces together are like sunshine and water to a garden. They make everything else you do grow stronger and faster.