How to Adjust your Grant Writing Process to COVID-19
It is an understatement to say that COVID-19 changed the nonprofit landscape. For example, between March 2020 and May 2020, the nonprofit sector lost 1.6 million jobs. Nonprofits are now struggling to do more work with less staff and fewer donations.
Now is an excellent time to think about adjusting your grant writing strategies to the COVID-19 landscape. Below are three things to keep in mind.
Pay Attention to Changes in Foundation Priorities.
Do you have a grant that you apply for and receive every year? Do you know that you download the application and prepare that proposal for the November 1st deadline in September? Many of us have a grant schedule that includes funders we approach annually.
COVID-19 likely impacted those grant priorities. Give yourself plenty of time to understand the new rules and guidelines. Don’t assume that the application process will look the same in 2020 that it did in 2019. Many foundations changed their priorities to coincide with the Corona Virus’s realities and its impacts on the nonprofit sector; a shift to funding for emergency responders or basic human needs and direct services is likely.
Adjust your Proposals to your New Reality.
There are portions of the grant application that change infrequently. Your history often remains the same, allowing you to copy and paste, and sometimes your major programmatic areas stay the same as well. 2020 is the year to revisit those sections that you often spend little time with when preparing proposals.
Applications that do not recognize the impact of COVID-19 feel out of touch. Consider adding to your organizational history by saying, “Before COVID-19 we…” and then make sure to follow that up with, “Since March of 2020, we adapted by…”
Foundations want to support the challenges that nonprofits face in 2020 to meet the sector’s needs in this unique moment. Make sure that your proposal addresses the impacts of COVID-19 on your organization.
Keep an eye out for Opportunities.
There isn’t anything positive about COVID-19. It is a terrible public health crisis that changed most aspects of our daily lives. However, with the change in foundation priorities, there may be opportunities for funding that didn’t exist before. For example, general operating funds were often hard to come by before March of 2020. After COVID-19 hit, though, foundations recognized that nonprofits are strapped for personnel and need immediate relief. That dynamic may present an opportunity for funding that was not available to your organization previously.
Also, many nonprofits took advantage of PPP funding, now is the time to process your loan forgiveness correctly and keep an eye out for future relief funding packages.
Spark Group has skilled consultants ready and waiting to help you with your grant writing needs. Contact us today for a free initial consultation.
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