Grant Writing & Funding

Has your nonprofit, or the nonprofits you work with, received any CARES Act Funding? If not, you will want to listen to this full podcast! This week Mr. Tim Butler comes on the Grant Writing & Funding Podcast to discuss how your nonprofit can tap into CARES Act Funding before this round is gone. Yes, certain stipulations have been made so that states and cities distribute their portion of CARES Act funding by a certain time. In some cases, it's as soon as November 15th, 2020. However, there will be some extensions, but it's better to jump in on this now rather than later. About Tim Butler: Long have the disparities in America existed between the haves and have nots. But Tim is here to close the gap and shrink that great divide. Tim Butler, Founder & Owner of Freelance Soul Professional Services, an unapologetically black male-owned grant writing and fundraising consulting firm. Headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma (Historic Black Wall Street), Tim specializes in working with individuals and entities f

Oh yes. Those pesky grant writing qualms.  Here are the top questions that I get.  #1: How Do You Get Funding From Grants for General Operating Expenses? You can get funding for general operating expenses through 3 ways: Pursue specific grants that target general operating  Include a certain percentage of your general operating expenses within the direct categories of a grant project budget Include up to 10% of the grant amount in the indirect category in a grant budget #2: As a non-US grant seeker, is there funding available? Yes! There is absolutely funding available! You can get that through the following: There are certain U.S. federal grants that give specifically to nonprofits (both U.S. organizations based abroad and to non-U.S. nonprofits) Certain foundations give out money to nonprofits around the world (think Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) There are many international funding sources, such as EU organizations, UN organizations, foundations, Canadian funding, etc. #3: Do you recommend

Anytime you’re trying to find the best-fit grants, it can be hard. Because in the beginning, everything’s new.  Things like figuring out the best grant search platform, knowing which grant programs are the best-fit, and knowing when to submit grant applications can be overwhelming. And you can see that as you grow, you come up against new challenges. Even if you have experience with grant writing already, you’re always looking for the 80/20.  You don’t have time to waste, so you want to find the 20% that’s going to produce 80% of the results. Well to know that you need to know what types of grants are out there. And there are 3 types of grants: ✔️ Federal ✔️ State Grants ✔️ Foundation We discuss all of these in the podcast today! ✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I r

In last week’s podcast, we talked about a process for creating award-winning grant applications. I shared how this is going to immediately help you simplify grant lingo, so you feel less overwhelmed in Episode 140: Grant Language Made Easy. So let’s get into the meat and potatoes of today’s video starting with these 5 Hacks to Write a Grant Proposal. Okay, so when starting to write a grant application the first thing you need to do is: #1) Get the Funding Opportunity Announcement or Request for Proposal I never start with a blank page because I copy and paste what it is in the FOA for the criteria directly into my Word document or Google doc. #2) Research the Needs To create a compelling case for a grant application, you need to provide statistics and facts. A flowery statement about how awful the situation might get some tears, but it will not get grants won. #3) Articulate the Goals & Narrow Your Objectives The goal or goals in a grant is the overarching outcome. This needs to be clear for b

As you may or may not know acronyms are grants best-friends. If you’ve heard the terms FOA, RFP, SAM, DUNS, or a number of other terms, then you are in the grant world. I once heard a grant writer speak an entire sentence using only acronyms. Ugh! If you are overwhelmed already, don’t worry, I’m going to start breaking it down right now! Let’s first dissect the main different types of grants and contracts. There are federal grants, state contracts, and foundation grants. Think of those like your three main hubs. Federal grants are monies allocated from the federal government. State and local government contracts often receive much of their funding from the federal government as they can promote economic efficiency due to localized knowledge to implement a program more efficiently and effectively than the federal government (i.e., pass-through funding). A foundation grant is a monetary assistance provided to individuals and small businesses by companies, citizens, government, and non-government orga

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Navigating the road of freelance grant writing can feel lonely and overwhelming at times.  That's why I was so excited when Tawanda Ellis reached out to me via a mutual friend, Dr. Beveraly Browning. I was inspired to hear about Tawanda's roadmap and success as a freelancer. Honestly, the people who follow a roadmap normally do end up in the same place of success as Tawanda. But the type of person who commits to this is few and far between. That's why I get so excited when talking to other freelance grant writers who have built a business out of their house and from their talents.  This lady has done precisely that, and I know you will be just as encouraged and inspired as I was! Plus, you can download Tawanda's downloadable, the "Write it Out Method." In this podcast and YouTube episode, we discuss: ✔️ How Tawanda got 25+ clients in less than 3 years with only word-of-mouth advertising ✔️ How she s

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ In this week's podcast, I have special guests, Shinedelight Enterprises! This is definitely for you if: ✨ You want your nonprofit to be ADA compliant ✨ You want more donors through digital marketing What we discuss: ✔️ Simple Tech Solutions to be ADA Compliant Online ✔️ How to Conduct Digital Marketing ✔️ Simple (and free) Online Hacks for Marketing ✔️ Ways to Attract Donors in 2020 ✔️ Case Studies on Nonprofit Digital Marketing Favor, please? If you love this podcast, would you please do me a favor and leave a review on iTunes or your podcast listener? This helps others find the podcast and I read each and every review! If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-07

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com/137 to join the Freelance Grant Writing Master Course ✨✨ There always comes a time when starting a business that stumps people. Creating the best name for your grant writing business is one of those times. Sometimes it completely throws people off the tracks that they never get back on and actually start their business. Don’t let this stop you! To help you navigate this process I have identified three different ways (and the pros and cons) to help you find the best name for you grant writing business. Using Your Name Pros:  It is more personalized  If you have a unique name it won’t be taken!  It works for the 80% connection of social media (I am commenting on other people’s post, not a business name).  It is easier to get started (you don’t need to spend months trying to figure it out) Cons:  If you have a common name, you will need to add a little more in, i.e. “Holly Rustick Grant Writing Consultancy”  If your name changes (get married, divorced, etc.) the

This episode is for you, if: ● You are tired of getting in your own way ● You are not confident in submitting a grant application ● You are not confident in securing nonprofit clients or partnerships What you will learn, is: ● You will gain confidence in approaching clients or funding sources ● You will learn how to believe in yourself in your business or nonprofit ● You will become the person you want to be What is impostor syndrome? You may have heard this term kicked around on social media, podcasts, books, and more. But it is real. According to Very Well Mind, Impostor syndrome is defined as “the experience of feeling like a phony—you feel as though at any moment you are going to be found out as a fraud—like you don't belong where you are, and you only got there through dumb luck.” Learn the five different types of impostor syndrome and how to overcome them in your nonprofit or freelance grant writing biz in this podcast! Check out www.grantwritingandfunding.com/136 for more info! If you have any qu

Have you ever known deep in your gut what your dream is, but you aren’t currently living in it? Or maybe you commit to living your dream but don’t even know where to start. If you could sit down and have coffee with someone who turned $1,000 into $15,000 during the pandemic while helping others and working less, then would you? Because today we are doing just that as we listen to how Dr. Omotola Akinsola as she shares all her secrets and how she overcame challenges. But even if you are not looking to open a freelance grant writing biz, and you run a nonprofit, you will also want to catch this as she is going to spill all in how she has also continued to grow a thriving nonprofit after doing a needs assessment. Due to that, her nonprofit has served more than 8,000 students and teachers in Nigeria. This episode is definitely for you if: ✔️ You want to start or grow a nonprofit ✔️ You want to turn leads from being those that ghost you into high paying customers ✔️ You are a parent and need to balance runnin

*Sign up for the Freelance Grant Writing Master Course Waitlist and get a Bonus Downloadable today: www.grantwritingandfunding.com/freelance.* In this podcast you will learn how to get clear on who you want to serve as a freelance grant writer or nonprofit consultant, as well as what types of grants are best suited to you to write. This is super important as serving all nonprofits isn’t always the best place to start. Why not? Well, it is hard to really market specifically, cultivate clients, and get experience and expertise in a certain field. You may have heard that creating an avatar or ideal client is important in any business. That’s true – even in this business. You want to know what types of nonprofits you enjoy serving otherwise you might either take on clients that drive you crazy or have a hard time getting any clients because your message is too large. • If you just don’t even know how to market, or • wonder why your clients drive you crazy and end up being WAY too much work, or • just

Have you ever dreamed of becoming a freelance grant writer, but don't know where to start? Or maybe you opened your business awhile ago but have hit a plateau.  In either case, this podcast discusses the fundamentals of growing a freelance grant writer business. Yes, there are some fundamentals and if you skip these you are going to struggle. Big time. And the thing is, you won't know why. You will just feel like you are never focused and always doing. You will get stuck in the hamster wheel syndrome. So this podcast is breaking it down! Big time.  This week, we will go over the top 3 fundamentals and next week we will go over 2 more fundamentals.  If you want more of this, be sure to sign up to the Freelance Grant Writing Master Course Waitlist to get the accompanying downloadable: Freelance Grant Writer 5 Actions Steps to Make It Real. Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com/133. I only open the Freelance Grant Writing Master Course 1 to 2 times per year, so get on the waitlist to start on September 7

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com/131 to join Sean's FREE Webinar: How to Transform Your Board of Directors in 90 days✨✨ If you are a nonprofit leader, freelance grant writer, or nonprofit consultant than you know that the role and efficiency of a healthy board of directors are vital for nonprofit health! That’s why I brought on Sean Kosofsky from Nonprofit Fixer to share with you how to improve a nonprofit’s board of directors. If you resonate with not knowing how to ask your board to financial contribute, what their expectations are of showing up, or how they can be the most effective, then this episode is for you! Also, we talk about how freelance grant writers and nonprofit consultants can add a board of director training to their services and how this can help nonprofits get MORE funding. Sean Kosofsky is the NonProfit Fixer! He has worked in nonprofits for more than 27 years, including as executive director for five organizations. He has worked in policy, communications, grassroots advocacy,

Why is this important? Well, it’ll do the following things for you Freelance Grant Writers and Nonprofit Consultants: • Create relationships on and offline • Develop & nurture warm leads • Give you a plan of how to start the pitch discussion Okay, I am going to outline the 3 Essential Steps for Freelance Grant Writers to Pitch Services #1: Reframe Your Thinking from When Do I Ask for Money to What Problems Do I Solve? #2: Create / Share Valuable Content that Solves the Problems #3: Implement the “Give, Give, Give, Ask” Approach If you have any questions, feel free to email holly@grantwritingandfunding.com I’d love to connect with you! YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzIfwJt0az9KKwKz1Uc8vg Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hollyrustick LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-rustick-0765b817/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grantwritingandfunding/ Thanks for listening! Holly Rustick Expert Grant Writer & Bestselli

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to your Freelance Grant Writer: 6 Weeks to Summer Success Toolkit! ✨✨ I know, I know, many of us still have our kids at home this summer as summer programs are still closed (ahem), and we may be burned out with being on our screens all the time. I get it. You need something tangible that you can do today that will move your business forward and pick up some serious momentum. The “Work Smarter, Not Harder’ adage could never be truer than right now. So first let’s cover what reading this article – and doing the free downloadable – will not do for you. You will not make a million dollars overnight or get 5,000 clients in 15 minutes. But here’s what it can do for you: ✨ Be the gamechanger that keeps you working in your business this summer ✨ Give you the confidence to take it up a notch ✨ Provide guidelines that relieve your stress and that looming monster in the back of your mind called procrastination Get the Toolkit here: https://grantwritingandfunding.com/freelan

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ If you are a freelance grant writer / nonprofit consultant: ● You might be paralyzed with going after funding because you just aren’t sure what to do. ● You might not want to pitch your services because you are nervous asking nonprofits for money right now. ● You aren’t sure what types of grants and funding are available. If you are a nonprofit leader or development coordinator: • You might have put off applying for grants because you aren’t sure what projects you want funded • You might have been focused on getting PPP and CARES Act funding and put the grants to the side. • You might just think the Feds aren’t funding regular grant programs right now. This podcast episode will address all these three items and you will learn the following: • The current grant environment • Where to find grants • Why charging clients is acceptable or if you are a nonprofit how to pay for help This will help you to

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ This week’s podcast is another episode in the Nonprofit Strategic Planning series! We are half-way through the year, so now is the time to do your planning and get clarity! This is definitely for you if: ✨ You want to increase your nonprofit leadership skills ✨ You are an aspiring or newbie consultant and want to 10X your business with services to teach strategic planning In today’s podcast, Samantha Taitano, executive director of Mañe'lu formerly Big Brothers Big Sisters of Guam, is going to give you strategic hacks on how to rethink fundraising to grow funding in 2020. We have a great conversation and she touches on time management for productivity, strategic planning tips, hacks on getting creative for fundraising strategies, and also discusses some HR challenges while wearing all the hats in a small nonprofit. Some more things we discuss: • Transitioning from a national nonprofit to a local on

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Are you ready to make all your 2020 goals happen during the next six months? Or are you still trying to figure out how to survive during the pandemic? If you are either a nonprofit leader, staff, or volunteer and are trying to move the needle forward on your nonprofit OR if you are an aspiring freelance consultant and are stuck in overwhelm then this podcast and article is for you! Just imagine how much more accomplished you will feel having the steps to create a plan that will work. These 10 steps can be down internally in your nonprofit or business OR if you are a freelance grant writer or nonprofit consultant can be learned services you can offer!  So if you want to make a huge difference in ending the cycle of stressing out about not having enough time, not securing the funding you need, and having real burnout and instead you want to feel in control of your life, have a higher quality of life,

✨✨ Visit www.grantwritingandfunding.com to get the proven G.R.A.N.T.S. formula to write winning grants ✨✨ Being stuck in decision paralysis is real. This might be because you have made the 'wrong' decision before or you aren't sure about the future and how it will all turn out. Honestly, either of those reasons feeds into your decision paralysis, but digging a layer deeper is more important and effective.  It's knowing not just what your values are, but in what order you follow your values.  For the month of June, I am giving you some amaze-balls strategic planning action steps to follow. Last week I shared the 4 Reasons to Expand (Not Grow) Your Nonprofit or Freelance Consultancy. We will continue how to not just survive the pandemic, but how to thrive utilizing basic action steps. Keep listening if you resonate with one of the following: Nonprofit Leaders and Freelance Consultants: This is for you if: ✔ You are not sure where to even start with pivoting your organization in the new normal ✔ You take