Assessing your nonprofit’s grant readiness
Assessing Your Nonprofit’s Grant Readiness
Are you new to the world of grants or an experienced nonprofit looking to expand your grants portfolio? Are you digging into why you may be hearing “no” more than “yes” from funders?
At AmplifyDMC, we’ve developed a “Grant-Readiness Framework” to help organizations assess their strengths and identify opportunities for improvement. Here are five key questions to guide your journey toward becoming more grant-ready. For each question, we’ve included criteria to help you self-assess as high, medium, or low. Let’s dive in:
1. Logic Model
How clear is your organization’s through-line from inputs to impact?
High: We have a thoughtfully crafted logic model that we regularly update and use.
Medium: We have a logic model, but it could use refinement—or we don’t have one but could develop it quickly.
Low: What’s a logic model?
2. Data Tracking
How easily can you pull quantitative data about your programs?
High: We can generate detailed, customizable reports (e.g., by zip code, demographics, program).
Medium: We track data, but it’s a general set of information that we use across multiple grants without the ability to customize or tailor it to fit the specific needs or interests of individual funders.
Low: Data is not easily accessible. Instead of being able to quickly pull the information we need, we often have to ask colleagues for updates that they have to manually generate, which delays the process.
3. Qualitative Stories
Do you have impactful stories readily available for applications?
High: We regularly collect and use stories that demonstrate our impact.
Medium: We have some stories, but they’re limited and not collected consistently.
Low: We don’t have a formal or informal process for collecting, storing, or using impact stories.
4. Power of Network
How strong and accessible is your network of supporters and partners? Imagine a surprise grant opportunity with a one-week deadline requiring letters of support.
High: We can easily secure 5 meaningful letters of support in time.
Medium: We have partners, but articulating their relevance and securing meaningful letters would take time.
Low: We’re unsure who we’d reach out to for this.
5. Value Proposition
What makes your organization stand out?
High: We have a clear, concise statement explaining what makes us unique.
Medium: We know we’re the “best kept secret” but struggle to articulate it effectively in grant applications.
Low: We need to invest time in identifying and defining our unique strengths.
So, how grant-ready is your organization?
Use this self-assessment to evaluate your readiness and identify areas to strengthen. Remember:
Grants are a team effort. Successful proposals require contributions from program staff, data managers, partners, and more.
Relationships matter. Even the most grant-ready organizations won’t win every grant. Building strong relationships with funders is key.
Perfection isn’t required. Don’t wait to apply until you’re high on every indicator. Instead, use this framework to guide your growth as you pursue new grants or renew existing ones.
Would you like some help conducting this assessment with your organization? We love facilitating these conversations and identifying ways to improve your grant-readiness. Just reach out!