Grant Writing Triage

Creating a Grant Triage Flowchart OR "Great-Opportunity-Sorting-Device"

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  node [fontname="Helvetica", fontsize="11"]
  edge [fontname="Helvetica"]

  start         [label="START HERE", shape="box"]

  whatkind      [label="What kind of\n grant is this?"]

  individual    [label="Individual grants that\n could be available\n to our volunteers", shape="box", style="bold"]
  oneanddone    [label="\"One and Done\"\n Project Grants", shape="box", style="bold"]
  behemoths     [label="\"Big other\"\n Behemoths,", shape="box", style="bold"]

  start -> whatkind
  whatkind -> individual 
  whatkind -> oneanddone 
  whatkind -> behemoths

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TOO MUCH LOVE

Sometimes there is too much love. Everyone loves us, and they send us lots of leads for financial and other grants, gifts, loans and new program opportunities. What do we do with all of these well intended gifts? Well, it depends. We need a great-opportunity-sorting-device. It will sort opportunities so we know which ones to pursue, and under what circumstances.

HOW THIS PAGE IS ORGANIZED

In the text below, we have begun a flow chart in a number of different ways. Our goal is to use them all to create a good set of cohesive steps for sorting through grant and other funding opportunities. For now, these include:

a list of potential flow chart steps

graphics; a set of circles, squares, arrows and texts leading to an actual diagramatic flowchart

a list of questions sorted into categories; useful for explaining how to follow the flow chart, or etc.

Triage Components

Meta Triage

(could be folded into basic triage)

What category of our operations does this grant address?

Education

Environmental

Empowerment

of individuals

of organizations

Other?

Basic Triage Flow Chart

Yes/No style questions that could be answered by someone with limited knowledge of FG operations, to be fleshed out into a real-live flowchart:

How Long to Apply?: 1-3 mos?; 3-6 mos?; 6-12 mos.; 12+ mos.

What is funded?

People

individuals

staff

Stuff

Both

How long does funding last?: One time; Year/Fixed Time; Renewable

Size: Small (<$X); Mid (between $X and $Y); Large (>$Y)

Harder Questions Triage

Questions that require an understanding of FG's operations

Talked about having this be a more "greyscale" triage, instead of binary. But as we left on the whiteboard, it looked like this:

Tracking/Reporting: Existing Data/Process; Trivial additional Data/Process; Substantial new Data/Process

Collaboration: Yes; No

What type of program does it fund?

Existing operations

New Programs

1-time new project

Ongoing new project/program (will last beyond the funding)

Table For Sorting Grants

Question	Yes, No, Maybe, Don't know	Explanation	Subquestions
IS IT FOR SOMETHING NEW?			Q: Does it fund what we already do? Q: Does it fund a program similar to one we already have going? Q: Does it fund something we already have funded in another way? Q: Does it fund an ongoing project? Q: Is it for something now being planned? Q: Does it fund something we are now starting, but new? Q: Does it fund something close to what we do? Q: Does it fund a new program? Q: Does it require new program development?
IS IT FOR STUFF?			Q: does it fund through in-kind donations (like computers or other equipment)? Q: does it fund capital improvements (like buildings, expensive durable equipment and other related infrastructure)? Q: does it fund hardware grants?
IS IT FOR PEOPLE?			Q: does it fund people (labor costs, benefits, or professional development training for staff)? Q: does it fund social services like education, and job training? Q: does it fund administrative-coordination support?
OTHER QUESTIONS			Q: does it require us to describe ourselves differently? Q: does it fund anything at all (instead providing another kind of support?) Q: does it fund something we already have in our strategic plan? (no matter if it is already being done or not now) Q: Does it it fund something in exchange for us doing something for them?
IS IT VERY DIFFICULT? (LABOR HOURS FOR TRACKING AND REPORTING, DEVELOPING NEW PROJECTS ETC.)			Q: does it fund a one-time-only thing? Q: does it require immediate action? Q: does it fund this year only? Q: does it fund on a regular cycle? Q: Does it fund on a renewable basis? Q: does it fund more than one quarter? Q: does it fund a year? Q: does it fund more than a year?
WHAT ARE THE TIME RESTRAINTS?
IS IT LARGE?			Q: does it require only a brief letter requesting support? Q: Does it require specific meeting attendance for us to qualify? Q: does it require extensive reporting? Q: does it require a full time position, merely to stay on top of it? Q: does it require extensive record keeping, merely to write the grant proposal?
IS IT INVOLVING COLLABORATION?			Q: are other organizations involved? Q: are other organizations required?

PRIORITIZATION NOTES

(We may want to prioritize classes (teaching etc.) because so many grants are education related, and because it is an existing program.)

(These questions are likely to be handy when creating instructions about how to use the future Grant Writing Triage Flowchart.)