Grants for Individuals

I received a call from someone looking for a grant to help pay bills. Before we were finished talking, she wanted a grant to start a business. She also mentioned that she would like money for school. The fact is that there are funds available for all of those, but most people (that I speak with) are not willing to take the time to prepare the proposal needed to compete for those funds.

Donor dollars are not endless wells of flowing funds. And whoever distributes those dollars has to account for how the money is spent. The first thing that I advise people to do is to focus on one need at a time. If you appear to be scattered all over the place, you are generally indicating how unaccountable you will be as a grant recipient.

This is one of the reasons that I do not write grant proposals for people that I do not know. Every person or organization that abuses grant dollars encourages even stiffer regulations in order to prevent this abuse from happening again. These increasing prevention ordinances make it so much more difficult for those who truly have the passion to help, but lack the adequate knowledge base and skills to submit competitive proposals.

I suggest that individuals who are interested in social and human services formally establish themselves as social entrepreneurs. Then they can position themselves in partnerships with organizations that get funded. Some of my clients have found that it is easier and often more lucrative to pursue partnerships or collaborative projects than to simply go after direct grant awards. This is also true for faith based organizations and startups that are seeking to get in the door of granting opportunities.

However, remember that you should be ready with a complete grant proposal that clearly explains what you have to offer. There may be an organization that is submitting a proposal who needs your service, but will not include you because it would take too much work to document your role and what you bring to the table.