Grant Writing and Research
Significant money exists from corporations, foundations, and government agencies to fund initiatives that help nonprofit organizations meet clients’ needs. Wastyn & Associates can find grants that fit your needs, assess your readiness to compete for funds, write and submit the application, and help with post-award reporting, freeing you to focus on building relationships with funders, partners, clients, and others who will advance your mission.
Grant Resources & Classes
Check out our #FundraisingFriday videos, blog posts, classes and downloadable resources.
Fund development work relies fundamentally on relationships, and relationships flourish under intentional cultivation rather than chance encounters. Investing time creating a written fund development plan pays dividends through increased revenue, stronger donor relationships, and reduced organizational risk over the coming years. Here are 5 tips to get started!
A strong grant report accomplishes more than compliance. It demonstrates impact, builds trust, and often opens the door to renewed or increased support. These 8 tips will help you write grant reports that inform, persuade, and strengthen your relationship with funders.
The nonprofit community faces two unprecedented threats from the federal government that deserve your attention and your action. Make your voice heard. Every comment counts.
The number one way that you can raise more money? Get out of the office! Go where your donors are and meet them face to face to develop a real relationship.
AI is ubiquitous. So much so that you might feel overwhelmed by the pressure to use it - or not use it. My advice - try it and see how it might help make your work more efficient or effective. If it doesn't, then don't use it. If it does, then find the way that best integrates into your workflow. These 6 ways that we have found AI to help with our grant development work can get you started.
Grant reporting often becomes an afterthought to planning and writing the application and the celebration that comes when you receive an award. However, good grant reporting starts long before you start to write your application. Learn how to plan for and ultimately create good grant reports.
A well-planned site visit does more than educate a single legislator. It positions your organization as a credible, reliable resource, the kind of organization a member’s office calls when they need perspective on the issues you know best. That relationship, built one visit at a time, produces better policy for the people you serve. The process of scheduling that visit requires patience and persistence, but it follows a clear path. The following 10 tips will help you navigate it.
One of the best ways I know to improve your chances of grant success is to contact the funder before you submit an application to develop a relationship with them. Learn four reasons why this is true in this week's Fundraising Friday.
Stories make your application and case more relatable, interesting, and memorable. Reviewers will read your application longer, pay closer attention to it, and remember it when it comes time to evaluate all of the applications sitting on their desk or inbox for funding.
Many options exist for paying your grant professional or staff to write applications on your behalf. A commission or percentage of the revenue they raise should not and cannot ethically be one of them. Learn why in this week's video.
Back in 1964, communication theorist Marshall McLuhan famously declared, "the medium is the message," meaning that the way information gets delivered shapes its impact on the recipient just as powerfully as the words themselves. Why does the medium matter? Let’s dive into it!
You may have seen on an application that you can add indirect costs to your budget and request. Learn what that means and why you should take advantage of these opportunities to raise more operating funds for your organization.
These 7 themes serve as good reminders to more seasoned grant professionals and good lessons for more novice grant seekers.
In this uncertain grant environment, these 10 basic steps can help increase your chances of success.
National data suggests that individuals give 80-90% of donations to all types of organizations. If you want to raise more money or diversify your funding streams, you need a strong major gift program.
Have you come across a grant funder who looks perfect for your organization only to read that they "only give to preselected organizations" or do not accept unsolicited applications? Learn what that means and the next steps you can take the next time you run across these types of funders.
Nonprofits across the Quad Cities face an uncertain financial future. Recent shifts in federal grant funding – freezes, reductions, and policy overhauls – have create ripple effects that threaten organizational stability and disrupt critical services for the most vulnerable residents.
A new Federal Grant Impact Report by Wastyn & Associates reveals the extent of these changes. The findings confirm what many nonprofit leaders already feel: financial uncertainty, staff stress, and competition for limited dollars.
The federal grants environment has been – in a word – “interesting” the last two months. But rather than sit back and let change happen to you and your organization, I recommend that you take an active role – starting immediately – to manage the change rather than let it manage you.
By taking a strategic approach – on fundable projects, conducting deep research, and assessing both qualification and logistical fit – you ensure that you pursue the right opportunities rather than just lots of opportunities.
An important and often overlooked part of a successful grant application, this week we explore three ways to ensure that you make the most of your grant budget instead of leaving it as a last-minute afterthought for your application.
One simple tip will help improve your grant success. It doesn’t take much time or even much talent. What is it? Watch and find out!
13 years ago on August 1, 2011, I embarked on an adventure when I left the comfort of my job to focus full-time on my business that allows me to do what I love: helping nonprofit organizations succeed.
A movement has existed for years to include more equitable language in philanthropy, especially in grant applications. This blog explains why.
While nothing will guarantee that your development professional will never leave your organization, these tips should help minimize the chances that they will begin looking for their next opportunity as soon as the ink dries on their contract with you.
These tips can help you figure out the best ways to thank your grantors and keep them engaged in your work between grant application cycles.
These tips will provide some guidance to help you set your ask amount in the future, from donors and in grant applications.
Quad City Grant Deadlines
Tired of missing grant deadlines or scrambling to get grants written at the last minute? We’ve compiled Quad City grant deadlines in to one easy to use spreadsheet! Download your copy today and check back often for updates!
Choose Wastyn & Associates for your grant writing and research needs
Accessing grant funds – by identifying possible sources of support and writing a compelling funding application – requires significant time and expertise that even larger organizations do not always possess.
Wastyn & Associates can help you articulate a grant fundable program and find a viable corporate, foundation, or government program to which to submit an application.
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A successful grant program begins with comprehensive review of your programs to match with the interest of corporations, foundations, and government sources.
Our services differ from many other companies you might consider because we take the time to review these sources, talk to you about your priorities, and provide you with a detailed analysis of the sources that we think best fit your needs, returning an in-depth profile for each potential funder. Other organizations provide you with a list of possible grant sources that includes contact information, but few undertake the time-consuming task of carefully analyzing these sources to determine which will most likely sustain or grow your programs. We do.
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Once you identify potential grant sources, Wastyn & Associates will put together a plan to help you fund your priority projects. We work with you to contact the potential donor agencies to begin the cultivation process.
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Wastyn & Associates' qualified staff will use the information you provide about your organization and project to write a complete and compelling grant application, including budgets and all required attachments. Or, if you prefer, we will work with you to edit the application you write or complete any portion you desire.
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Once you receive a grant, we work with you to assure that you understand the grant reporting requirements. We can also write interim and final reports to the funder and provide other stewardship activities and reports.
Complete this checklist to find out if your business is posed to take advantage of the more than half a trillion dollars awarded through public and private grant funds each year.
Grants can be a wonderful mechanism for acquiring funds for projects that your organization cannot support or that augment current operations. However, not all projects are appropriate for grant funding, and grants do not offer a “magic bullet” to solve all of your organization’s financial woes.
This manual provides an overview of the grant-seeking process with plenty of opportunities to ask yourself whether the project under consideration has the qualities that make it appropriate for grant funding and whether you and your organization have the appropriate tools to seek grant funding.
I have spoken to many organizations over the years who want to start or expand a grant program. While I firmly believe in the power and benefits of grant seeking, it does not fit every organization. Before you embark on developing or expanding your grant program, make sure to ask yourself these questions.
Questions you will need to ask yourself when determining if a funder is a good fit with your project.
Ask yourself these questions when developing a fundraising plan so you can better focus your attention on those activities that bring your organization the most resources and say no to the rest.
“After receiving Linda’s first draft of our grant application, I said WOW and realized this is why organizations pay someone who is really good at grant writing.”
Ann McGlynn, founder and board president, Tapestry Farms
“Linda is so knowledgeable about all of the available funding sources that she is able to pinpoint which grants are best suited to your specific programming. Her abilities and experience enable her clients’ projects to stand out in the incredibly competitive environment of not-for-profit funding.”
Pamela Crouch, Living Proof Exhibit
Linda has vast knowledge of nonprofit operations coupled with real world experience. She provided Spring Forward with a solid framework to help us reach our program, fundraising and other key objectives. She did this in a manner that minimized guess work, building on extensive community feedback and board strategic work sessions. The end result is a well thought through strategic plan.
- Dan McNeil, Executive Director, Spring Forward
“There is simply no way we would’ve grown so well and so effectively without the help of Linda and Wastyn Associates. She consistently gives generously of her time, expertise, and resources whenever we need help with grants, understanding fundraising concepts, board development and/or organizational dynamics – and frequently all of these at once!”
Regina Haddock, Founder and Executive Director, Dress for Success Quad Cities
“Linda Wastyn has been a huge resource for MidCoast Fine Arts. It has been a pleasure to work with her and feel confident when she's completing grant work for MidCoast that it will be through, timely, and accurate.”
- MidCoast Fine Arts
“Linda conducted the ½ day grant training for our staff that was extremely beneficial. Our staff left the training more equipped and everyone was excited and prepared to write more compelling grants.”
Joy Bush, Executive Director, Gilda's Club Quad Cities
“Working with Linda and Wastyn & Associates staff has been a fantastic experience. We appreciate their expertise and guidance, and we are very pleased with Linda’s grant writing services. She is thorough and keeps everyone focused, on task, and on time. Their team is an important part of our success!”
Liz Dierolf, Director of Advancement Communication & Stewardship
“Linda seeks to understand your services and needs first and then works with you to develop a plan. She is organized, efficient and an excellent partner in delivering on your mission.”
Child Abuse Council, Quad Cities
“Our agency has partnered with Wastyn and Associates to provide 4 trainings to our service area. Linda has a wonderfully unusual way of explaining grant writing. She makes it fun, unintimidating and (honestly) a little sexy! Her knowledge is tremendous. I have received emails from attendees celebrating grant victories because of these trainings.”
-Jesse Mumm, Administrative Assistant, Scott County Kids
“Linda was able to refer us to local funders who were more willing to take our calls and learn about us. She also knew what the local funders were looking for when writing our grants. We were able to secure over 10 local grants in our first year working with Linda!”
Kelli Feigley, Managing Director, Fresh Films
With Linda's knowledge of grant writing and her attention to detail she has guided us to several opportunities to help with our fundraising. Linda has been readily available for questions and her ability to explain grant procedures has made her a pleasure to work this. Our committee looks forward to working further with Linda as we move ahead with our project.
-Lyle Peterson, Chair, Fundraising Committee, Friends of Veterans Memorial Park
“Linda is a true partner working to help our institution realize its vision. Linda’s experience working with large federal funding agencies and private foundations has made it possible for me to entrust her with BVU’s large grant projects while I am able to focus on corporate relations and private donor fundraising."
-Robin Wissink, Director of Special Gifts, Buena Vista University
“Linda is a trusted part of our team, she brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to each and every grant that we apply for. She is a great listener, always putting my thoughts and idea’s first before beginning the process of applying for funds.”
- Joedy Cook, CEO Ballet Quad Cities
“Thanks to Wastyn & Associates, Iowa Women Lead Change has its first comprehensive development plan, board members trained on the basics of major gifts philanthropy and an approach to grant making. Linda's understanding of her business and its nuances is a tremendous asset that IWLC is fortunate to have at our disposal.”
- Iowa Women Lead Change, Cedar Rapids, IA
"Wastyn and Associates knowledge, expertise and experience has been instrumental to our success in not only receiving grants but broadening awareness in the community of our Mission. We look forward to working more with Linda Wastyn & Associates."
-Lori Turner, Board Treasurer, Moline Community Development Foundation
“Linda Wastyn is not so much a grant writer, but a partner in development. She listens, learns and understands the client’s needs before ever putting one word on paper. Her attention to detail is absolute and the ability to submit projects before deadline takes pressure off me as a fundraiser, especially during those hectic times when so many grants are due all at one time. Highly recommended.”
- QC Convention and Visitors Bureau
Donor advised funds represent one of the fastest growing vehicles for charitable giving. This blog outlines 5 tips when soliciting to help you maximize this type of funding for your organization.