Grant Writing for Non-Profits

Step 8. Other funding sources and sustainability

Your founders won’t like the idea of investing in a short-term project that has no perspective.

They’ll be much more willing to recognize a long-term winner and reward a promising project that can run on a larger scale.

That’s why you need to show how you can make this happen.

This section of your grant proposal is for funding requirements that go beyond the project, total cost of ownership including ongoing maintenance, daily business, and operational support.

This may require you to articulate the projected ongoing costs (if any) for at least 5 years.

An accurate cost model needs to include all factors including inflation, specialist skills, ongoing training, potential future growth, and decommissioning expenses when the project or the product reaches the end of its life cycle.

DO:

DON’T:

Have a strong blueprint. Most grant reviewers will know a thing or two about business plans so you need to show a viable blueprint for sustainability. Exactly how will you generate revenue and keep the project going? Mention other funding. If you plan to get more government funding, this is the place to mention it. Don’t think that this isn’t a good long-term strategy.

Leave anything out. Don’t leave space for speculation or filling in the blanks. Everything needs to be outlined and you need to show — without a doubt — that your program can run even after the initial resources are gone.