September 16, 2004 | Read Time: 2 minutes
Grassroots Grants: An Activist’s Guide to Grantseeking, Second Edition
by Andy Robinson
This book is a step-by-step guide to negotiating the world of foundation grant seeking, from identifying donors to successfully managing money provided by foundations.
Mr. Robinson, a consultant and author who specializes in raising money for social-change groups, advises grant seekers to first “do your homework” by conducting research on potential donors. He provides insights into how donors evaluate grant requests, and how to ensure that a proposal jibes with a grant maker’s mission. He also offers advice on how to incorporate grant seeking into a group’s fund-raising strategy.
As a next step, Mr. Robinson recommends picking up the phone and establishing a relationship with the grant maker. His book offers advice on “schmoozing” with donors, as well as tip sheets on conducting telephone conversations and meetings with them.
The book then tackles the writing process, with advice on crafting a winning proposal and whether to hire an outside writer. He also gives examples of successful proposals written by four grass-roots groups, including the Hate Free Zone Campaign of Washington, in Seattle, and the Urban Garden Resources of Worcester, in Massachusetts.
Mr. Robinson includes a final section on what he calls “the really hard part: what to do after you’ve won the grant.” He provides advice on managing grant money and examples of final grant reports. He also says that good manners—acknowledging the grant maker, writing thank-you notes, and keeping in touch can help ensure that another round of money will be forthcoming.
The book, which updates a 1996 edition, contains new budgets, sample proposals, and advice on using the Internet to conduct research on foundations.
Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 989 Market Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94103-1741; (317) 572-3986 or (800) 956-7739; fax (317) 572-4002; http://www.josseybass.com; 259 pages; $29; I.S.B.N. 0-7879-6578-2.
