Looking at the Grant-Making Process From a Foundation’s Point of View

NEW BOOKS

“Thank You for Submitting Your Proposal”: A Foundation Director Reveals What Happens Next
by Martin Teitel

“Fund raising is like what dating in high school was for some of us: hard work intertwined with great risk and continual rejection,” writes Martin Teitel, executive director of the Cedar Tree Foundation, in Boston. “It’ll go better if you can find a way not to take it personally.”

Mr. Teitel, who has also worked for several charities, attempts to demystify the grant-making process — and help charities strengthen their proposals — by describing the inner workings of a grant-making organization.

The book is divided into two sections; the first eight chapters explain each step of the process, such as the letter of inquiry, the meeting with foundation officers, and the decision-making process of the foundation staff and board members.

The second section, entitled “The Grant Seeker’s Reality Check,” offers 10 lists of specific do’s and don’ts: questions to ask a program officer, easy ways to improve a proposal, and questions a grant seeker will probably be asked about their proposals.

In “Sweaty Palms,” Mr. Teitel gives an overview of in-person meetings with foundation representatives, with tips on what to bring, what to ask, what to show the visiting grant officer, and how to decide where to eat lunch — since grant makers usually pick up the tab, suggesting an expensive restaurant can be a bad idea.

Despite the complicated and often obscure proposal-reviewing process, Mr. Teitel encourages fund raisers and other charity workers to be proud of their efforts, and avoid “groveling” at the feet of grant makers.

“Real change in the world comes not from grandiose granting guidelines, but from the perseverance and imagination of those trying to penetrate the granting process in order to do good for others,” he writes.

Publisher: Emerson & Church, P.O. Box 338, Medfield, Mass. 02052; (508) 359-0019; fax (508) 359-2703; http://www.emersonandchurch.com; 141 pages; $24.95; ISBN 1-889102-25-3.