Basic Grant Tips

Relationship building with funding providers

November 21, 2017

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We know the value of relationship building and gaining trust of the communities we work with, including our individual donors. Often these are relationships between individuals, so it feels a lot easier than perhaps trying to establish a relationship with a philanthropic foundation, especially if you haven’t received funding from them yet.

The general perception is that foundations hold the money, therefore the power – and yes, that can be intimidating. It’s important to remember that foundation staff are people, just like you, and they are likely to be in their role because they are invested in social good. It’s actually part of their role to familiarise themselves with grant seeking organisations.

It’s also really important to remember that foundations and trusts would not exist if community sector organisations were not doing the work they do – so it could be said, they need you as much as you need them.

Foundation staff are a valuable resource to grant seekers due to the fact that they are interacting with an array of grant seeking organisations and other funders every day. They have a wealth of knowledge and a helicopter view of what’s going on across the sector. If their focus areas are not the right fit, they may be able refer you to another funder who is – or other community sector organisations you may be able to do a joint application with or gain advice from. So, do some homework on which foundations fund projects in your area of work. The Grants Hub makes this really easy by providing a direct link to funding provider details, so consider making that call today – nothing ventured nothing gained.