Contacting Funders

Many experienced grant writers will tell you that it is very crucial to contact funders before beginning a grant proposal. Contacting funders is a recommended step, however you must proceed carefully.

What are the pros and cons?

Pros –

1. By talking to funders ahead of time, you can begin to develop a relationship with someone on the staff that might aid in getting your proposal more attention.

2. If you are able to describe your project to the funder, they can give you a sense of whether or not your project is a good fit for them. If they don’t seem interested or don’t see the fit, you can eliminate this funder from your short list and save yourself the time wasted on creating the proposal.

Cons –

1. If you are contacting a funder for the sake of contacting them, they may not like having their time wasted and this could reflect badly on your proposal.

2. When speaking to a funder, if you are not clear about the definition of your project and cannot communicate your idea effectively, this also could reflect badly on your proposal.

3. If you mention a budget line item not covered by this funder or mention an amount above the awards typically given by the funder, you may disqualify your proposal before its written.

Carefully check the guidelines published by each funder to find out what means of communication can you use to reach the funder and who is available for contact. If they only take written requests, make sure not to call or e-mail.

If there are no restrictions on communication and you have a legitimate request for information, here is the best plan for contacting funders:

#1 Choice = E-mail

Why?

1. It’s more personal than a letter.

2. It gives you the opportunity for immediate feedback.

3. If you receive a response, it can also give you the opportunity for a dialogue between you and the responder.

4. Every time you initiate contact or respond you have the chance to plan what you say.

5. People can read email at their convenience, so you don’t have to worry about wasting anyone’s time.

#2 Choice = Phone Call

All lot of the pros for e-mail applies to a phone call. However, make sure you are prepared to give a one-sentence description of your project if asked. Most of the time, all you will be allowed to do is leave your name and address.

#3 Choice = Mail

Some funders only allow communication through the mail. Try not to rely on this method because you will spend a lot time trying to drafting letters. If you do need to send a letter, keep it short. This is not the place to describe your project, you are only requesting information. Someone could read your description and turn down the grant before they send you the proposal materials.

EXERCISE: Two other methods of communicating with funders might be a personal meeting or a site-visit to your institution. On your Study Guide, write a pro and con for each of these communications. If you are having trouble thinking of something, try a search on "Contacting Grant Foundations" or "Site Visit" using a search engine such as www.google.com or www.yahoo.com.