One of my favorite sections in the revised edition of my book the Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Winning Foundation Grants is called “The Grant Seeker’s Reality Check.” In 10 brief chapters I examine, from the vantage point of one who served for 40 years as a foundation CEO, a host of dos and don’ts when preparing and submitting proposals. 

It can take dozens of hours to find the right funders for your nonprofit, especially if you’re reaching out for the first time. What funders say on their websites is often quite different from reality. So how can you find funders that are most likely to give to your cause?

IRS Forms 990 hold secrets to what funders really want to fund, and they’re free for public use. Our team at Instrumentl assembled the top four tricks to leveraging 990s from some of the most successful nonprofits.

Just as the stamp on the bottom of a silver vase indicates it is made of first-class materials, the hallmarks of a good grant writer signal to one and all that the grant writer is the real deal. Each step in the grantseeking process has its own identifiable hallmarks. A good grant writer …

I’m in the process of writing an e-book for publication this summer called A Bold Approach to Grants Research. This book encourages grantseekers to challenge their thinking when it comes to identifying funders for a particular program or project.