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Rich Tips is a free electronic newsletter published by Richard Male & Associates (RMA), a nonprofit consulting firm. Please send any suggestions or comments to editor@richardmale.com. Please give us a hand with our next Rich Tips issue on selecting board members. Send your tips on this topic to editor@richardmale.com. Are there topics you'd especially like us to cover? Let us know! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This week's tips: Strategies for Approaching Small Family Foundations According to statistics from the Foundation Center, independent or family foundations are by far the largest single group of foundations and account for nearly 86 percent of the total assets and 76 percent of the grant dollars awarded by foundations. They also can be the most confusing and perplexing with which to deal. Most family foundations are very small, many do not have formal or printed guidelines, and many claim to fund only pre-selected organizations (PSOs). The majority of these foundations do not function out of a separate office, and board members only meet a few times during the year. These board meetings typically involve sitting around a kitchen table or restaurant table where members make their funding decisions. These small family foundations can be tough nuts to crack, but remember – the trustees are human beings just like you and me. Even if you are not one of their ‘pre-selected organizations' you can still try to develop relationships with the board and trustees, and eventually become one of their PSOs. On that note, here are some strategies for getting into familiy foundations' circles of grantees: 1. Generally there is little information available on small family foundations. First check www.guidestar.org to see if they have listed their 990s – look through these documents to determine what nonprofits the foundation has previously funded. Next, go to your state's grants guide to see if any information on the foundation is listed there, or go to the state agency (frequently it is the Secretary of State's office) because foundations usually have to file paperwork with them. You can also ask other nonprofits that the foundation has funded to give you some tips and advice. 2. Program emphasis may shift over time, especially with the death of one of the family members or when one of the kids grows up and they suddenly take an interest in an art museum or the homeless shelter. Always check to make sure they are still interested in your issues. 3. Decisions are made by family members, trustees, advisors and friends. It is a good idea to go to your state's grants guide and make a list of the foundation's trustees and pass the list around at your next board meeting (also pass the list around to your friends). Frequently, someone went to school with a trustee, knows them through church, or through community activities. Use these connections to begin building the relationship. 4. Writing a letter of inquiry is sometimes a good first step. If you can't make the introductions any other way, write the foundation a two page letter of introduction that briefly describes the history, impact and need for your organization. Also tell them a little bit about your board, structure and budget. Make the letter interesting in order to pique their interest. Follow-up with a phone call. 5. Look at your network of friends, as well as any political or business contact. Ask these individuals if they know one or two of the foundation's trustees. If the foundation's address happens to be a bank, the chances are it is philanthropic trust, which means you could use the banking relationship to make the introductions. 6. Family foundations are looking for what they say they are looking for. If the foundation only funds animal welfare and you are a housing organization, don't spend much time with them, EXCEPT if you can make an introduction to one of the trustees and convince them that your housing organization protects the animals in the neighborhoods. 7. When they say we only fund pre-selected organizations don't kiss them off. The trustees select the PSOs. By developing a relationship with one of the trustees, you significantly up your chances of becoming a PSO. 8. Generally, the smaller the foundation, the more restrictive their funding guidelines will be. Frequently, the small foundations will fund organizations located in the towns where the family members grew up, where they make their money, and where they live now. 9. Keep the letter of inquiry information short and push for an interview. When sending information keep it to one to two pages, and always follow up with a phone call in which you request an interview or an appointment to visit with the trustee. 10. Finally, write a good grant proposal. A well-written proposal after a telephone or personal interview is the final and best strategy. Make sure the proposal is short and answers all of the questions they may have.------------------------------------------------------------- New Grant Opportunities Safeco Community Grants They fund programs focused on: Improving and creating neighborhood parks and gathering spaces Neighborhood beautification and clean-up projects Volunteer projects in which community members identify and work together to build upon neighborhood strengths Community festivals that attract diverse audiences For detailed information go to: http://www.safeco.com/safeco/about/giving/grants.asp The Norman Foundation The Norman Foundation supports efforts that strengthen the ability of For detailed information go to: http://www.normanfdn.org/ Meacham Foundation Memorial Grant Meacham Grants are awarded only for construction, capital improvements, physical improvements, or equipment that directly impacts the welfare of animals in the shelter. For detailed information go to: http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pa_shelter_services_grants_meacham The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts is focused primarily on supporting work of a challenging and often experimental nature, while noting that the interpretation of those terms may vary from place to place and culture to culture. Grants are made on a project basis to curatorial programs at museums, artists' organizations and other cultural institution to originate innovative and scholarly presentations of contemporary visual arts. Projects may include exhibitions, catalogues and other organizational activities directly related to these areas.For detailed information go to: http://www.warholfoundation.org/guidelns.htm Arca Foundation The Arca Foundation is dedicated to the pursuit of social equity and justice, particularly given the growing disparities in our world. Moreover, it has been said before but bears repeating that a vibrant democracy requires speaking Truth to Power. In pursuit of these principles, the foundation has adopted experimental, strategic and innovative approaches that give voice to the unheard and raise unasked questions. While the foundation's specific program focus may change from time to time, we achieve our fundamental purpose by supporting efforts that can affect public policy. Furthermore, we trust that with adequate information, an organized and informed citizenry will make the right choices.For detailed information go to: http://www.arcafoundation.org/pages/howtoapply.htm Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's 2005 Access to Learning Award The Access to Learning program annually provides an award of up to $1 million to a public library or similar organization outside the United States that has an innovative program offering the public free access to information technology. Under the terms of the program, a library offers "free public access" if it allows all members of the public, including children and young adults, to use its facilities free of charge (without membership or Internet fees). Preference will be given to organizations that reach out to underserved populations, such as poor or disabled patrons, or those from minority groups. A library's programs will be considered "innovative" if they provide access to information technology and services that were previously unavailable to the community. The programs can be relatively new, small, and/or long-term. For detailed information go to: http://www.clir.org/fellowships/gates/gates.html
Federal Grant Opportunities (if any of the following grants sound appealing, please contact Mourene Tesler to learn more about the application procedure - mtesler@tcg-systems.com) ------------------------------- None today. ----------------------------------------------------------- Other Announcements None today. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Feel free to forward this email to a friend. **To unsubscribe to this newsletter, please send an email with the words "Unsubscribe Rich Tips" in the subject line to nicolle@richardmale.com . ***To subscribe, go to www.richardmale.com
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