TSAI

* We must mention that although we often use “grant writing” as a term in common usage, strictly speaking, one doesn’t write grants, one writes proposals in order to win grants; grants are a reward for excellent proposal writing!

* 501(c) is the section of the code that authorizes and defines tax-exempt organizations. Subsection 501(c)(3) requires that the organization “be organized and operated exclusively” for defined public purposes “that are beneficial to the public interest,” including “relief of the poor… advancement of religion, advancement of education or science,” and numerous other activities. Private foundations and public charities also come under this section of the code. Organizations that are tax exempt under this section generally are not permitted to lobby, although they are permitted to circulate information that is nonpartisan in nature. There are other kinds of not-for-profit corporations under the code. The somewhat controversial Section 501(c)(4), for example, governs civic leagues and social welfare organizations such as volunteer fire companies and community associations; 501(c)(5) governs labor, agricultural, and horticultural organizations; 501(c)(6) governs business associations such as chambers of commerce; and 501(c)(7) addresses social and recreational clubs such as college alumni associations, fraternities and sororities, garden clubs, and so on. Churches and other religious organizations, certain schools and colleges, certain hospitals, government units, and certain other entities are established as public charities under another section of the code, Section 501(a)(1).

* The Foundation Center recently merged with Guidestar (an organization that provides potential donors with useful financial and other information about nonprofit organizations). The new nonprofit organization is called Candid, which will incorporate the functions of both. As we write, both of the original websites remain available, and we use those, but the new organization is working to create a single website incorporating information from both. Both of the original organizations and Candid now charge fees for most services.

* Some years ago, one research effort demonstrated that federal proposals took more than 80 person-hours to prepare on average but that winning proposals took more than twice that amount of staff time.

* The logic model is a tool for planning and evaluating your program. We can’t get into a discussion of it here, but there’s plenty of information about it online. Because many funders use it, or something like it, we suggest that you take the time to learn about it.

* The form of documenting sources used here—just authors’ names and publication date in parentheses—is from the American Psychological Association, and we use it because it doesn’t clutter the text or take up room for footnotes at the bottom of the page. We would put an alphabetized reference list at the end of the grant proposal, giving the authors’ names, title of book or journal and article, date of publication, city of publication, publisher’s name, and page of a quotation, if any. But any other reference system can be used (e.g., putting all of the reference information into a footnote) as long as it is consistent throughout the proposal.

* Michael Schrage, No More Teams! Mastering the Dynamics of Creative Collaboration (New York: Broadway Books, 1995).