Storytelling for Grantseekers: A Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising

SUMMARY

Stories may be written in one language and then translated into another. When seeking grants, we have narrative proposals and budgets. Budgets translate our story into the language of numbers. You’ll need to be conversant with this language if you are to be successful in your grantseeking. Having an understanding of the following key points should help:

• A budget is a forecast of expected revenues and expenses.

• An agency has an overall annual budget detailing all of its anticipated revenues and expenses. It should also have a separate budget for each program for which it plans to seek grant funding.

• Budget notes explain or clarify individual line items when how the number was derived isn’t clear.

• Appropriate administrative costs ...