The Insider's Guide to Grantmaking: How Foundations Find, Fund, and Manage Effective Programs

Don'ts

1.  Don't ignore the format. If you work for a foundation that has a format for preparing the funding document, take care to actually follow the format. Again, this may seem painfully obvious, but when you are immersed in writing a funding document, it is all too easy to stray from the appointed framework, especially if it does not seem congenial to your expressive style. Even if the resulting document is well written, it is sure to raise the hackles of readers who are expecting to read it in a different format. Freelancing on the framework simply borrows trouble; it is far safer to exercise creativity within the prescribed approach. A worthwhile check, when you have completed the funding document, is to give it a final review expressly ...