Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of grants does Grants Northwest specialize in?
Grants Northwest works mostly with established nonprofit organizations, or other grant eligible organizations, on large grants which will make a difference to the organization and the community.
- Major Project Grants Grants Northwest develops foundation or government proposals for new or existing projects to help organizations achieve their missions.
- Federal Grants Grants Northwest develops proposals in response to federal RFPs (requests for proposals).
- Capital Campaigns Grants Northwest will work with your staff and/or capital campaign consultant to produce the grant portions of a campaign.
- State & Local Government Contracts Grants Northwest prepares responses for nonprofits to RFPs from state and local governments for contracted services, housing or other projects.
How does Grants Northwest charge for its services?
We charge by the hour or by the project for grantwriting. We charge a flat daily rate for workshops. Contact us for more information or for an estimate on your project.
Why doesn’t Grants Northwest work for contingent fees or percentages?
Professional grantwriters and fundraisers do not work on a contingency or percentage basis. The ethical standards of the American Association of Grant Professionals (AAGP), Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) and the American Association of Fund Raising Counsel all prohibit this practice. Grant preparation fees are usually paid from other agency resources such as individual donations and other unrestricted funds.
Who is eligible for grant funding?
The large majority of grant funding is available to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status. Government agencies including cities, colleges, school districts and others are eligible under other tax exempt codes, as are American Indian tribes.
Individuals and for-profit businesses are generally not eligible for competitive grants. Foundations are governed by the Internal Revenue Code and not allowed to make grants except to tax exempt organizations. A few foundations provide scholarships or make grants to artists under strict guidelines.
- For scholarships, contact a school or college counselor.
- For arts grants, start with the Oregon Arts Commission or in the Portland area, the Regional Arts & Culture Council.
If you are a low-income person you may qualify for certain “grants” or income supplements, but they are based on qualifications and are applied for through city or county governments. You should not pay anyone for access to these programs.
You may receive telemarketing pitches or e-mail spam or see TV or Internet ads touting grants for individuals or businesses, but these are misrepresentations at best. Any money you spend on guide books or seminars from these sources is wasted. See Grant Scams article about these companies.
My organization is nonprofit and tax exempt, but not 501(c)(3). Can we get grants?
No. Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code grants exemption from corporate taxes to several kinds of organizations, but only 501(c)(3) organizations are eligible for grants and tax deductible charitable donations. Example of some other kinds of 501(c) groups are: (4) “Social Welfare” organizations which can lobby; (5) Labor unions and agricultural organizations; (6) Business groups like chambers of commerce; (8) & (10) fraternal organizations like Lions or Kiwanis; and (14) Credit unions. None of these are eligible for grants.
Are there kinds of grants Grants Northwest does not work on and why?
Grants Northwest generally does not work with new or small nonprofit organizations because the small grant amounts they are likely to receive are not cost effective to pay a professional grantwriter to produce. (In general, an organization newer than 2 years with a budget under $200,000 would be too small for major grants.) However, this does not mean we won’t talk to you and advise on how you can write your own grants at no charge. Call us if you have questions.
There are also some types of grant funding that are outside of our expertise or interest areas.
- Scientific Research Research grants are actually a different field than program grants. The grantwriter needs to know the science involved and a non-scientist doesn’t add much value to the process.
- SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) These specialty grants for small high-tech for-profit businesses are also research-based and outside of our expertise and field of interest.
I’d like to get started on my organization’s grant proposal as soon as possible. What can I do to speed up the process?
There are a lot of variables that go into writing a proposal or grant. The actual grant writing process often takes 4-8 weeks, including background research. The more information you provide, the quicker the grant writer will be able to get up to speed. See the Getting Started page for details on what you can do to make the process move more quickly.
I’m thinking about setting up a nonprofit organization. How do I do this and when can I start looking for grants?
Only nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) tax exempt status are eligible for grant funding. The process of forming a nonprofit corporation and applying to the IRS can take six months or more. There is no point in submitting proposals until you have the IRS “letter of determination” in hand. Bear in mind that establishing an organization and gaining tax exemption is not a guarantee that you will receive funding. See Understanding Tax Exempt Status article.
An excellent overview about starting a non-profit organization is available on the Foundation Center website.
Once you decide to go ahead, the Oregon Nonprofit Corporation Handbook published by TACS has everything you need to know about establishing and operating a nonprofit in Oregon.
Does Grants Northwest have a special relationship with foundations that will help us get funded?
Grants Northwest does not have any special relationships with funders. In fact, funders typically do not know about our involvement, which is mostly behind the scenes. It is important that funders develop a relationship with the organization requesting funding. Grants Northwest can help you to build these relationships, but our mere involvement doesn’t affect your chances of funding — the well thought out project we clearly describe in your proposal is what is important.
I’m not in Oregon. How can I find a good grantwriter to work with in my area?
Start by asking other nonprofits who they’ve worked with, personal referral is the best way to get quality information. You can also look at the American Association of Grant Professionals Consultants listings.
