Getting Started With Grants: 3 Steps for Small Nonprofits

If your nonprofit is new to grants, start with three things: organize the documents funders are likely to request, learn who funds work like yours, and begin with a small number of well-aligned opportunities.

You do not need a full-time grant writer or an elaborate grant strategy to take those first steps. But you do need enough clarity and organization to know what you are asking a funder to support.

Here’s where I recommend starting.

1. What documents should a nonprofit have ready before applying for grants?

Most grant applications ask for some version of the same organizational information. Getting those materials together before you start applying can save a lot of scrambling later.

Create one grant folder, digital or otherwise, and gather:

• Your IRS documentation

• Your most recent organizational budget

• Program budgets, if you have them

• Your board list

• Recent financial statements

• Your most recent Form 990, if applicable

• Your mission statement

• Short descriptions of your programs

• Basic information about who you serve and what changes because of your work

• Testimonials or stories that help illustrate your impact

It does not need to be fancy. The point is simply to have the information in one place so that every new application does not feel like starting from scratch.

2. Where should a small nonprofit look for grant opportunities?

Before you cast a huge net, look close to home.

Community foundations, local banks, civic organizations, family foundations, and businesses with charitable giving programs may all be worth exploring.

For a small nonprofit, local grantmakers can be a useful place to begin because you may already share geography, community relationships, or familiarity with the same local needs.

But don’t begin with the question, “Who has money?”

Begin with:

Who funds organizations like ours, doing work like ours, in places like ours?

That distinction can save you a great deal of wasted research.

And when a funder welcomes questions or conversation, take advantage of that. Attend an information session. Introduce yourself. Ask what they look for in prospective grantees.

Grant funding is not just about finding an application. There are people on the other side of the process.

3. How should a small nonprofit begin applying for grants?

Once your basic materials are in order and you have identified a few plausible funders, resist the urge to apply everywhere.

Start selectively.

For each opportunity:

• Read the eligibility requirements carefully.

• Follow the application instructions.

• Pay attention to the funder’s priorities and language.

• Explain clearly how your work connects to what they care about.

• Use both story and evidence to show why the work matters.

• Give yourself enough time to review the application before submitting it.

• Keep a record of what you applied for, when you applied, and what happened.

These are essentially the same practical steps in your original guide.

And remember that a declined proposal does not necessarily mean the opportunity was wasted. When appropriate, thank the funder, ask whether feedback is available, and keep the relationship open.

Before you start searching, ask one more question

There is a step underneath all three of these:

Is your nonprofit actually ready to pursue grants?

Having the documents is part of readiness. So is having a clear message, a fundable need, leadership support, and enough capacity to manage a grant if you receive one.

That is why I generally recommend checking your readiness before spending hours searching databases or filling out applications.

Not sure where your organization stands?

🌟Get the 10-question Grant Readiness Self-Audit.

It will help you see what is already in place, where you may have gaps, and what your next step might be.