Prospecting and fit
Find funders whose giving actually matches the organization, score fit from their 990 and guidelines, and build a calendar of deadlines worth chasing.
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Full lesson & technical details
Find funders whose giving actually matches the organization, score fit from their 990 and guidelines, and build a calendar of deadlines worth chasing.
Where grants come from
Private foundations (most small-nonprofit grants; guidelines and 990-PF filings show what they fund), corporate giving programs, community foundations (local; often the best first target), government (federal, state, city; larger, longer, heavier reporting), and donor-advised funds through sponsors. For small businesses: RFPs from agencies and corporations, SBIR/STTR for research, and local economic development grants.
Reading a funder
Guidelines (what they fund, where, who, amounts, deadlines, what they exclude), the 990-PF schedule of grants paid (who actually got money and how much; the truth about their priorities), the program officer’s name, whether they accept unsolicited proposals or require an invitation, and the application format (letter of inquiry, portal, full proposal).
Fit score (0–10)
Geography (2), issue area (2), population served (2), grant size matches the ask (1), they fund organizations this size (1), they accept new applicants (1), the relationship or intro (1). Chase 7+; note 5–6 for a relationship first; drop the rest. A great proposal to a poor-fit funder is the main way grant writers waste clients’ money.
The prospect list and calendar
Twenty prospects scored, with deadlines (or rolling), requirements (attachments, formats, limits), and the ask amount. A calendar of the next six months; two to three applications a month is a realistic pace for a small organization.
Relationships
A short email or call to the program officer before applying (“Does this fit? Is the amount right?”) doubles the odds. Draft it; the executive director sends it.
Worked example
Coastal Community Foundation · Hunger Relief Fund. Geography 2 (county), issue 2 (food security), population 2 (low-income families), size 1 ($10–25k; ask $15k), org size 1 (funds $200k–$2M budgets), new applicants 1 (open cycle), relationship 0. Score 9. Deadline Mar 1 (portal, 2,000-word narrative, 990, audit, board list). Approach: inquiry email to the program officer in January.
Instructions you can copy (prompts)
Copy the instructions, replace the words inside {braces} with your details, and paste them into your AI tool. Check and edit the answer.
Score these funders for fit with {organization} (mission {mission}, location {location}, population served {population}, annual budget {budget}, program needing funding {program}, ask {ask}). For each funder use the guidelines and 990 grants-paid notes I paste: {paste}. Score 0–10 (geography 2, issue 2, population 2, grant size 1, org size 1, new applicants 1, relationship 1), explain each point, flag any exclusions, and give the recommended approach (LOI, portal, intro first) and the next deadline. Then draft a 120-word program-officer inquiry email for the top three.
Build a 10-funder prospect list for Harbor Light Food Pantry (capstone page) or a nonprofit you know, using a database or public 990s, with fit scores and deadlines. Paste the top five with scores.
Done when: A scored list where the top five are real fits with real deadlines.. Sign up to save your work to your account.
Quick knowledge check
3 questions, 60% passes. Checkpoints, the certification exam (three versions) and the reviewed final project are unlocked with a free account.
- A funder’s real priorities are shown by:
- Fit score to chase:
- Before applying, a program-officer inquiry: