The grant writing profession was born out of nonprofits’ challenges in finding the capacity and expertise to write competitive applications. The information funders request via their applications can feel daunting, an obstacle to overcome, and sometimes even superfluous. This is particularly true for churches who likely have little or no experience with grant writing. But is hiring a grant writer the best use of time and resources for churches?
Strategic Value of Grant Applications
Grant applications serve a variety of purposes. Many of the questions are aimed at providing clarity around what purpose the funds will be used for if awarded. But that is not the only goal of a grant application. A good grant application will help the applicant think through their project, its primary objective, how it will be implemented, and how many dollars are reasonably needed to pursue it. Suppose the applicant’s responses indicate they are not yet clear about what they want to do and accomplish. In that case, the chance of successful implementation decreases. The awarded dollars are at risk of not being spent in the best use to achieve the intended goals.
Limited-Capacity for Applications
Unfortunately, the necessity of providing detailed information in a grant application means nonprofit organizations often hire a contracted or on-staff grant writer. These dollars can be well-spent when the dedicated grant writer results in receiving grant awards which exceed the cost of the grant writers’ time. However, this typically is only the case for nonprofits that apply for grants on an ongoing basis as part of their organizational funding model. While nonprofits may hire a grant writer to meet this challenge, this can be costly for a church which only infrequently applies for grants.
Grant Writing Support for Churches
ECF is commonly asked by the parishes in the Diocese of Atlanta if they should hire a grant writer. This is almost never our recommendation. While the questions on our LOI and application may be detailed, we do not recommend paying to bring in someone from outside of your ministry to craft your answers. Instead, utilize the staff resources provided by ECF!
Part of our ministry is working one-on-one with parishes to ensure a lack of grant writing experience is not a barrier to ECF funding. We approach our relationship with parishes from a pastoral perspective, both with regards to grantmaking and providing fundraising support. Our ongoing conversations with parish applicants add the capacity you need to assemble well-thought-out LOIs and applications. ECF invites you to have a conversation with our executive director when considering applying for ECF funding.
Have questions about how ECF can assist your parish with your grant application? Please schedule a call with us to discuss your project!
Episcopal Community Foundation for Middle and North Georgia
Following Christ’s example and the tradition of The Episcopal Church, we partner with Episcopal communities in the Diocese of Atlanta by providing funding, leadership, and resources to enable Episcopalians to lift up people facing poverty and oppression and to achieve significant, long-lasting change in our communities.