Article by Robyn Zimmann I know, you’re thinking “Jeez Louise, I’m barely through with 2021’s giving season, can I please take a break?” No. No, you cannot take a break. Or, let’s just say your break depends on how you answer this little handful of questions I have for you. What’s going on…
By Robyn Zimmann Senior Consultant at Cain Nonprofit Solutions It’s that time of year when all the annual fund letters from various organizations are starting to pile up on my desk. What have I already done this year? Turns out I’m part of the herd – according to a new study by data axle,…
Last year many arts and culture nonprofits struggling to cope with closures and restrictions in the wake of COVID-19 were able to take advantage of multiple relief grants and funding, chief among them funds made available through the CARE Act and forgivable loans that were part of the Paycheck Protection Program (known as ‘PPP’). …
Looking for the biggest key trends in grant writing for 2021? Look no further. It’s almost the New Year (thank goodness and good riddance to the dumpster fire that is 2020) and that means a whole new year of grants! I think there are many things on the horizon this coming year, both personally…
Lately, I’ve engaged in multiple conversations with fellow grant professionals and colleagues in the nonprofit space about the issues and challenges facing our country right now. From #MeToo to BLM to COVID-19 to the 2020 election, many things are changing and evolving in our world. And of course, that means changes to the nonprofit sector,…
Most grant makers require you to provide a needs statement as part of your grant proposal. And since “need” tends to look quite a bit different for an arts and culture nonprofit than for a nonprofit specializing in things like say…health or human services, this can often be the trickiest part of putting together…
My new book, Writing With a Mission: How to Create a Successful Career as a Grant Writer” will be available in just a few short days (September 9th). This book is the book that Bruce (my co-author) and I wish we had when we were at the beginning of our careers as grant writers and…
This past March, COVID-19 shut down much of the country and arts and culture organizations with it since you can’t really fill concert halls, theaters, museums, and classrooms without putting your patrons (and staff) at risk. But now it’s August, and rather than seeing the improvement and steady re-opening that many of us originally…
During the Coronavirus quarantine, I’ve lost track of how many Skype calls and Zoom webinars I’ve participated in, but let’s just say it’s a lot. Some have been client calls. Some have been calls with colleagues. And some have been webinars from grantmakers and other grant pros. The latter calls have actually been the…
Candid’s Foundation Directory Online (often called ‘FDO’, for short) is one of the many available options for conducting online grants research and creating a grant strategy. However, in order to use it you must have a subscription and that, of course, costs money. So I often hear from many of my readers and subscribers…