Frequently Asked Questions:

• Q: Do I need to be a nonprofit to be eligible for grant money?

  A: No, in fact, there are offers in every towns' Sunday paper nearly every week asking that for-profit businesses submit proposals for grant money to further their field of interest. However, being a nonprofit will greatly improve the number of agencies willing to fund your cause or project.

• Q: How do I obtain not-for-profit status?

  A: Nonprofit status is actually a tax classification from the IRS, and granted to businesses in their home state. This status is known as 501(C)(3), so named for the section and location of tax law. You can obtain this application from your local IRS office or any competent contract lawyer. Grant Finders also provides this service, as well as assistance in areas most people don't think of when starting a nonprofit. Such as:

  1. Drafting Articles of Incorporation.
  2. Development of By-laws.
  3. Creating a Board of Directors.
  4. Mission Statement.
  5. Writing Project description and Abstract.

   

• Q: I am an individual, and do not own or belong to any corporation or nonprofit agency. Am I eligible for a personal grant to start a business, or go to school?

  A: Yes, though it can be a tricky business finding and applying for such grants. However, if you are persistent, you can find them. Or, you can have Grant Finders search for you.

• Q: The reason I need a grant in the first place is because I don't have a large sum money. Can I pay Grant Finders a percentage of the grant when it is awarded?

  A: Generally grant writing firms and independent grant writers will charge an hourly fee of between $100.00 to $250.00 per hour with a some type of deposit when the work begins (usually around $500.00). This is because it is considered unethical to charge a percentage of the grant. The reason being that a writer should work just as hard on a small grant as he/she would on a substantial one, and not charge different people different prices. There are, however, various pricing plans available for first time startup nonprofits though Grant Finders.

• Q: Can Grant Finders guarantee that I will be awarded the grant money after I pay them to write the grant?

  A: Unfortunately not. However, you can rest assured that you will receive a highly competitive and thorough proposal to submit to the funding agency or agencies. All funding agencies receive thousands of requests and responses to their grants -- also known as Request For Proposal (RFP) or Notification Of Funding Availability (NOFA). This makes applying for funding a very competitive processes, indeed. To be successful one must:

  1. locate a funding institution that supports the type of project being developed.
  2. Make sure that the Grantee's Mission, Vision, and Philosophy are in accordance with, if not the same as, the Grantor.
  3. Partner or work with other agencies that may be providing similar or complimentary services, as many Grantors look for interdisciplinary and interagency collaboration.

   

  Grant Finders does exactly that, which is why we are so successful in gaining grant awards for our clients. In fact, if your grant is unsuccessful, we will credit up to $1,000.00 to rewrite and submit the proposal.