This document provides guidance on seeking grants for ministries. It discusses biblical grounds for meeting needs through donations. It encourages assessing available resources and creating specific requests. It also reviews various types of grants and funders, as well as the grant writing process, including developing proposals and practical program planning strategies to identify good matches between projects and funding sources. The overall aim is to promote success in acquiring support through grants.

1. Seeking Grants for Your Ministry
Presented by Rev. Bruce Jackson
Life Path Ministries & Services
San Diego, California
Updated December 12, 2012

2. Life Path Ministries & Services
P.O. Box 152899
San Diego, CA 92195
http://virtualbizcoach.ning.com/

3. Overview/ Agenda
• Opening Prayer
• Biblical Grounds of Meeting Needs
• What You Have/ What You Can Do
• Resources
• Types of Grants (Sources)
• Letter, Applications & Proposal Writing (Format)
• Practical Applications
– Program Planning
– Identifying a Match

4. Biblical Grounds for Meeting
Needs
Exodus 35:4-9
And Moses spoke to all the congregation of the children of Israel,
saying, “This is the thing which the Lord commanded, saying:
‘Take from among you an offering to the Lord. Whoever is of a
willing heart, let him bring it as an offering to the Lord:
gold, silver, and bronze;
blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair;
ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood;
oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet
incense;
onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the
breastplate.

5. Biblical Grounds for Meeting Needs
Exodus 35
Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was
willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for the work of the tabernacle of
meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments.
v.21
The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women
whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by
the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.
v.29

6. Just Imagine. . .
Imagine what Moses would have received
if he had never asked.
?
Imagine what Moses would have received
if he was not specific.

7. What You Have/ What You Can Do
• Assess who is in your midst. . .
– Who do they know?
– How can they help?
– What can they do?
• Think of ways that you can save money and cut costs as well as add value
to the organization
• Have members of your team bring their address books/ contacts list to
meeting to select 10 people each to support your effort, then write a
standard letter of request and have the member who knows them to sign
it and send it.
• Create a wish list of specific items needed for your project and distribute
to leaders and especially those who have helped you before.

8. Simple Solutions
Volunteers In-Kind Services Donations Cash Gifts
www.volunteermatch.org Pro Bono Services www.unitedway.org Individual donors
Training/ Technical
Community groups/
www.servenet.org Assistance www.giftsinkind.org
professional associations

9. Types of $
Government Community Foundation
Corporate Professional Associations
Fraternities/ Sororities Professional Athletes/ Sports Teams
Individual Donors

10. Research/ Resources
• Funding research
– www.fdncenter.org
– www.grants.gov
– www.hhs.gov/grants/
• Funding resources
– grantwrtr@aol.com
– www.npsolutions.org
– www.sdfoundation.org

11. Various Forms of Submission
•Letters (Letter f Intent)
•Application (hard copy, PDF, & online)
•Proposals
In recent years, some funding sources have shifted with the technology and
have added electronic submission rather than simply accepting U.S. Mail, UPS
or FedEx delivery. In addition, many of the necessary forms that are used as
attachments may be scanned and submitted electronically. These
attachments include:
– IRS tax-exempt letter
– Budget (developed w/ finance/ accounting team)
– Board of Directors List

12. Proposal Writing Process
• Outline
• Add details/ descriptions/ designations
• Draft. . .text/ financial figures (budget
narrative)
• Review/ Revise. . .let others read it as well
• Format (Match w/ guidelines)
• Submit (# of copies…submission format)

13. Practical Applications
• Program Planning
– Focus your energy and effort as follows:
• 70%= what you do well (Strengths)
• 25%= expansion and enhancement (new things)
• 5%= what needs to be strengthened (Weaknesses)
– Identify what type of program/ project you plan to start or
enhance
– Write out a description of the program/ project

14. Practical Application
• With program/ project description completed,
let us identify a “match.”
– Team up with others within your congregation or
ministry
– Seek to identify funding sources that match your
program/ project
– Take a copy of grant guidelines and compare to
the proposed project outline

15. http://ministrymechanic.blogspot.com

16. Promoting Success & Providing Support
Life Path Ministries & Services
P.O. Box 152899
San Diego, CA 92195
http://virtualbizcoach.ning.com/