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Can
the grant preparation fee be included in the grant?
In most cases, grant preparation costs or fees cannot be paid from a
grant. All grant monies are to be used for your project. Unless, such costs are included as eligible cost items in the RFP
budget instructions and your budget request. Thus, proposing to trade
grant writing services for a percentage of grant funds is generally
unethical and/or illegal. Grant preparation costs and fees are usually
paid from other agency resources, such as individual donations, reserves,
indirect cost recovery, etc.
I
am thinking about setting up a nonprofit corporation. When
should
I
start looking for
grants?
You must
submit an application to the IRS and receive a determination letter of tax
exemption under section 501(C) (3) of the tax code. Once that application
has been sent and you have received an acknowledgement letter from the
IRS, you can begin the process of looking for or sending queries for
grants.
Does Polish Inc, offer grant writing seminars?
Yes, Polish Inc., does offer grant writing seminars. Unless you are an
accomplished writer, a grant writing seminar will be of use in learning to
secure grants for your organization. Grant writing is a highly specialized
form of technical writing that takes exceptional writing skills, the
ability to write under extreme deadline pressure, and an understanding of
human service delivery. Such skills can be developed, but not in a day or
two. One way to learn to become a grant writer is by writing many
proposals. So, if you want to get started consider taking our grant
workshops that are offered twice a year.
Can
polish Inc. write for individuals and for-profit businesses?
Yes, Polish Inc.
is a business and nonprofit consulting agency. Business plans, proposals
and bids are a part of the services we offer on a case by case basis.
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Does Polish Inc. calculate a grant writing "success" rate?
Polish
Inc., has discontinued attempts to calculate rate of funded grants for
several reasons. First, we work for a variety of public and nonprofit
agencies, large and small, old and new. This means that some have strong
track records with funders, while others are attempting to enter new
service areas. Additionally, we do not screen clients for their funding
"potential." Rather, we generally will accept any assignment, provided
that we have the capacity to meet the deadline and the applicant is
eligible. Finally, our clients often do not tell us when they are funded.
Funding decisions depend on many variables, such as the number of
applications submitted, mood of the reviewers, geographic and political
considerations and many other factors not easily identifiable. However,
the more high
quality proposals you submit
for different programs, the more grants you are likely to receive. Also,
as you get proposals funded, funders are more likely to give you grants.
Over time, you should achieve a 25% - 50% success rate. If less than 25%
of your proposals are being funded, you're probably doing something wrong
(e.g., incomplete application packages, ineligible applicant, etc.).
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Does Polish Inc.
hire independent contractor grant writers?
From time to time, Polish Inc.
does use independent contractor grant writers. However, unless there is a
specific notice on our web site, we do not have a need for additional
contract personnel. We do not read or review unsolicited resumes, writing
samples, etc.
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How much will a grant proposal cost to prepare and does the
amount being
requested
impact the fee?
Polish Inc.’s fee for most
individual grant writing assignments ranges from $1,000 - $7,500 with the
average fee being about $1,500. Our fees are based on the complexity of
the RFP and the amount of time we have to complete the assignment. A
"normal" time frame is about four - six weeks to complete an assignment.
In most cases, shorter turnarounds will result in a higher fee. Fees are
never based on the amount being requested, because we do not work for
contingent fees.
If you are looking for a
lower-cost alternative for editing/writing assignments, please contact our
affiliated company, Paper Work, Inc.
at 704-333-1691, ask for Rosalyn Meaders.
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Does
Polish Inc. have a special relationship with funders?
Polish Inc. does not have a
special relationships with funders and never attempts to influence funding
decisions through lobbying efforts. Funders typically do not know about our
involvement and we are transparent in the proposal development process. Our
goal is to prepare high quality, technically correct proposals enabling our
clients to be considered for funding. More importantly, the relationship should be
developed between the funder and you.
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Does
Polish Inc. provide a discount for nonprofit organizations
or
do
you ever
donate your
services for a good
cause?
Polish Inc.'s fees are quoted at
a reduced rate for non-profits, since they make up a large percentage
of our client pool. All of our clients have good causes, but we normally do not
donate our services.
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I'm confused by the many acronyms in grant writing. What do
they mean?
The world of grant writing is filled with acronyms. Here are some
common ones: LEA (local education agency, e.g. school district); SEA (state
education agency), IHE (institution of higher education, e.g.
college/university); RFP (request for proposals); RFA (request for funding
assistance); SGA (solicitation for grant assistance); NOFA (notice of
funding availability); HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development); CDBG
(Community Development Block Grant Program); CSBG (Community Services Block
Grant Program); EDA (Economic Development Administration); EDR (Economic
Development Representative); EPA (Environmental Protection Agency); DHHS
(Department of Health and Human Services); SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration); GFA (Guidance for Applicants); PA
(Program Announcement); OJJDP (Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention; COPS (Community Oriented Police Services); CBO (community-based
organization); FBO (faith-based organization); FY (fiscal year); TEA-21
(Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century); UPARR (Urban Parks and
Recreation Recovery) and on and on.
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