{"id":18369,"date":"2020-04-22T17:01:16","date_gmt":"2020-04-22T21:01:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/?p=18369"},"modified":"2024-11-12T17:44:18","modified_gmt":"2024-11-12T22:44:18","slug":"4-steps-to-secure-emergency-grant-funding-during-the-covid-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qgiv.com\/blog\/4-steps-to-secure-emergency-grant-funding-during-the-covid-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Steps to Secure Emergency Grant Funding During the COVID Crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]\r\n

The COVID-19 crisis has presented the nonprofit sector with unexpected needs and unprecedented challenges. During this time, it is vital that organizations do not stop seeking grants.<\/em> Grant makers want to help nonprofits get to the other side of this crisis, but they depend on their grantees to ask for the help they need.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Many grant makers are offering immediate support to nonprofits in the form of emergency grants. The experts at Grants Plus<\/a> have outlined four steps that organization leaders can take to secure this emergency grant funding:<\/p>\r\n

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1. Communicate with your current grant funders.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n

If you haven\u2019t already, make it a priority today<\/em> to contact every one of your organization\u2019s current grant funders. Your organization\u2019s best prospects for emergency funding are those foundations that are already invested in supporting you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Your foundation funders want to help, but they can\u2019t know what you need if you don\u2019t tell them. Our advice<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0is to candidly explain how the crisis is impacting your organization\u2019s operations, programs, and finances, and ask for their assistance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

What help can you ask for?<\/p>\r\n

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First, you can ask for flexibility in how you use funds they\u2019ve already granted.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n

Grant makers are demonstrating extraordinary willingness to be flexible with their grantees. They understand that some grantees may not be able to deliver on their grant-funded programs and outcomes due to disruptions caused by the pandemic.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Review your current grants. If you determine you can\u2019t deliver on the terms or promises, talk to your funders to request a change. You may find that your funder is willing to extend the timeline for using the funds, waive reporting requirements, or even allow you to use the funds for another more urgent purpose. Some funders are even converting restricted grants to unrestricted so those funds can be used to pay for salaries and operations.<\/p>\r\n

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Secondly, talk to your funders about whether they can provide funds to your organization in the form of an emergency grant.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n\r\n

In some cases, foundations are welcoming grantees who were already in the process of submitting a grant proposal to request additional funds. In other cases, foundations have the option to quickly disperse discretionary dollars, especially to help organizations meet unexpected emergency needs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The value of contacting your current funders goes beyond the possibility of new immediate funding. The even greater value of connection is strengthening the relationship between your organization and the funder. Grants may come from institutions, but decisions are made by the people at those institutions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Remember that staff at foundations are experiencing the same challenges and hardships as we all are. They, too, are anxious and concerned about what is happening. So when you contact your funders, be patient, be genuine, and show empathy. The points of human connection we create now have the potential to last long after the crisis ends.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

If you don\u2019t have existing funders, <\/em>see our advice<\/em><\/a> to organizations that haven\u2019t yet received grants and the steps they can take to prepare for grants in the future.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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2. Apply for emergency grant funding opportunities in your community.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n

Hundreds of foundations across the country have mounted a rapid response to raise and distribute billions of dollars in emergency nonprofit grants. For the most part, these funds are being prioritized for organizations on the front lines serving urgent emergency needs. Your organization may be a strong candidate to receive these funds if you can demonstrate that you are responding to challenges in your community caused by the crisis.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

To find out if there is an emergency grant program in your community, regularly check the websites and social media accounts of your top funders and the largest funders in your area. You can also directly contact your local community foundation to ask about an emergency fund for area nonprofits. In many cities, community foundations have led the charge to establish these funds in partnership with local United Ways and businesses.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Some of these emergency funds are being proactively directed to pre-selected organizations; other emergency funds are being awarded based on a competitive application process. If the emergency fund in your community is competitive and matches your organization’s mission and focus, proceed with the application steps immediately. If there is no application process, contact the foundation to seek guidance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Funders understand that many nonprofits are working under duress and so may not expect your emergency grant proposal to be a masterpiece. However, the fundamentals of good grant writing are still important. Your written request should be written simply and directly so it is easy to understand and follow. You must make a compelling case for why your organization\u2019s work is important and relevant in our current context. For more on writing a convincing and high-quality grant proposal, view our Complete Grants Plus Guide to Grant Writing<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Grants Plus team is collating a listing of emergency grant funding opportunities in communities around the country. Click here for the list and check back frequently as we add new grant opportunities every day.<\/p>\r\n

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3. Compete for emergency federal grants.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\r\n\r\n

The CARES Act passed by the US Congress allocated hundreds of billions of dollars to federal funding agencies for the purpose of making these funds quickly available to nonprofits in the form of emergency federal grants.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Several federal funding agencies have already announced new emergency federal grant programs> Those include the National Endowment for the Arts<\/a> to distribute funds to arts organizations and the Federal Communications Commission<\/a> to make grants for telehealth services. We anticipate many more emergency federal grant opportunities to be released in the coming weeks. Our team is keeping a close watch and maintaining a listing of emergency federal grants.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

These emergency federal grant programs are likely to follow rapid timelines, giving a few mere weeks between the date a Request for Proposals is released and the date the full federal grant application is due. That means organizations should begin to prepare now to be ready to apply to these federal grant programs as soon as they are announced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Start getting ready by making sure you have the proper registrations to apply. Your nonprofit organization can\u2019t complete the process of applying for federal grants unless you are registered.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

First, register in the federal grants system by <\/strong>securing a DUNS number<\/strong><\/a> (short for Data Universal Number System). <\/strong>This step typically may take a few weeks, so don\u2019t delay. You\u2019ll also need to take steps to be actively registered in the US Government\u2019s System for Award Management<\/a> (SAMS) as well as in Grants.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Once you\u2019re set up to apply for federal grants, begin to prepare what you will need for a competitive application:<\/p>\r\n

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