Is Your Organization "Grant Ready?"
Are you seeking grant support for your organization? Not sure if you are ready and/or eligible to apply for grants? Use the checklist below to verify.
The grant readiness assessment will help your charity or group determine whether or not you are eligible to apply for various types of grant funding. There are two types of assessments. The first assessment is to determine foundation and corporate grant funding application readiness, and the second assessment will assess federal and state grant funding application readiness.
Please be informed that there is NO one-size fits all approach to nonprofit organizations, but the guidelines and core requirements for grant award eligibility is rock solid for foundation, corporate, state, and federal grants. The more prepared your nonprofit is, the more likely your will be able to compete with other eligible nonprofit applicants.
Please be informed that there is NO one-size fits all approach to nonprofit organizations, but the guidelines and core requirements for grant award eligibility is rock solid for foundation, corporate, state, and federal grants. The more prepared your nonprofit is, the more likely your will be able to compete with other eligible nonprofit applicants.
The Private Foundation Grant Readiness Assessment Checklist
1. Business/Organizational Charter or your State official Incorporation Documentation - Yes____ No____
2. A Federal & State Tax Identification Number (EIN) - Yes___ No___
3. IRS Federal Exemption Organization (EO) 501c3 determination letter - Yes____ No____
4. Governance Structure (Organizational Chart or other description) - Yes____ No_____
5. Board Roster (List of Board Members with Contact info) - Yes____ No____
6. Organizational Bylaws (currently updated) - Yes____ No____
7. Key Staff Roster (Paid or Volunteer) - Yes____ No____
8. Mission & Vision Statements - Yes____ No_____
9. Strategic Plan- Yes_____ No_____
10. Organizational & Programmatic Goals and Objectives- Yes____ No____
11. Organizational Annual Budget (a budget of actual and projected annual revenues and expenses) - Yes____ No_____
12. Employee Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No_____
13. Volunteer Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No_____
14. Financial Statements for Prior 2-3 years - if applicable (i.e. 990 tax returns, audits, profit and loss statements, bank statements, etc.) - Yes____ No_____
15. Fiscal Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No____
16. Organizational and Programmatic Descriptions (for every program and service offered or proposed)- Yes____ No_____
If your nonprofit answered yes to all of these questions, CONGRATULATIONS! You are GRANT READY! If you answered no to any of these questions, you will need assistance before gaining the ability to pursue and secure even the smallest foundation grant. If you desire to pursue grant funding, but aren't eligible at the present time, click here to request assistance and a free consultation with Marilynn Boyko, the 501 (c) 3 Troubleshooting Maven and vision backer.
If you are ready and you're in search of a grant writer, please click here:
2. A Federal & State Tax Identification Number (EIN) - Yes___ No___
3. IRS Federal Exemption Organization (EO) 501c3 determination letter - Yes____ No____
4. Governance Structure (Organizational Chart or other description) - Yes____ No_____
5. Board Roster (List of Board Members with Contact info) - Yes____ No____
6. Organizational Bylaws (currently updated) - Yes____ No____
7. Key Staff Roster (Paid or Volunteer) - Yes____ No____
8. Mission & Vision Statements - Yes____ No_____
9. Strategic Plan- Yes_____ No_____
10. Organizational & Programmatic Goals and Objectives- Yes____ No____
11. Organizational Annual Budget (a budget of actual and projected annual revenues and expenses) - Yes____ No_____
12. Employee Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No_____
13. Volunteer Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No_____
14. Financial Statements for Prior 2-3 years - if applicable (i.e. 990 tax returns, audits, profit and loss statements, bank statements, etc.) - Yes____ No_____
15. Fiscal Policies and Procedures - Yes____ No____
16. Organizational and Programmatic Descriptions (for every program and service offered or proposed)- Yes____ No_____
If your nonprofit answered yes to all of these questions, CONGRATULATIONS! You are GRANT READY! If you answered no to any of these questions, you will need assistance before gaining the ability to pursue and secure even the smallest foundation grant. If you desire to pursue grant funding, but aren't eligible at the present time, click here to request assistance and a free consultation with Marilynn Boyko, the 501 (c) 3 Troubleshooting Maven and vision backer.
If you are ready and you're in search of a grant writer, please click here:
Federal Grant Readiness Assessment Checklist
1. Business/Organizational Charter or your State official Incorporation Documentation Yes____ No____
2. A Federal Tax Identification Number (EIN) - Yes___ No___
3. IRS Federal Exemption Organization (EO) 501 (c) 3 determination letter - Yes____ No____
4. Governance Structure (Organizational Chart or other description) - Yes____ No_____
5. Board Roster (List of Board Members with Contact info) - Yes____ No____
6. Organizational Bylaws (currently updated) - Yes____ No____
7. Key Staff Roster (Paid or Volunteer) - Yes____ No____
8. Mission & Vision Statements - Yes____ No_____
9. Strategic Plan (Organizational and Programmatic goals and objectives - Yes_____ No_____
10. Organizational annual budget (a budget of actual and projected annual revenues and expenses) - Yes____ No_____
11. Employee Policies and Procedures (new or up-to-date) - Yes____ No_____
12. Volunteer Policies and Procedures (new or up-to-date) - Yes____ No_____
13. Financial Statements (3 years back) - if applicable (i.e. 990 tax returns, profit and loss statements, bank statements, etc.) - Yes____ No_____
14. Fiscal Policies and Procedures (new or updated) - Yes____ No____
15. Organizational and Programmatic Descriptions (for every program and/or service offered or proposed)- Yes____ No_____
16. Community Relations/Strategic Partnerships (identified by agency/org, time-frame of relationship and type of commitment) - Yes____ No_____
17. Audited Financial Statements (financial statements for budgets below $300,000 annually) - Yes_____ No_____
18. List of current and previously funded grants (if applicable) - Yes_____ No_____
19. Grants Management Processes and Controls (Current and/or Future) - Yes_____ No______
20. Key Staff Structure as it relates to the grants you are seeking (Names, Titles, Reporting Structure, and Brief Bios) - Yes_____ No_____
Current Online Registrations ( must be updated annually BEFORE federal grant submissions). These registrations can take between 2-4 weeks to complete.
21. SAM Registration (System for Award Management) (see registration link: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/) - Yes_____ No_____
Note: The System for Award Management (SAM) is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is NO fee to register for this site. Entities may register at no cost directly from this page. Assistance is available via the website.
22. Grants.Gov Registration (To declare: eBiz Point of Contact (POC) & Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR)) (see registration link: http://grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp) - Yes_____ No_____
If your nonprofit answered yes to all of these questions, CONGRATULATIONS! You are GRANT READY! If you answered no to any of these questions, you will need assistance before gaining the ability to pursue all federal and most state grants.
If you desire to pursue grant funding, but aren't eligible at the present time, click here to request assistance and a free consultation with Marilynn Boyko, the 501 (c) 3 Troubleshooting Maven and vision backer.
If you believe you are ready to pursue federal funding, please email us to receive a free quote and/or to arrange a free 30-minute consultation. To see an estimate of some of our grant preparation services, click here.
2. A Federal Tax Identification Number (EIN) - Yes___ No___
3. IRS Federal Exemption Organization (EO) 501 (c) 3 determination letter - Yes____ No____
4. Governance Structure (Organizational Chart or other description) - Yes____ No_____
5. Board Roster (List of Board Members with Contact info) - Yes____ No____
6. Organizational Bylaws (currently updated) - Yes____ No____
7. Key Staff Roster (Paid or Volunteer) - Yes____ No____
8. Mission & Vision Statements - Yes____ No_____
9. Strategic Plan (Organizational and Programmatic goals and objectives - Yes_____ No_____
10. Organizational annual budget (a budget of actual and projected annual revenues and expenses) - Yes____ No_____
11. Employee Policies and Procedures (new or up-to-date) - Yes____ No_____
12. Volunteer Policies and Procedures (new or up-to-date) - Yes____ No_____
13. Financial Statements (3 years back) - if applicable (i.e. 990 tax returns, profit and loss statements, bank statements, etc.) - Yes____ No_____
14. Fiscal Policies and Procedures (new or updated) - Yes____ No____
15. Organizational and Programmatic Descriptions (for every program and/or service offered or proposed)- Yes____ No_____
16. Community Relations/Strategic Partnerships (identified by agency/org, time-frame of relationship and type of commitment) - Yes____ No_____
17. Audited Financial Statements (financial statements for budgets below $300,000 annually) - Yes_____ No_____
18. List of current and previously funded grants (if applicable) - Yes_____ No_____
19. Grants Management Processes and Controls (Current and/or Future) - Yes_____ No______
20. Key Staff Structure as it relates to the grants you are seeking (Names, Titles, Reporting Structure, and Brief Bios) - Yes_____ No_____
- Key Administrative Info (resumes, bios, and job descriptions) - Yes_____ No_____
- Key Program Staff Info (resumes, bios, and job descriptions) - Yes_____ No_____
- A list of any and all consultants (that will work with the proposed program or project)- Yes_____ No______
Current Online Registrations ( must be updated annually BEFORE federal grant submissions). These registrations can take between 2-4 weeks to complete.
21. SAM Registration (System for Award Management) (see registration link: https://www.sam.gov/portal/public/SAM/) - Yes_____ No_____
Note: The System for Award Management (SAM) is the Official U.S. Government system that consolidated the capabilities of CCR/FedReg, ORCA, and EPLS. There is NO fee to register for this site. Entities may register at no cost directly from this page. Assistance is available via the website.
22. Grants.Gov Registration (To declare: eBiz Point of Contact (POC) & Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR)) (see registration link: http://grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp) - Yes_____ No_____
If your nonprofit answered yes to all of these questions, CONGRATULATIONS! You are GRANT READY! If you answered no to any of these questions, you will need assistance before gaining the ability to pursue all federal and most state grants.
If you desire to pursue grant funding, but aren't eligible at the present time, click here to request assistance and a free consultation with Marilynn Boyko, the 501 (c) 3 Troubleshooting Maven and vision backer.
If you believe you are ready to pursue federal funding, please email us to receive a free quote and/or to arrange a free 30-minute consultation. To see an estimate of some of our grant preparation services, click here.
One final note: Applicant's serious about developing their nonprofits, and competing successfully for federal, state, corporate, and foundation funding have already completed these steps. Groups and nonprofits seeking an easy and/or cheap way out to skirt the process and procedures required for grant funding won't find one. Getting grant ready takes a lot of time, dedication, and commitment of board members, staff, and volunteers. A GRANT READY nonprofit is a successful nonprofit. Don't be taken for a ride. GET GRANT READY!