1/20/16

The Hell-Raiser's Blog: Grassroots Organizations Need Not Apply


Gaaaaggghhhhhh!


Huh???


WTF? (Why the Twisted Funding?)


Applying for foundation funding has often felt like jumping through a lot of random hoops. 


But lately, it seems the number of hoops is getting bigger while the size of the hoops is getting smaller. Consider these funder hoops:

  • We do not accept proposals (or letters of inquiry) that we have not already solicited.
  • We accept proposals from only organizations with a budget of $500,000 or more. 
  • We do not fund proposals from organizations without a full-time staff person.
  • We do not accept proposals from organizations not currently our grantees.
  • We are not accepting proposals this year.
  • We will not fund any organizations whose administrative costs are over 20% of its budget.
  • We will not fund organizations without at least one full-time staff person.
  • We will not provide funding for staff
                                                              food
                                                              rent
                                                              utilities
                                                              fundraising
                                                              record-keeping
                                                              administrative work
                                                              general operations of any kind.

Only 25 percent of nonprofit organizations spent at least $500,000 in 2012. If this trend continues, how long until the organizations that can navigate the hoops constitutes one percent?