If you are trying to secure grant funding to help launch or sustain an organization or project, you may need bridge funding to cover your expenses while you search for grant opportunities. If you are in this situation, a crowdfunding campaign may be worth exploring

If your organization is based in a developing country, you may not be able to secure funding directly from some foreign donors. While providing funding for projects in developing countries, many donors will only fund projects led by nonprofits headquartered in the same country where the donor itself is located. Instead of receiving funds directly from the donor,  local partners--the organizations located in the country where the project will take place--join the project as subcontractors (or "subs") to a lead organization based in the donor's country.

Researchers depend on grants to fund their work. The largest funders of research are government agencies. Private and corporate foundations also fund research. Although grants awarded by foundations are usually smaller than those awarded by government agencies, foundation grants are almost always easier to apply to, leading to lower opportunity costs.

When it works out, having a grant from a large donor can be a great boon for the organization. Having a single grant of $100K can be easier to manage than four $25K grants. That said, the large-donor strategy has some pitfalls and is not always the best route.

How do you start work on a proposal opportunity that hasn't been announced yet? There is a two-part answer. Your approach will depend on whether you are interested in foundation funding or government grants. This post will focus on preparing for foundation grants. A follow-up post will discuss preparing for government grants.

Foundation grants often have known release dates and established program areas, which mean there are few surprises: You can find out when the foundation accepts proposals, and you can usually read up on the program areas and past grantees on the foundation's website. You may even be able to access the grant application well in advance of the time applications are due if the foundation uses a standard application format.

Government grant opportunities are different. For many government funding opportunities, the agency that will release the funding announcement doesn't have direct control over all the variables including how much money a grant will award and even when the opportunity announcement will be published.