Applying to foundations for funding can take time and effort, but it’s a relatively straightforward process, with lots of existing resources to help nonprofits identify funders and prepare applications. Corporate giving programs tend to get less attention, leading to confusion about how to approach companies for support or whether to approach them at all.

While all nonprofit organizations need to secure funding, there are key differences between small, struggling organizations and large, well-funded organizations other than the obvious difference in size. If your organization is struggling to find money, below are suggestions you can implement to up your grant game. 

Knowing where to look for new grant opportunities is of central importance if your organization depends on grant money to survive. Fortunately, there are many free resources you can use to find open opportunities, some of which will even send you alerts.

How do you know which grants your organization should apply for? To use your limited resources effectively, it's important to pursue only those opportunities that fit your organizational and programmatic capabilities. Pursuing grants your organization is unlikely to win doesn't make sense. On the flip side, some grant opportunities aren't worth applying to--regardless of the odds of winning an award--because of the high cost of project implementation.