The Ultimate Insider's Guide to Winning Foundation Grants: A Foundation CEO Revels the Secrets you Need to Know

Having been a foundation CEO for forty years, during which time he read thousands of proposals and awarded millions of dollars in grants, Martin Teitel is uniquely qualified to offer expert guidance to aspiring grant seekers. What Teitel offers isn’t theory. He literally takes you behind the scenes in a foundation and shows you just what happens from the moment your proposal arrives.This includes information on those who open proposals, what they specifically look for, how they grade submissions, what red flags they screen for, how proposals are dissected at staff meetings and, finally, the relevant criteria the foundation’s board uses to evaluate its merit. Unless you’ve worked in a foundation, you’ll be startled by what you learn - maybe even cringe at your past submissions. But, without question, your eyes will be opened and you’ll gain priceless insights for crafting future proposals.Teitel’s insights are so refreshingly personal you’ll feel as if you’re secretly reading someone’s diary.Table of ContentsIntroductionAuthor’s Note—The New Tech World: Six Major Changes in PhilanthropyPart One: Thank You for Your ProposalChapter 1—Not-So-Divided Loyalties: For Whom Does the Funder Work?Chapter 2—Let the Games Begin: Letters of InquiryChapter 3—Meat and Potatoes: Proposals and BudgetsChapter 4—Writing a Wonderful ProposalChapter 5—Sweaty Palms: In-Person Meetings with FundersChapter 6—Making Sausage: How Foundation Staff and Boards DecideChapter 7—Reports: What to Do after You Are FundedChapter 8—You Can Do It—ReallyPart Two: Myths about FoundationsChapter 9—Myth One: Fundraising Isn’t That HardChapter 10—Myth Two: Foundations Are Straightforward and Honest, and You Can Take That to the BankChapter 11—Myth Three: Charming the Foundation Will Conceal Your FlawsChapter 12—Myth Four: Funders Don’t Read Grant ReportsChapter 13—Myth Five: It’s Fine to Embellish—Everyone Does ItChapter 14—Myth Six: Funding Is a Cat and Mouse Game, and Guess Who’s the Mouse?Chapter 15—Myth Seven: Funders Don’t CarePart Three: The Grant Seeker’s Reality CheckChapter 16—Five Tools to Discover If You Are Targeting the Right FunderChapter 17—Four Things You Should Never Do When Approaching FoundationsChapter 18—Seven Ways to Increase the Chances of Your ProposalReceiving Full AttentionChapter 19—Five Things to Do Before You WriteChapter 20—A Short List of Unequivocal Don’tsChapter 21—Seven Reasonably Easy Things You Can Do to Improve Your ProposalChapter 22—Six Things You Can Do to Help Your Proposal Make the First CutChapter 23—Eight Red Flags Foundations Are Wary OfChapter 24—Five Mistakes Too Many Applicants MakeChapter 25—Five Ways to Respond to a Foundation That Has Expressed Preliminary InterestChapter 26—Four Questions You Can Expect to Be Asked about Your ProposalChapter 27—Five Questions to Ask When Meeting with the Program OfficerChapter 28—Five Things You Can Be Sure Will Be ScrutinizedChapter 29—Five Things That Make It Easier for the Funder to Evaluate Your ResultsChapter 30—Five Subtle Ways to Create a Lasting RelationshipChapter 31—Six Ways to Help Assure Repeat FundingPart Four: Administering the Truth-Detector Test to America’s Charitable Foundations Chapter 32—Questions and AnswersAfterword: Plant and Tend Your Garden with Care Read more