Plain-language help for small nonprofits, churches and community groups. Free to read.
The eight things to check before you spend a single hour on an application.
Read →4 min readThe documents most funders ask for, so you are not hunting for them the week of the deadline.
Read →4 min readWhat you must register before you can apply for most federal funding, and why to start early.
Read →5 min readHow to describe the problem so a reviewer who has never met you understands it and trusts you.
Read →5 min readDirect costs, indirect costs, match, and how to build a budget a reviewer can follow.
Read →5 min readThe difference between outputs and outcomes, and three measures any small program can track.
Read →5 min readMost foundations do not take cold applications. Here is how to find the ones that fit and reach them respectfully.
Read →3 min readMost applications are declined. How to learn from it and keep the relationship.
Read →6 min readA step-by-step way to find grants you can actually win, using free sources, starting close to home.
Read →6 min readHow churches and faith-based groups qualify for grants, which funders say yes, and what to set up first.
Read →5 min readHow a fiscal sponsor lets a new group or project accept grants and tax-deductible gifts before it has its own tax-exempt status.
Read →5 min readThe short letter many foundations ask for first: what to include, how long to make it, and a simple outline.
Read →5 min readWhat funders expect once the money arrives, how to track spending, and how to report so you are invited back.
Read →5 min readWhat funders look at when you are just starting, and the smaller, local grants that make a good first step.
Read →Reviewed October 2026. Rules change, so confirm details with each funder and the official sources linked.