Grantwriting Luke Bolinger’s Top Five Pieces of Funding Advice

1. Find the funders – and get to know them. Find a system of tracking funders and their application timelines – they can often change. Make the system work for you. Whether it’s a spreadsheet or a calendar, find a way to check in on application schedules. Get to know the key players in the funding organization before writing a sentence. Most funders have staff that are willing to spend some time with you to talk about your project to see if it is a good fit for their organization.

2. Instructions. Read them, then read them again. Your 5th grade teacher was right.

3. Start early. Work backwards from the due date. There may be certain requirements, like a resolution from your board, that you need to have complete – and those take time. Get letters of support early. Nothing is more stressful than having a great project and not having some impactful letters to submit. Get them from people who will actually benefit from your project. Sometimes a letter written in crayon speaks more than a form letter from someone who will never use your project.

4. Budget. Know your eligible and ineligible costs and be realistic about estimates. Also, know the match requirement – it varies across funding organizations. Double check your work.

5. Finally – the narrative. The narrative is where you get to tell your story and the story of your project.

What is the project? Why is it needed? How will it improve your community? Who will benefit from this project? What is unique about your project? Find those answers – every project has one. Just because you may be a small department in a small town does not mean that your project won’t have an impact in your community. Remember that you are not only trying to get money, but you are telling the story of your community. Let your passion for what you do come through your writing. Anyone can do that.

Luke Bolinger is the Development & Neighborhood Services Division Manager for Erie Parks & Recreation. He has extensive grant experience, having worked with Great Outdoors Colorado in the local government program, conducting grant workshops and reviewing hundreds of projects all across Colorado. He has secured over $2.5M worth of grant funding for Erie capital projects.