Change the City: Get the Grant

Ready to bite the bullet and go after that check? Catherine Parker of Parker Grant Solutions has some tips for acing the application.
Follow the rules. Requirements in great detail will be on the grant’s website. “There is no gray area in the world of grant writing,” Parker says.
Don’t promise the world. Funders can tell when you’re exaggerating.
Find the money. The Charitable Advisors weekly e-newsletter (charitableadvisors.com) lists grant opportunities. But it’s always a good idea to start local, like with these Indianapolis treasure chests:
Nina Mason Pulliam Trust (ninapulliamtrust.org) Funds projects that help people in need, protect animals and nature, and enrich community life.
Lilly Endowment (lillyendowment.org) Supports ideas that address human and social needs, central-city and neighborhood revitalization, low-income housing, and arts and culture.
Central Indiana Community Foundation (cicf.org) Serves as a hub for a variety of funding sources, including the Efroymson Family Fund, The Glick Fund, and the Herbert Simon Family Foundation. For extra credit, read CICF’s Grant Seeker’s Guidebook.
Richard M. Fairbanks Foundation (rmff.org) Focuses on education, health, and the vitality of Indianapolis.
Ask for feedback. Though it can be a little intimidating, funding organizations aren’t run by elites in ivory towers; they’re a bunch of real folks. If you receive a rejection letter, follow up and ask why. It could have been for something as simple as a typo.