Imagine getting all the funds you need to grow and scale your business. Now, you can hire the best staff to grow your business. You can execute your written business plans. You can develop and deploy the best technology to reach your target customers. You can expand your business beyond the shores of your country and continent. You can 5x, 10x, 20x, 50x, or 100x your current impact, income, and influence. And the best part? You don’t need to repay the funds. You get it FREE of charge. You only have to follow through with your plans.
What’s this magical source of funding?
Grant Funding!
Before you get excited, let me make this clear. Attracting grant funding is not a walk in the park. The process is immensely competitive, with low chances of success. To increase your chances of winning, you must write a compelling grant proposal. But that’s hardly enough. Most funders require several standard documents to facilitate the application process. The absence of these documents can cancel your well-written proposals. Hence, you should keep these documents in a designated folder where you access them easily.
Here are the 5 key documents you need to secure your next grant funding:
If you’re seeking grant funding, a pitch deck is a must-have. A pitch deck shows investors and funders your strategic plans, unique value proposition, products or services, fundraising needs, target market, market value, and financial goals. Your pitch deck should generate interest with potential investors in your company, lead to another meeting and culminate in investment discussions. To achieve that, your pitch deck must tell a compelling story about your company. It should be brief, informative, and feature simple, visually appealing slides. If you’re having issues with creating a compelling pitch deck, we’ve got you covered. Click here to get the help you need.
Most funders will ask for audited/unauditied financial statements to be submitted with your grant proposal. Your financial statements play an important role in your grant funding process. They prove your financial stewardship and compel funders to trust you with grant funding. So, you must organize your financial statements before applying for grants. Ensure that your revenue, expenses, balance sheet, net assets, and other details about your business and non-profit accounting practices are ready.
To secure grant funding, you must prove that your team has the expertise and capacity to execute the project. That’s where the resume and bio come to play. Showcase their strengths, capacities, and expertise. Ensure that your CV highlights the expertise required by the funders. Tailor some of the languages to fit the grant’s guidelines or the funder’s interests.
A business plan clearly defines your business’s goals and how you plan to achieve them. A strong business plan provides a written roadmap for your business, from marketing, financial, and operational standpoints. If you need business funding and support, a business plan is an indispensable weapon in your arsenal. A business plan usually includes an Executive Summary, Company Summary, Products and Services, Market Analysis, Strategy and Implementation Summary, Competitive Analysis, Marketing Strategy, Sales Strategy, Milestones, Management Summary, and Financial Plan. If you’re confused about how to write a business plan, we’ve got you covered. Click here to get started.
While business plans project forward, annual reports look backward. Annual reports reveal the impact your organization has achieved in the previous year. Your annual reports serve as social proof and mark you as fundable. Your annual report should contain the following information: Mission & Vision, Impact Stories, financial information, accomplishments, and major contributors.
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