With the pandemic and uncertainly around the economy, many of the government grants have been…let say….stalled. And some private foundations and corporations have either abruptly stopped their current funding cycles (some after applications were already submitted) or pivoted to COVID response grants that primarily went to organizations they were already working with for previous grant projects.
So how does someone cut through the madness and find the funds?
Well, that is what Upper Edge does – all day, every day. We scour our sources and read between the lines of funding announcements. When possible, we reach out to the funding organization to try to uncover what their priorities really are, because oftentimes the language on the website or announcement does not seem to match what they actually fund.
I will admit, our success percentages went down this year – and I believe that is true across the board for everyone. Competition for grant funding is fierce right now as sources have dried up. But I believe that is temporary. Grant funding is a powerful way to re-strengthen our economy and keep the organizations that are doing good work in our communities strong.
Over the next few months, we will be using this blog to share with you where we find funds and how we evaluate them for viability. And as the year turns toward 2021, we hold out hope that this pandemic will pass, our economy will start to rebound, and funds will again start to flow. And I promise, we will be there to find those funds for our clients as soon as they are available!