Grant Writing

During this critical time, nonprofits seek fund development and grant seeking training and resources now more than ever. 

Community Resource Center (CRC) has built a comprehensive program framework and recruited a team with a range of professional and lived experience in grant development, data systems, marketing, and research.

CRC programming and resources increase grant research, fund development, and grant management skills and knowledge of individuals working in the nonprofit sector in Colorado. CRC strives to strengthen grant-making practices by facilitating relationship and trust-building opportunities between grant-makers and grant-seekers across Colorado. In addition, CRC provides high-quality and culturally competent programing, especially for those organizations that experience barriers to receiving funding in communities across Colorado. 

Logic Models

Many funders ask grant questions related to your organization’s program planning, goals, activities and how you measure impact in your community. Logic models offer a practical, flexible structure to map how daily activities lead to long-term community outcomes. Omni has developed a free AI tool to help nonprofits start to map out a logic model for their organization – LoMA: Logic Model Assistant | Omni Institute

In addition, CRC has developed an ON DEMAND training on Program Planning and Evaluation which provides in depth training on best practices for program planning and establishing key evaluation metrics to help show impact.

From Proposal to Partnership

Build your capacity to write competitive grants by gaining a deeper understanding of all that goes into a successful application – beyond just answering the questions. In this interactive session you will learn and discuss how to structure a grant narrative for maximum effectiveness, build data systems for impactful grant reporting, strengthen funder relationships and cultivate donors, create sustainable grant management tools, and build a culture of philanthropy across your organization.

In this training, you will learn how to:

  • Structure a grant narrative for maximum effectiveness.
  • Build data systems for impactful grant reporting.
  • How to build next level funder relationships and cultivate donors.
  • Create sustainable grant management tools.
  • Build a culture of philanthropy across your organization.

Colorado’s Common Grant Forms

The Common Grant Application and Common Grant Report allow Colorado grantmakers and grantseekers to work from a common set of questions that reinforce solid nonprofit practices. Although many grantmakers have unique grant applications, the Colorado Common Grant Application and Report are excellent teaching tools that outline the critical components of a competitive grant proposal. and this tool provides a great overview of the type of information grantseekers should prepare in advance of applying for grants.

Common Grant Application

The Colorado Common Grant Application (CGA) is presented in a format that enables you to save it to your hard drive and complete it without recreating the document. The CGA is a stand-alone document that includes basic instructions for completion.

Colorado Common Grant for Capital Campaigns

The CGA for Capital Campaigns is designed for capital requests related to the purchase, construction, and/or renovation of a building. It can also be used for land purchase, but is probably not appropriate for purchase of equipment or vehicles unless those are part of a comprehensive building project. As always, check with your grantmaker about their use of the CGA-Capital before submitting a request.

User’s Guide

The User’s Guide combines the collective thoughts and experience of grantmakers, grantseekers, and technical assistance providers to explain the intent of each question, to offer tips on crafting a well-rounded answer, and to provide an easily accessible source of help for people writing a grant application. The User’s Guide is not a replacement for a discussion with a specific foundation about your proposal.

The User’s Guide can be read beginning to end or referenced on an as needed basis. The PDF file is bookmarked to allow you to turn directly to the section(s) or question(s) of interest. It can be used online or downloaded to your desktop.

Common Grant Report

Reporting on a funded grant is a critical piece of the grantmaking process. Grant reports allow the funded organization to share the progress, successes, and challenges encountered while implementing the funded grant. Reports also allow grantmakers to gather information on the impact they are making in their own mission areas. In most instances, a grantmaker will not accept another request for funding until the organization has completed the report on their previous funding.

If you have any doubts, confirm with each of your grantmakers that the CGR is acceptable for their purposes. Make sure you tailor your documents for your grant and your grantmaker, including requirements or evaluative information specific to the grant and/or funder.

Events & Traingings

CRC also  offers a variety of trainings that focus on using the CGA and CGR for your organization’s fund development needs.

Frequently Asked Questions: Grantseeker

Yes. Some grantmakers will only use a Common Grant Form for their application and/or reporting requirements. Others give grantseekers the choice of submitting a Common Grant Form OR an application or reporting format stipulated by the grantmaker.

No. You are able to download the forms online, save them to your computer, but then you must submit them to a particular grantmaker. If a grantmaker has an online application and reporting process, they will provide you with specific instructions regarding their process.

No. Nonprofit grant guides and many other grant-writing resources are available in the community. The Colorado Grants Guide, a product of Community Resource Center, has over 750 profiles of funders who fund initiatives and organizations in Colorado.

There is no single person to contact regarding questions about the Common Grant Forms. Part of the reason for developing the User’s Guides was to provide clarity on the questions asked. It is always appropriate to contact specific grantmakers with questions that arise when applying or reporting to them.

Many grantmakers, particularly those that accept the Colorado Common Grant Application (CGA), require “proof of IRS federal tax-exempt status, dated within the last five years.” Proof is generally the organization’s 501(c)(3) IRS Determination Letter. Since an organization’s exempt-status can change (i.e. reclassified under a different IRS code or completely revoked for non-compliance), it is necessary for grantseekers to provide a letter from the IRS dated within the last five years, even though technically, the IRS says they don’t “re-issue new determination letters as an organization’s original determination letter does not expire and is always still valid until the point in which an organization’s exempt status changes.” In this instance the IRS would issue a brand new determination letter.

Rather than requesting a “new determination letter” and confusing the IRS agent, it is best to ask for an “Affirmation Letter” which simply affirms that the organization’s original tax exempt status is still valid. The “Affirmation Letter” dated within the last five years, in most cases, is acceptable proof for grantmakers. The IRS typically sends affirmation letters within 10-14 business days of the request date.

General Information

A group of nonprofit organizations and grantmakers worked together with CRC to develop Colorado’s Common Grant Application (CGA) in 1993. A revised version of the CGA was last released in April of 2008.

Three driving principles guided the process:

  1. Build upon the success of the past
  2. Actively engage people in a deliberate and objective process
  3. Enhance the opportunity for nonprofit organizations to tell their story while reinforcing “best practices” of nonprofit management and leadership

In 2008, recognizing the importance of these efforts, Colorado Attorney General John W. Suthers and Colorado Secretary of State Mike Coffman endorsed the use of the revised CGA in recognition of its value in reinforcing best practices and ultimately leading to a strengthened nonprofit sector.

In late 2009, the Common Grant Application for Capital Campaigns (CGA-Capital) was created by tweaking the CGA to make it more suitable for grantmakers reviewing capital campaign requests.

About 10% of funders accept the Common Grant Application and/or the Common Grant Report. However, the sections on the Common Grant Application are consistent with the questions and information needed for the majority of grant applications. Some grantmakers give applicants the choice of either using the CGA and CGR or a format specified by the grantmaker. Others accept the common forms and require additional information for their applications or reports, or they have made slight modifications to the application or report. Others may require a letter of intent prior to receiving an application. Therefore, it is critical that grantseekers visit grant research tools, such as the Colorado Grants Guide or grantmaker websites for the most up-to-date information about individual funding entities areas of interest, application requirements, deadlines, reporting requirements, and other pertinent information.