{"id":1003,"date":"2019-03-08T04:48:18","date_gmt":"2019-03-08T04:48:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/blog\/?p=1003"},"modified":"2023-06-23T17:18:47","modified_gmt":"2023-06-23T21:18:47","slug":"dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals"},"content":{"rendered":"

Unsolicited grant proposals are more common than you think. Philanthropy is, for the most part, a world of insiders. If you haven’t yet penetrated into the inner sanctum, don’t despair. All grants listed on GrantWatch are open to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements. Not just a chosen few. Occasionally you may find some grants on GrantWatch where there is a percentage of the total funding that will only be given to a solicited proposal. For the most part of the funding, you will be able to apply.<\/p>\n

Unsolicited Proposals<\/h6>\n

“Many foundations\u00a0clearly state they do not <\/strong>accept unsolicited<\/a>\u00a0proposals\u00a0or even unsolicited LOIs (letters of interest), and it seems the list of those that do is shrinking every grant cycle, so having a database to search like GrantWatch<\/a> can save grant seekers a lot of time and effort.\u00a0 This means that the foundation or government entities contact (solicit) the organizations and invite them to apply. If you apply to a foundation that only accepts “solicited Proposals” then your application or LOI is considered an “Unsolicited proposal”.\u00a0 That differs greatly from an “open call for grant proposals”.\u00a0 GrantWatch focuses on the open call for proposals, listing only currently available grants.<\/p>\n

Grant seekers should not waste time submitting unsolicited proposals to organizations that are not open to them.\u00a0\u00a0Unsolicited grant proposals are proposals sent out after an\u00a0organization researches funding sources and submits written grant proposals to those whose past or current funding areas match the organization’s proposal idea though they have not been asked to do so.<\/p>\n

Search Smarter<\/h6>\n

GrantWatch.com<\/a> can save grant seekers a lot of work. About 33 percent of corporate foundations and 23 percent of family foundations\u00a0are open to<\/strong>\u00a0considering unsolicited grant proposals,<\/p>\n

“From a foundation perspective, not accepting proposals can be like building a dyke to hold back the flood,” according to Rick Smith.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

GrantWatch weeds out all foundations that don’t accept unsolicited proposals. One reason foundations don’t accept unsolicited proposals is due to the foundation’s size. Most have three or fewer people on staff and are often inundated with proposals. For every grant approved about eleven more are declined, but the ratio can be much worse.<\/p>\n

Learn from past lessons<\/h6>\n

One year at the Ford Foundation – which accepts unsolicited proposals and has hundreds of staff – received 144,000\u00a0letters of inquiry, e-mail requests, and actual proposals, but were only able to approve under 3,000.\u00a0 \u00a0The situation could be improved if foundations were more clear\u00a0about their\u00a0priorities and\u00a0the type of projects and programs they’re\u00a0looking to fund and if the nonprofits were more\u00a0careful in targeting and responding to the priority initiatives of the grant application.<\/p>\n

With an increased\u00a0emphasis in philanthropy on strategy and social impact a new wave of business-oriented, often younger philanthropists have entered the field and brought with them notions of social investment, metrics and assessment. All\u00a0this adds up to a trend among some foundations to design their own theories of change\u00a0and either implement programs themselves or select the organizations from which they are willing to entertain proposals. The actual design of these strategies frequently is done in collaboration with nonprofits and universities, so they only accept solicited proposals, proposals from those they ask to apply.<\/p>\n

Relationships are key!<\/h6>\n

At GrantWatch, we’ve gone through the lists of foundations offering grants, (there are about 100,000 of them), and list for you all those that are open to receiving inquiries that they haven’t solicited. If grant seekers search on their own, it often it takes knowing someone on the inside, or for an intermediary to provide a referral.<\/p>\n

To raise your chances of being awarded a grant, grants begin with relationships, so find a way to build one.<\/p>\n

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation<\/a>, <\/strong>with its mission to support pioneering ideas and innovative solutions to ensure they stay on the cutting edge in their efforts to foster a culture of health in America, is part of an increasingly rare breed of foundations in their acceptance of unsolicited proposals. They award grants throughout the year. Current RWJF grants are listed on the GrantWatch website.<\/p>\n

Some other foundations still open to unsolicited proposals or LOIs are the National Science Foundation with a current Computer Education for All grant<\/a>, and the Park Foundation<\/a>, \u00a0see their guidelines\u00a0as to whether you are eligible for one of their five grants listed on GrantWatch.<\/p>\n

The Department of State\u00a0and USAID also\u00a0accept\u00a0valid unsolicited grant proposals and\u00a0are looking for\u00a0new and innovative ideas consistent with the agency\u2019s mission. However, the requirements for contractor resources are normally program specific and must be responsive to the Department\u2019s needs.\u00a0Prospects\u00a0are encouraged to make preliminary contact\u00a0with agency personnel prior to preparing detailed unsolicited proposals or submitting proprietary information to the government.\u00a0Submit\u00a0unsolicited proposals\u00a0to the Unsolicited Proposal Coordinator\u00a0at USAID<\/a> once you’ve determined whether you’re eligible.<\/p>\n

Sources:
\n<\/strong>https:\/\/nonprofitquarterly.org\/2014\/08\/11\/scaling-the-wall-getting-your-grant-proposal-heard\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unsolicited grant proposals are more common than you think. Philanthropy is, for the most part, a world of insiders. If<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":18520,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sb_is_suggestion_mode":false,"_sb_show_suggestion_boards":false,"_sb_suggestion_history":"","_sb_update_block_changes":"","_is_real_time_mode":false,"_realtime_collaborators":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[104,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archived-posts","category-news-blog"],"yoast_head":"\nAvoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Avoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GrantNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Libby Hikind\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@grantwatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@grantwatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Libby Hikind\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Libby Hikind\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282\"},\"headline\":\"Don’t Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\"},\"wordCount\":830,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Archived Posts\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\",\"name\":\"Avoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00\",\"description\":\"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/\",\"name\":\"GrantNews\",\"description\":\"Powered By GrantWatch\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GrantWatch\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg\",\"width\":400,\"height\":120,\"caption\":\"GrantWatch\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/grantwatch\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grantswatch\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/grantwatch-com\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/applyforgrants\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8YAavtZreMRWx67Zkt-Kkg\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282\",\"name\":\"Libby Hikind\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Libby Hikind\"},\"description\":\"Libby Hikind is the founder and CEO of GrantWatch.com\u2014a top online resource for grants and funding, drawing over 350,000 monthly active users\u2014and host of the \\\"GrantTalk\\\" podcast, where she interviews funders and grant awardees on securing funding, nonprofit success, and entrepreneurial growth. Starting as a NYC Department of Education teacher, she wrote classroom grants and raised millions for a Brooklyn district before launching her Staten Island grant-writing agency (complete with a pioneering fax newsletter), retiring to pioneer GrantWatch in the digital age, and relocating to Florida for family time. A beloved children's book author, Libby crafts enchanting stories on growing up, self-esteem, overcoming fears, and life lessons\u2014available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (request at local bookstores) with fun accompanying coloring books; titles include \\\"Rikki Wants A Pet: How a Fluttery Surprise Saved the Day,\\\" \\\"Why Won't You Go to School, Kiki Kangaroo?: How Everyone Helped Him: School Is Scary - Until It's Not,\\\" \\\"Twig Literacy: A Fun Story About Beavers, Money (Twigs), and Saving,\\\" \\\"Mr. Squirrel's Spring Cleaning Lesson,\\\" and \\\"Why Won't You Fly, Sky?: A Tale of Finding the Courage to Soar.\\\" Her memoir and grant writing module, \\\"The Queen of Grants: From Teacher to Grant Writer to CEO,\\\" inspires grant pros with her rise to success and teaches you all about grant writing\u2014look for Queen of Grants 2 which will be available soon.\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/author\/libby\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Avoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!","description":"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Avoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!","og_description":"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals","og_url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/","og_site_name":"GrantNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850","article_published_time":"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Libby Hikind","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@grantwatch","twitter_site":"@grantwatch","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Libby Hikind","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/"},"author":{"name":"Libby Hikind","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282"},"headline":"Don’t Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals","datePublished":"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/"},"wordCount":830,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","articleSection":["Archived Posts","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/","name":"Avoid Being Blacklisted with Unsolicited Grant Proposals!","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2019-03-08T04:48:18+00:00","dateModified":"2023-06-23T21:18:47+00:00","description":"Don't Get Locked-Out Of Foundations And Government Grants For Nonprofits, That Only Accept Solicited Grant Proposals","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/dont-get-locked-out-of-foundations-and-government-grants-for-nonprofits-that-only-accept-solicited-grant-proposals\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/","name":"GrantNews","description":"Powered By GrantWatch","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#organization","name":"GrantWatch","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/GW.jpg","width":400,"height":120,"caption":"GrantWatch"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/GrantWatch\/162625900556850","https:\/\/x.com\/grantwatch","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/grantswatch\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/grantwatch-com","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/applyforgrants","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC8YAavtZreMRWx67Zkt-Kkg"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/0c34e18456cd1bb01edfd4e65e2e0282","name":"Libby Hikind","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b3335488e486bdace4e6f00b56f315eabd313bb603c978111b6532b6f15a9350?s=96&d=identicon&r=g","caption":"Libby Hikind"},"description":"Libby Hikind is the founder and CEO of GrantWatch.com\u2014a top online resource for grants and funding, drawing over 350,000 monthly active users\u2014and host of the \"GrantTalk\" podcast, where she interviews funders and grant awardees on securing funding, nonprofit success, and entrepreneurial growth. Starting as a NYC Department of Education teacher, she wrote classroom grants and raised millions for a Brooklyn district before launching her Staten Island grant-writing agency (complete with a pioneering fax newsletter), retiring to pioneer GrantWatch in the digital age, and relocating to Florida for family time. A beloved children's book author, Libby crafts enchanting stories on growing up, self-esteem, overcoming fears, and life lessons\u2014available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (request at local bookstores) with fun accompanying coloring books; titles include \"Rikki Wants A Pet: How a Fluttery Surprise Saved the Day,\" \"Why Won't You Go to School, Kiki Kangaroo?: How Everyone Helped Him: School Is Scary - Until It's Not,\" \"Twig Literacy: A Fun Story About Beavers, Money (Twigs), and Saving,\" \"Mr. Squirrel's Spring Cleaning Lesson,\" and \"Why Won't You Fly, Sky?: A Tale of Finding the Courage to Soar.\" Her memoir and grant writing module, \"The Queen of Grants: From Teacher to Grant Writer to CEO,\" inspires grant pros with her rise to success and teaches you all about grant writing\u2014look for Queen of Grants 2 which will be available soon.","url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/author\/libby\/"}]}},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/unsolicitated-proposals-grants-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pck2w8-gb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":20905,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/what-does-it-mean-when-a-grant-says-invite-only\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":0},"title":"What Does It Mean When a Grant Says Invite-Only?","author":"Nikita","date":"September 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The grant world is competitive. When searching on other sites, you may have come across grant-making foundations that do not accept unsolicited proposals or the term invite-only. GrantWatch.com only posts currently available grants that are open to all who meet the eligibility requirements or grant listings that may require an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/invitation-only-grants-proposals.png?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24045,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/from-no-unsolicited-grant-proposals-to-getting-an-invitation\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":1},"title":"From “No Unsolicited Grant Proposals” to Getting an Invitation","author":"Nikita","date":"December 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Most foundations fall under three categories: those that require an application, those that require a Letter of Inquiry at the beginning of the application process, and those that offer funding by invitation only.\u00a0 Invite-only grants are usually open only to nonprofits that have an established relationship with the funding source.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Grants"","block_context":{"text":"Grants","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grants\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"From No Unsolicited Grant-Proposals to Getting an Invitation","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/From-No-Unsolicited-Grant-Proposals-to-Getting-an-Invitation-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/From-No-Unsolicited-Grant-Proposals-to-Getting-an-Invitation-copy-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/From-No-Unsolicited-Grant-Proposals-to-Getting-an-Invitation-copy-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/From-No-Unsolicited-Grant-Proposals-to-Getting-an-Invitation-copy-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26545,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/why-are-grant-proposals-rejected\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":2},"title":"Why Are Grant Proposals Rejected?","author":"Nikita","date":"April 26, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"When your grant proposal is rejected, it can feel deflating and leave you wondering where you went wrong. But don't feel too bad. On average, only one in seven grant proposals are awarded. A grant proposal can be rejected for a variety of reasons, some of which may have nothing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Education"","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/education\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/rejected-grant-proposals.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":65752,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/how-to-ask-for-grant-money-in-5-easy-steps\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":3},"title":"How to Apply for Grant Money in 5 Easy Steps","author":"Nikita","date":"August 11, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Asking for grant money can seem intimidating, especially if you're new to the process. But securing grant funding is a powerful way to support your projects, grow your organization, or turn your ideas into reality without having to repay the funds. The key is knowing how to approach the process\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "General"","block_context":{"text":"General","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/general\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/44.2_img-950x650_T.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/44.2_img-950x650_T.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/44.2_img-950x650_T.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/44.2_img-950x650_T.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":75483,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/how-nonprofits-use-grantwatch-to-find-foundation-grants\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":4},"title":"How Nonprofits Use GrantWatch to Find Foundation Grants","author":"Ariel","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Before we dive into funding strategies, take a second to smile at the image above. Nonprofit work can feel serious, and it often is, but moments of joy matter too. Behind every grant proposal is a team of people trying to do something good in the world. Finding the right\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Community"","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"find foundation grants on GrantWatch","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sitefundad-5-scaled.webp?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":908,"url":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/grantwatch-unveils-new-website-to-enhance-grant-searching-process\/","url_meta":{"origin":1003,"position":5},"title":"GrantWatch Unveils New Website to Enhance Grant Searching Process","author":"Libby Hikind","date":"February 16, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"To mark its 8th year of providing daily online access to more than 18,500 funding opportunities, GrantWatch.com has unveiled a redesigned website that will make searching for grants, awards and contracts that much easier, Libby Hikind, founder and CEO of GrantWatch.com, announced today. \u201cGrant-eligible nonprofit organizations no longer have to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Archived Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Archived Posts","link":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/archived-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Laptop GW Home Page","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/Laptop-GW-Home-Page-Composite-Highlighted-copy-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1003"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29182,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1003\/revisions\/29182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.grantwatch.com\/grantnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}