By: Micki Vandeloo, President, Lakeview Consulting
When I first started writing grants for a living, I went to a United Way training course to learn more about grant writing as a profession. Since the United Way funds non-profits, the course was very centered on finding and accessing grants for non-profits. When I told the instructor that I had an intention of helping for-profit companies, particularly manufacturers, find and access grants to fund their success, I got a bit of a side eye! After all, as I would come to find out, while there are certainly grants to fund for-profit companies, there were no grant writers who focused on manufacturers and for-profit companies at the time.
Today, there are some grant writers that provide consulting services to for-profit companies and manufacturers, but there is still very much a non-profit focus for most grant writers. So, what makes for-profit grant writers and our projects unique? This article will explain why I consider my team (1 for-profit grant researcher and 2 writers) “unicorns among unicorns”.
What Makes For-Profit Grant Writers Unique?
There are a few ways in which researching and writing grants for for-profit companies is unique:
- You don’t look in the same places for for-profit grants as you do for non-profit funding. While there are tools to help grant professionals in the non-profit sector find grants, including Candid and Grant Station, the only tool to help for-profit companies find grants is the one my team developed, the Free Manufacturing Grant Database. This tool provides an updated list of grants available to manufacturers and other for-profit companies.
- For-profit grant research is a standalone service. While non-profits can easily find grants to support their worthwhile mission, our for-profit clients generally start with a customized grant and incentive research project. This report is very customized to the client and their specific projects. Since manufacturing projects include a lot of elements, including training and capital investment, we utilize our client’s upcoming projects to inform the research we do.
- There are alternative sources of funding for for-profit businesses. While non-profits tend to rely on fundraising and grants from corporate and other foundations, for-profit companies rely on funding from local, state and federal economic development sources. The funding mechanisms available to for-profit companies can include grants, tax credits and low interest loans.
- For-profit grant writers possess a special set of grant writing skills. While for-profit grant writers need to have many of the same skills as non-profit writers (strong narrative development, making a convincing case to funders, and creating an application that meets the funder requirements), they also need to be able to engage with state funders with applicant questions; need to be informed on the outcomes for their clients (which are different than those for non-profits); and be well informed on their clients’ business and capital expenditure plans to be able to communicate it to funders.
- For-profit grant writers have different client contacts. While most non-profit grant writers typically work with Executive Directors or the fundraising department, for-profit grant writers typically work with a company’s Chief Executive Officer, Operations Manager or Human Resources contact. These people often hold the most information about upcoming projects, which is helpful for grant applications.
While there are some differences, all grant professionals regardless of their specialization need to understand their clients, create competitive applications and help clients with both pre- and post-award phases of grants. And any company, regardless of tax designation, should consider grants as part of their funding strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions About For-Profit Grant Writers
What kinds of grants can for-profit companies get?
For-profit companies can get grants to fund training and apprenticeship programs, export activities, recycling initiatives, energy efficiency and renewable energy investments, capital investments and facility expansion/construction.
How do for-profit grant writers work with their clients?
We typically start by finding out what specific projects our clients are planning, then doing research into grants and incentives to help fund those projects. Once the research is done and they understand the funding landscape, we help them develop and submit grant applications to obtain funding. We also help our clients with post-award management, including development of reports and collection of data to meet funder reporting requirements.
What is the difference between pre-award and post-award activities?
Pre-award activities are those done prior to grant award. Activities include grant research, portal registration and application development and submittal. Post-award activities are those required by the funder once a company receives an award. This includes reporting and publication of award announcement.
Why are for-profit grant writers unique?
For-profit grant writers look in different places for grants for their clients; often perform research into available grants and incentives prior to engaging in application development; help clients navigate both grant and incentive applications; possess a unique set of grant professional skills; and work with different company executives than non-profit grant writers do.