Speaker 1: Whether you need grants for small business, grants for individuals, or grants for nonprofits, this video covers the latest trends in successful grant writing, step-by-step, plus pro tips to help you take your project to the next level. Step number one, learn what grant funders are actually looking to support. We'll start with the always popular government grants. At the time I filmed this, the current trend is to put more grant dollars toward disaster aid, college access, child care, mental health, food assistance, and workforce development. Pro tip, contact the office of your federally elected officials. There is a directory linked below to find them because one of their services is to list the different ways these grant opportunities will work in your state. This is different if you are an individual. I suggest starting with government benefits instead of grants at benefits.gov linked below. Next are private foundations which award grants mostly to nonprofits and individuals. Pro tip, by and large, foundation grants are for projects and the funds last for one year. Individuals are eligible for scholarships or grants for local programs that are tightly focused on a community need. Another pro tip, local community foundations are a great place to start your grant journey. You can find them in the global directories linked below. There are also corporations which offer three types of community support. Pro tip, grants are not the biggest source of corporate support. There are also sponsorships. But you really need to check out this current trend and best kept secret. Large corporations and small businesses alike give employees time to volunteer in the community, which results in, get this, hundreds or thousands of corporate dollars awarded to the nonprofit where those employees volunteer. Step number two, check to make sure your project matches the grant funder's requirements. Grant funders usually have a website to detail their grant process or a phone number or mailing address to request details. In either case, you need to answer two questions to see if this grant is right for you. Question one, does the funder give where you live? If your business is in Portland, but the funder supports Los Angeles, there is no match. Don't apply. Question two, does the funder support what you do? If your nonprofit provides physical therapy, but the funder only supports afterschool programs, that is not a match. Don't apply. To find a grant in the first place, check out my always growing library of grant chatter videos and find what fits your location and topic, from Australia to veterans. Step number three, build a competitive grant proposal. I define competitive in two ways. The first is under your control. Make sure you submit a complete grant proposal on time and with any additional documents requested by the funder. More specifics refer to my how to write a grant playlist, which includes my earliest videos so you'll also get a good laugh at my newbie video skills. The second definition of a competitive grant proposal is partly out of your hands. Grant funders receive so many proposals that usually only 10% make it to the review stage, but a complete grant proposal significantly increases your likelihood of being in that 10%. Step number four, wait for the funder to review and respond. Congratulations for making it to this point. That is its own accomplishment. Now you wait. Grant funders have set schedules to review proposals and announce their awards. This usually takes a few months. Government grants can take over a year. Step number five, be encouraged. Grant writing is complex and grant dollars are not guaranteed, but your hard work will leave you with well-crafted project descriptions and up-to-date organizational documents, which you can use in other proposals or with donors or investors. Plus you can get an outside perspective on what you're doing and that can better help you serve your customers and your community. Thanks for watching.