GrantSmarts: Connecting Nonprofits & their Grant Proposals

Hello there and welcome to my web site. The name is Harvey Chess, and I train and consult with people in nonprofit organizations. Any wisdom I bring to this work has been derived from my relationships and experiences in the public and private sectors. I have simultaneously been all over the map — and felt at home — among such organizations for the best part of 45 years. (See the Tree of Experience for details.)

I created The FTF Group years ago to convey a sense of organization to my sole proprietorship. In my own thoughts, all the people with whom I have worked are members of the group. I am asked now and then what the letters stand for, and the answer is First Things First. Specifically, when we talk about going after resources, as we always do in nonprofit settings, we need to remember that the organization comes first, then the money.

In some respects, this web site represents another chapter in my ongoing communication with the people who work with and care about nonprofits. It’s good to get it out of my head, where it has lived for too long. I’m hoping we can gather here and continue to discover ways to learn from one another.

Perhaps we’ve met in one of many, many training programs I’ve had the good fortune to carry out. These events almost always focus on pursuing resources, particularly through proposal development and grant seeking. And I always get around to a freely shared approach that challenges what so often passes for conventional wisdom in such efforts. I want to revisit and re-emphasize my principle theme in this regard. If we’ve worked together, you’ll recall this. If not, perhaps, you’ll find it nourishing food for thought. It goes like this.

I am convinced that the energy than can & should be put into building a persuasive funding proposal also provides the opportunity for some necessary organizational planning. I’ll even go so far as to contend that the markers of an excellent funding proposal and an excellent nonprofit organization are one and the same. So, rather than concentrating only on techniques for building proposals, it seems every bit as important to carefully consider the context within which proposals are built, that is, your organization.

This way we can understand that proposal and organizational development are harmonious. And we can visualize that our funding proposals will emanate from a place & sense of strength, derived from the planning we put into them, and consistent with the mission by which our organization’s work is guided. The resulting product would seem to make sense in the competitive grants marketplace, as well.

You will find more information on this site to bolster this approach. I’ll include excerpts from my book, Getting Smart About Getting Grants, currently being updated. I will also share examples taken from the many funding proposals I have been asked to review & critique. You’ll be able read what people with whom I’ve worked have to say about their experiences. Look for information on attending one of the regularly scheduled two-day trainings I do in Sacramento, along with other sessions as they develop elsewhere. You’re encouraged to contact me if your organization or community is interested in working together.