Winning Grants to Strengthen Your Ministry

The compassion, creativity, and knowledge about community needs that ministry leaders possess make faith-based ministries well suited for serving people in need, but not necessarily adept at pursuing grants. Ministry groups are less experienced than other types of nonprofit organizations in discerning which funding to seek, understanding how to build relationships with funders, and putting together proposals. Joy Skjegstad is an experienced grant-proposal writer who has successfully raised money for a variety of nonprofits over the past twenty years, including three ministry organizations. She shows how fundraising can be an integral part of ministry-forcing us into deeper conversation with God, expanding our relationships with others, and building both our faith and our discipline. Providing detailed guidance on the practical aspects of seeking grants from foundation and corporate funders, Skjegstad describes approaches for researching potential funders, developing a case statement, putting together an effective grant proposal, and following up with grant makers. She explains the types of grants available and how to determine which are a good fit with your ministry. For faith-based ministries, faith is the groundwork for fundraising-the most important thing to consider while developing fundraising values and strategies. Skjegstad helps faith communities identify their own cultural beliefs, follow spiritual disciplines, and cultivate generous hearts as they work toward integrating their faith and their fundraising.