Screening Funding Opportunities
There are countless grants and other funding opportunities available through federal, state, local, and tribal governments; public and private foundations; and corporations.
To give a sense of scale, the subscription database, Foundation Directory Online, includes information on more than 240,000 grant-making foundations and has records of 4,000,000 awards in 2020 alone. The U.S. Department of Education awarded over 10,000 grants in Fiscal Year 2021, including more than 2,000 discretionary project grants (USASpending.gov).
In this ocean of funders and awards, it can be frustrating to find the right funders to meet a school’s needs and tricky to decide whether to pursue a specific application. The Finding Funding for Facilities section focuses on identifying potential funding opportunities, or “leads.” This learning module focuses on taking a lead or group of leads and assessing the fit with your organization in order to make an informed decision about applying.
The more attention that school leaders pay to these steps, the more likely they are to find well-aligned opportunities. This makes a school more likely to receive awards, to have those awards support their priorities, and to build long-term relationships with funders. With NISN and its network schools, this includes identifying funders who value educational approaches that affirm culture, engage community, and increase equity.
Using a sound approach for screening makes this process more efficient and effective. The resources for this topic include knowledge about screening practices and a worksheet to use in screening opportunities. The practices recommended are based on considerations used by grant professionals who routinely identify and screen leads.
Navigating Resources
These resources are sequenced. Please review the learning file before using the worksheet. Content is applicable to schools at any stage of development and is suitable for funding facilities or other uses.
1. Screening Funding Leads
This learning file includes information about screening opportunities and specific considerations to evaluate. It explains a recommended process for screening leads.
2. Funder Screening Worksheet
This tool is based on the recommended approach to screening leads. It prompts users to explore three key questions to assess and document their eligibility, alignment, and competitiveness for a specific award.