Grantseekers Continue to Struggle Amidst Economic Woes
Fairbanks, AK and Washington, DC (December 5, 2011)
Grantseeking activities are stagnating as nonprofits try to find new sources of funding to replace reduced government and other funds, according to the findings of a recent survey on The State of Grantseeking recently conducted by GrantStation and PhilanTech.
The State of Grantseeking Fall 2011 is the third semi-annual informal survey of nonprofits conducted by GrantStation and PhilanTech to help reveal the current state of grantseeking in the U.S. Between mid-August and early October 2011, GrantStation and PhilanTech invited nonprofit organizations throughout the country to participate in an online survey to help determine the present state of grantseeking.
“With well over 900 respondents representing nonprofits of different sizes and issue areas nationwide, these survey results provide a sense of the current trends in grantseeking and begin to shed light on the challenges nonprofit organizations face at the end of 2011,” said Cynthia Adams, CEO of GrantStation.
“While nonprofits remain optimistic about their ability to raise funds and deliver services,” said Dahna Goldstein, Founder of PhilanTech, “many organizations – particularly smaller organizations – are applying for more grants but receiving smaller grants.”
Other findings from the survey included:
- A majority of organizations applied for more grants, but increased efforts only resulted in more grant funds for 26% of respondents;
- The average size of grants decreased from the same period last year;
- Economic and organizational conditions present the greatest challenges to nonprofits’ grantseeking efforts. Researching and finding grants was cited as the greatest challenge by 31% of nonprofits, while competition for a reduced amount of funding dollars was the greatest challenge for 23% of nonprofits;
- And yet 81% of nonprofits think their grant funding will be consistent or better in the next 6 months.
The survey was open from August 18, 2011 until October 2, 2011, and received 928 complete responses. While nonprofit organizations of all sizes responded to the survey, the majority could be considered small to mid-sized organizations:
- One third (33%) had one to five staff members; and,
- Over half (60%) had budgets under $1,000,000.
“This survey and the corresponding report were intended to present a ground level look at the state of grantseeking,” said Ms. Adams. “We hope that this information is helpful to nonprofits as they plan their 2012 grantseeking strategies.”
To download the full State of Grantseeking report click here.
About GrantStation
GrantStation.com, Inc. (GrantStation) offers nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and government agencies the opportunity to identify potential funding sources for their programs or projects as well as resources to mentor these organizations through the grantseeking process.
GrantStation provides access to a searchable database of private grantmakers that accept inquiries and proposals from a variety of organizations; federal deadlines, which are updated twice a week; links to state funding agencies; and a growing database of international grantmakers. In addition, GrantStation publishes two e-newsletters highlighting upcoming funding opportunities, the weekly GrantStation Insider, which focuses on opportunities for U.S. nonprofit organizations, and the monthly GrantStation International Insider, which focuses on international funding opportunities.
Find out more at www.grantstation.com.
About PhilanTech, LLC
PhilanTech is a mission-driven company dedicated to using technology to increase efficiency and impact in the social sector. The PhilanTrack® for Nonprofits is a secure web-based grants management system that streamlines the grants management process and enables nonprofits to easily view and manage grant-related information. PhilanTrack helps nonprofits manage grants efficiently from initial proposal through final progress report, saving time and money that can be redirected to the organization’s programs and services.
Contact us to learn more about PhilanTrack and how it can help your organization.
For more information, please contact:
Dahna Goldstein
PhilanTech
Phone: 888-784-7268 x703Email: info@philantech.com
