בקשת מענקים לעמותות מקרנות פילנתרופיות בחו"ל – למה זה כדאי ובאילו תנאים / חני סודרי

Every non-profit organization, and certainly a new non-profit organization, at some point is faced with the question: "Should the non-profit organization submit funding requests to philanthropic funds?". The answer is yes, but it is important to do it right. Although there are many opportunities for grants to non-profit organizations offered by many philanthropic funds operating around the world, before submitting applications, it is important to stop and understand some important points, thereby increasing the chances of such resource mobilization processes being successful.

Raising resources for non-profit organizations is a profession for everything. Locating philanthropic funds relevant to the association's field of activity, the projects it leads, the scope of funding it requires, etc. is critical to the success of resource development processes for associations from philanthropic funds abroad. In addition, writing applications for grants requires knowledge and experience, since they must speak the correct language and present the data and content The important ones according to the criteria set by the philanthropic foundation to which they apply.

Some hold the view that the field of writing application letters is shrouded in mystery and the results of funding applications do not depend on the letters at all but on the whims of the fund representatives. Others believe that philanthropic foundations 'disperse' funds generously to any non-profit organization that requests funding, and all that is required is to quickly draft a letter of request and the non-profit organization will receive unlimited funding.

The reality is more complex than these two extreme concepts, but there are several reasons for combining resource mobilization from philanthropic funds in the process of developing resources for the association:

• First, each year more than 50 billion dollars are earmarked for grants to non-profit organizations on behalf of philanthropic foundations , whether family foundations, corporate foundations, etc.
• Second, there is a wide variety of philanthropic foundations that dedicate their activities to support in various fields, so that each association can find funds that can meet the criteria it sets for receiving a grant, even new associations. While there are foundations abroad that dedicate their activities only to their country of residence, others open up the opportunity to submit grants to non-profit organizations around the world, and there are even those that dedicate their activities to supporting non-profit organizations in Israel. However, it is necessary to invest the resources required to locate the relevant funds.
• Third, you can get financing for any need. Although the most common type of financing is specific project financing, there are funds that offer other types of grants, such as a grant to finance current expenses, a grant for a project under construction (for new associations), a grant to finance construction, and more. In addition, the types of funding also differ in the aspect of the duration of the support, i.e. one-time grants versus multi-year supports.

And despite the reasons listed, it is important to understand that this is not a magic, quick and simple solution for associations that need funding. Submitting applications for funding is hard work, and in order to increase the chance of receiving a positive response, it is not possible to send 'duplicate' application letters with identical or similar wording to different funds according to a fixed template. For each application letter, preliminary research must be done and the application must be adapted personally to the fund to which they are applying. Moreover, even if impeccable professional work is invested, nothing guarantees the receipt of funding.

In the current situation in Israel today, where it is difficult to rely on government support, grants from commercial companies or private donations, funding from philanthropic funds is an important channel as part of the process of developing resources for the association. It is important to understand that writing applications for grants is only a small part of the total effort required from all levels in the association to support the process. Also, relying on one funding body, whether it is a philanthropic foundation or another donor, is a big risk, which is recommended to be avoided. Another important point is that the process does not end with receiving a positive response to a grant request, and the association must constantly take care of additional funding channels in addition to maintaining relationships with existing donors. Developing resources for the association is an ongoing and constant process, and only in this way will the association be able to ensure financial stability and development over time.

If so, it is possible to obtain grants for non-profit organizations from philanthropic foundations, but this is provided that the task is entrusted to a person from within the non-profit organization who has the necessary training and experience, or the external services of a professional fundraising company are hired. Also, one must start with the understanding that this is a long-term process in which the association will also encounter negative answers. "Diving" into the process of submitting applications for funding from foundations without prior preparation, building a supporting professional system as part of an overall resource development plan is a mistake that may cost the association valuable time and resources.