CollaborationGrantmakers for Effective Organizations

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CollaborationGrantmakers for Effective Organizations

Collaboration allows grantmakers to leverage the contributions of multiple players to make more progress toward shared goals.

CollaborationGrantmakers for Effective Organizations  For grantmakers, working collaboratively means deepening relationships with partners and putting a common vision ahead of individual organizations or agendas.

CollaborationGrantmakers for Effective Organizations  Grantmakers can also effectively support grantee collaboration by funding infrastructure that enables these efforts to thrive, connecting people and groups working in common areas and emphasizing long-term learning and impact over short-term gains.

CollaborationGrant writing in today's fiscal environment requires an acceptance that in many cases the funding authority is looking for an organization that can provide a one-stop shopping capability.   • The world is a complex place• Grant seeking organization should provide a

broad base of services and products • Difficult or impossible for any small- to

medium-sized organization to have all of the required talents and skills at all times

• Important for grant writing organizations to complement their offerings with the capabilities of other organizations who do maintain expertise in several different skill and expertise areas.  

CollaborationIn order for small- and medium-sized organizations to pursue new funding streams, they need to create strategic alliances or partnerships.  • Key - effective management structure that

allows each grant partner to work their part of the grant in as seamlessly as possible.  

• These strategic alliances, which form a leadership dynamic, allow small- and medium-sized grant-seeking organizations to band to successfully compete for resources against larger institutions.  

CollaborationThis approach allows for greater innovation and creativity because grant-seeking organizations can "team up" with entities that are not part of their traditional approach.   • By bringing in new and different

teaming partners new funding streams become available for organizations that have traditionally only pursued grant opportunities in one specific domain.

CollaborationOrganizations often find themselves seeking grants not in their obvious areas of expertise but also in the once traditional domains of the other.   • Funding authorities first and foremost are

seeking proposals from organizations or teams of organizations that understand the systematic complexity of such efforts and can offer a "one stop shopping" solution to the challenges described in the request for proposal.

CollaborationGroup Collaborative Exercise Instructions:

1. Divide into groups

2. Talk and get to know broadly shared interests – Use “Interests Sheet” to list. (Try to avoid thinking about a specific need for your organization, but instead consider broader community interests and goals)

3. Define collaborative goal

4. Develop broad plan for collaborationa. List each group’s contribution to collaborative effort

5. Study list of foundations and determine whether one has overlapping interests

6. Explain how your collaborative effort will address the interests/objectives of the funding agency

7. Provide a brief abstract of potential ask to foundation