Cash grants
Ask what project costs the award could cover, who can apply, and whether the entry point is an application, letter of inquiry or invitation. What approval comes before spending?
The funding field guide · Preparation, not prediction
Start with the work.
Then find the funding.
One real project. One clear applicant. A funding route that fits. Use these questions before spending time on a proposal.
These are synthesized preparation recommendations, not client case studies, measured results or eligibility decisions. This guide does not refresh the directory’s individual source dates. Recheck each opportunity with its original provider.
01 · Know what you are pursuing
Not every funding route is a cash grant.
Keep each route separate in your working budget. Do not add unlike benefits into an expected award total.
Donor-directed gifts
Ask who recommends the gift, who approves it, and which recipient and purpose should be identified. Do not treat a giving portal or donor-advised channel as an open grant competition.
Reimbursements
Ask what costs or services trigger a claim, what records support it, and who carries the cost until payment. Keep approval, expenditure, claim and received cash separate.
Noncash support
For donated goods, services, credits or discounts, ask what can actually be used and what staff time or ongoing expense remains. A retail value is not spendable cash.
Loans
Ask about repayment, approvals, restrictions and the operating budget that would carry the obligation. Keep borrowing separate from grants and gifts.
Contracts
Ask who buys the service, who delivers it, what the agreement requires and when payment happens. A delivery partnership is not automatically a grant to the congregation.
02 · Check the fit before drafting
Questions, not a readiness score.
For each item, record confirmed, unknown, mismatch or not applicable, with the supporting source and a next step. Unknown is not failure. A record missing from a public website may exist internally.
Applicant & authority
Who is the exact applicant and payment recipient: congregation, school, local affiliate, mission agency or partner? Who may approve and sign? Which identity, history and organizational documents does this particular route ask for?
Location & people served
Where will the work happen, and who can use it? Check the actual site and service area against the funder’s geography, rather than relying on a mailing address or network footprint.
Project & costs
Is the activity operating now or an explicitly proposed pilot? What precise costs are requested? Separate worship, education, community service and shared facility costs; identify costs already paid or promised by another source.
Access route & current cycle
Is there an open application, open inquiry followed by invitation, renewal conversation, donor recommendation or partner-led process? What current official evidence supports that route? A previous award or thematic fit does not establish access.
The applicant, project and cost basis are clear enough to compare with current official criteria. This is not permission to apply or a guarantee of eligibility.
A material fact is unknown or conflicting. Assign the exact question, an owner and a source to check before drafting.
A confirmed mismatch, closed route or unresolved feasibility issue makes drafting premature. Record why, and what evidence would justify revisiting it.
03 · Choose the work, not the biggest headline
A preparation path for your project.
These pathways suggest what to assemble; linked directories are browsing starting points, not screened matches.
Describe what already happens.
Define one service, who can participate, its delivery schedule, referral partners and an uncovered cost. Separate ordinary ministry operations from a proposed expansion. What activity could continue after the funding ends?
Browse small-church opportunities →Check the provider, not just the church.
List the school or childcare role, site, actual capacity and existing support. Which approvals or agreements does each route ask for? Separate tuition, meals, equipment and services; do not assume one approval covers another program.
Browse technology & training →Start with the specific site.
Assemble site control, a documented risk case, a scoped improvement and quotes. Ask about the correct submission route, spending approvals and payment timing. Keep detailed security assessments private.
Browse building & repair →Separate restoration from expansion.
Gather property responsibility, condition evidence, significance or designation records and a repair scope. Ask what preservation evidence, public use or matching support the particular route expects. Building age alone is not an eligibility decision.
Browse building & repair →Name the applicant and the outcome.
Distinguish a local congregation from a sending organization or independent mission agency. Describe the actual work and access route. Keep training attendance, completed referrals and verified sending outcomes separate.
Browse the full directory →Follow the agreement.
Who is the applicant, payer, service provider and reporting owner? Document each role, payment trigger and permission to name the partner. Separate hosting or referrals from qualified care and contracted delivery.
Build the shared evidence packet →04 · Prepare once, tailor with care
Build a reusable evidence packet.
The shared core
- Applicant identity, authorized approver and relevant site responsibility.
- A concise description of the real service or clearly labeled proposal.
- Finance-approved cost basis, quotes, existing support and remaining gap.
- Aggregate activity records, reporting period and definitions.
- Partner roles, permission to name them and delivery responsibilities.
- A claim register: source, date, reviewer, permitted use and unresolved questions.
Reuse approved material rather than rebuilding it for every pursuit. Refresh changed facts and add only the route-specific documents requested. Keep donor, student, patient and detailed security records out of public briefs.
Can the project carry the cost?
- Which costs are supported by quantities, unit costs or quotes?
- What is cash in hand, a pledge, a restricted balance or an unconfirmed request?
- Is any cost already assigned to another payer?
- What match, advance spending or payment delay needs clarification?
- Who approves spending and tracks claims, payment and restrictions?
- What staffing, maintenance and ongoing costs remain afterward?
Do not size a request from a published maximum or treat released staff time as cash savings.
Participants ≠ visits ≠ outcomes.
Participants: distinct people served within a stated period. Visits: service encounters, including repeat attendance. Outcomes: a defined change measured with an appropriate method. Keep each separate, avoid double-counting across programs, and label actuals, estimates and future targets. Attendance alone does not demonstrate a change in health, skills or employment.
05 · Give every date a job
Do not turn a planning date into a deadline.
Published deadline
Record the official source, cycle, application stage, exact deadline and timezone, plus when you checked it. Confirm whose deadline it is and whether an earlier step applies.
Future-cycle watch
If a new cycle has not been announced, label it unconfirmed. An old date or expected season is a prompt to check again, not an open application window.
Internal ready-by
Set your own target for quotes, approvals and review. Keep it separate from the provider’s deadline, decision date and payment date. Leave unknown dates unknown.
06 · Take one practical next step
A blank page.
A clearer decision.
Download the one-page project brief, complete it offline and use it with your team. It covers applicant, service, cost, evidence, timing and the next screening decision.
No personal data is collected by this worksheet. It has no online form, upload or account step. Keep sensitive records in your own approved storage.
Print the downloaded text from your text editor; page fit depends on your print settings. For opportunity awareness, visit the newsletter signup below. The planner helps organize pursuits; neither tool confirms eligibility or promises an award.