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Funders Share What They Know

Webinar PanelThe Circle on Philanthropy and Aboriginal Peoples

September 13, 2012

Presented by: Dana VocisanoThe J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

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TIPS FOR APPROACHING FOUNDATIONS

SOME RESOURCES

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About foundations

Foundations funders are different from government funders. And there are different foundations:

• Public foundation, like Trillium foundation• Community foundations, like the Vancouver Foundation• Corporate foundations• Private and family foundations• Non-granting making foundations or foundations dedicated to

fundraising, like hospital foundations

What their interests are and how each of them work is different.

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Like a job search

Tips for approaching foundations

Similar to a job search and tailoring your CV

Do your homework• Find out what they fund and how they work• Easiest way is the internet – many now have web sites

How to present your work• short and dynamic • bring your work alive with stories• lots of eyes

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Other Advice• Do your homework. Make sure you know the funder inside out: their mission,

goals etc.• Ensure applications are written clearly and concisely. • Don't include extraneous information or forms not asked for.• Follow instructions. If a question allocates a certain amount of space or words,

for example, stick to it. Be respectful of the funder's time.• Pretend you're an assessor when reviewing your own application to ensure

you've addressed the criteria as would be expected. • Demonstrate your organization capacity, that you're able to do this project. To

help solidify this point, identify your other successes.• Show your willingness to learn from and engage with community partners and

share that learning.• Proofread the application before sending.• Make sure to double and triple-check your math.• Whatever you do, do not send in applications as part of a mass mailing.Sourced from:

Charity VillageFoundations: The inside scoop by Elisa Birnbaum, April 2, 2012

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Life cycle of a program

Many foundations are interested only in specific areas, like environment, health or education.

Or only in a specific geographic area

Others may only consider projects that are at a specific stage in their development.

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Life cycle of a program

• Exploration phase: trying out different ways, models, etc.

• Start-up phase: implement, test & evaluate

• Development phase: grow & strengthen

• Scaling phase: spreading the innovation

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Why don’t foundations fund operations?

• What’s the problem with requests for operations or on-going funding?

• Why don’t foundations give operating grants?

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What’s the difference?

• It’s like your chequeing bank account vs your saving bank account; one is for paying your living expenses and the other for big or special purchases

• The difference between a United Way and a community foundation and how they complement each other

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Funding for R & D

• In this way, McConnell is like many other foundations – we don’t make operating grants

• We see ourselves as funding R & D vs “keeping the lights on” or supporting regular on-going programs and services

• For experimenting or trying something new or different that a regular budget usually is too retrained to do

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A foundation’s niche

We try to be strategic – that is, focus on an area where we can create

change or have an impact

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For example:• McConnell Foundation is interested in social innovation - new solutions to old

problems

• tackling chronic and persistent problems in new ways or with new combinations of ideas or practices

• For example, an innovation may be introducing a better service delivery model

• Has potential to lead to wider or large-scale change

• We are particularly interested in social innovations that can spread and scale because the McConnell Foundation is a national funder

• We recently launched a new program, with specific application criteria – The Social Innovation Fund

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Some Other Resources to Share

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Getting to Maybe: How the World Is ChangedFrances Westley, Michael Quinn Patton, Brenda Zimmerman, 2007

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