The grant innovator form is a simple document I use to organize an agency as it seeks grants. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with this surprisingly valuable document by checking out the link at the end of this article.
By asking your colleagues to fill it out, you will tactfully motivate them to help you get grant funding. The form also subtly calls upon you and your associates to think through why a program is needed by your clients in the first place. It reminds you that the clients are the reason why the foundation feels comfortable giving money to your non-profit organization.
This form is also a useful way for helping your new teams determine how much they know about a particular project, where funding for that project might come from, and even some of the details about how the project would be organized.
As a grant writer, I have found the use of this Project Innovator form can spare your efforts from many difficulties. It will allow the agency to think through whether or not it wants a project completed well before a particular funding source becomes surprisingly available. It will also encourage the agency staff and leadership to have their political struggle now, and not later when you are trying to complete a last-minute grant application.
Over the years, I have found that there is surprising wisdom in this form. (I am always sorry if I have neglected to take the time needed to persuade others to fill it out.)
If you are the Executive Director of an agency, I think you will also find that this is a convenient tool for helping your subordinates identify and prioritize the most important projects before them. Having a set of these forms filled out for your agency will give you an excellent overview of the most important projects that need to be accomplished by your staff. It will also allow you to prioritize the projects and to firmly shape the agenda for your agency’s future.