COVID-19 grants: What does the pandemic mean for your strategy? Read on to find emergency funding and other tools for your grant strategy.

There’s days where this feels like a new normal and others where it feels like a dream … more fairly put, maybe a nightmare.

Yes, COVID-19 is a surreal experience, with waves of uncertainty.

While we can’t accurately and fully predict what the future holds, there are steps we can take right now to keep moving forward in a positive direction as we wait this thing out. 

Many nonprofit professionals are in certain rhythms now, including virtual event planning, video conference calls, Facebook Live videos and other digital means of operating and fundraising. 

So what does COVID-19 mean for your grant strategy? 

I’ve heard both sides of the coin:

• Some foundations are moving forward in their intended directions, accepting applications for projects that are still planned and ongoing and not tweaking their funding priorities.
• Other foundations are pausing grant funding to assess the needs and support where possible during the crisis. 

There’s also a middle ground, where some regular grant funding is ongoing and emergency COVID-19 funds also exist. How will you know what’s the case for a grant you’re interested in? If the funder hasn’t provided a message on its website, you can certainly feel free to call. Unless a funder specifically says not to reach out to them, I always encourage nonprofits to engage and communicate with funders – relationship building is an important part of a grant strategy.

In case you are searching for emergency funding opportunities, many foundations are establishing COVID-19 emergency funds. Here’s a few opportunities I’ve found.

Browse these quick links to grant databases for COVID-19 Relief

• These two organizations (Candid.org and Community Foundation Public Awareness Initiative) have created lists of emergency funds available in and sorted by state. While there is some overlap, I’ve noticed that it’s worth reviewing both resources to ensure that you’ve got the largest list of opportunities in your state possible.
• Review a list of grant opportunities mostly for funding emergency efforts related to COVID-19, compiled on Philanthropy.com. 
• Grantstation.com is maintaining a database of funding opportunities for nonprofits, small businesses, journalists, and artists, updated each business day and listed by deadline date.

Just getting started on your grant funding strategy?

If you’re using down time from the pandemic to boost your fundraising portfolio, then I have a treat for you! I have a completely free grant toolkit that walks you through a number of templates to build a strong grants process, from how to use Trello to manage deadline as well as write a strong narrative. Get access to the full toolkit here. After you’re in, I’m happy to offer a free 30-minute session to answer any Qs.