So let’s assume your grants program has been working from a list of potential funders. (I’ve written before about the usefulness of such a list.) In order for that list to remain a relevant document, it’s got to be kept up to date. Unfortunately, COVID-19 has probably made much of your gathered research outdated in short order.
The pandemic has caused many funders to postpone granting cycles, reduce grant amounts, or temporarily change their funding focus. In addition, your organization’s funding needs may have changed, either temporarily or for the foreseeable future.
Don’t despair. It just takes a bit of time to update the information and make your spreadsheet useful again. Many funders have made COVID-19 announcements readily available on their homepage. You probably won’t have to dig hard. If you don’t have time to invest in maintenance, get in touch about how I can help.
But this information is only valuable if you use it, so update your grants calendar at the same time. You may need to pause a planned submission or move up a proposal that better fits your current programming. Perhaps your organization has adapted its activities or delivery for the COVID era and now needs to invest additional time to find new relevant funders.
Even in the best of times, it’s necessary to keep your list of potential funders up to date so it doesn’t become static and irrelevant. But no matter when you last updated your list, the pandemic has made it necessary to do it again.
Imagine Canada is keeping a list of resources for fundraisers during COVID-19.
Tiffany Hilman 