At the risk of a breach of  netiquette, this may be useful to the group--
 
>For those of you seeking fundng, here's some grant advice based on
 20 years' experience with projects in the U.S. & abroad.  This is the short
version of a long chapter I have in press, so this is for your personal use
only.
>
> Before you make a request, consider the following:
>
>1)  Always ask a potential funder for the *ratio of proposals submitted*
>     to *those funded*.  You are looking for a 5 to 1 or BETTER ratio.
>     Yes, foundations exist that fund 20% or more proposals.  I tap a
>     couple regularly in the 2 to 1.1 range (you read that right).
>
>2) Submission schedule:  if the foundation or corporation meets quarterly,
>    remember two things:  1) it usually divides its budget into four equal
>    pieces, 2) MOST of the proposals arrive in time for the January cycle.
>    Only AMATEURS (yes, I'm shouting) are competing in the glut of
>    the January cycle.  Statistically, the fewest proposals tend to show up
>    during the fourth cycle.  Third is second best; second is poor; and
>    January should be avoided like the plague.  Why is it you think that fndn.
>    advertisements occasionally appear in Oct-Dec in the _Chronicle_
>    indicating they need proposals post haste?  There aren't many in the
>    hopper, that's why.
>
>3) Never request more than the *average* grant amount awarded by
>    a foundation/corporation during the past three years.  You want your
>    proposal to *sound about right*.  It will, if you follow this advice.
>
>4) Equipment:  no, don't ask for Free gear; ask for a one-year LOAN
>    of the gear, plus tech support.  Give plenty of donor recognition and
>    at year's end, trade it in for an upgrade.  Never request gear by brand
>    name (I review proposals for the feds and others occasionally.  I
>    killed a project because I *knew* that the person requesting that Nikon
>    lens wanted it for his private use.)
>
>5) Never submit to a corporation or foundation that takes more than 60 days
>    to decide.  Your nonprofit needs volunteerism, free gear, and cash--
>    ideally within your lifetime.  By following this rule, you can revise and
>    resubmit several times during a year--rather than just once.
>
>6) Don't bother asking for *planning* dollars.  If you have a good idea, bare
>    bones it and ask for *implementation* funding.  A foundation will fund one
>    or the other and usually not both.  The best laid plans of mice and men
. . . .
>
>7) Corporations are increasingly interested in Board participation.  I require
>    nonprofits to have 100% annual giving by theirBoards.  The Japanese and
>    Korean companies are especially interested in this.  Remember:  Boards
>    do not exist for *expertise*.  They exist to either give or raise money.
>    Period.
>
>As the newcomers missed this discussion, I thought I would post the main
>points.  Thanks for joining our discussion group, which focuses on
  the *exotic project* side of fundraising.
>
>For those of you who missed the original posting, check out our web site
>
>               http://www.scbell.com/Marketing_&_Fundraising
>
>and, if you like, join our discussion group by e-mailing us at
><[log in to unmask]>
>
>Bill Vartorella (Ph.D., etc.)
>
P.S.--Peter Hess, Esq. (the explorer who is diving the Monitor and working
hard to get it documented) tells me there are still places left for the
symposium,
"Into the Field:  Strategies for Funding Exploration" that will be held at
Drexel
Univ. later this month.  For details, e-mail Peter <[log in to unmask]>