This money can cover everything from rent to paid staff to postage. The proposal is usually written to obtain funding to advance a pre-existing campaign or activity. The reporting requirement for this type of grant is therefore less exacting. This type of grant is also less available. As a rule, foundations want to fund a particular project rather than further the general work of an organization.
Foundations control a huge portion of the wealth that is set aside for philanthropic work.
Grants are usually larger than any single gift that you could receive from an individual, and they can be granted for multiple years. A secondary benefit is that the process to get a grant will also help your grassroots organization to define in a more precise way what it is that you are trying to achieve or develop. The process of getting a grant is never sure, is often decided regardless of the merits of the project, and is limited in terms of how many people can get involved in the process of writing and submitting the grant. RAN has a fairly well established grants program. If you would like help getting a grant program off the ground, contact us.