Special Foundation Funding Tips Make your first contact as strong as possible. If it is written, keep it short, to the point and as compelling as po ssible. If it is personal be confident, poised, friendly, knowledgeable about their interest, and clearly state what you want and why. Foundations are generally interested in investing in people and organizations, not just in problems. They can be flexible about funding amounts if they have confidence in the organization management and makeup.
Personal contact is an important, often essential, part of the process.
It can be a tie-breaker. Be prepared in the initial proposals for rejections. If you get a rejection letter, contact the foundation to ask how the proposal could be improved to gain acceptance. Often it may be a question of correcting only one aspect and resubmitting it. Most applicants receive a rejection the first time they apply to a foundation.