August 20, 2024 • 22 mins
Can grants really fund your service business?
This episode wraps up our deep dive into unique funding options for service businesses, exploring an often overlooked resource—grants.
Meet Danielle Desir Corbett. She's a former grants administrator turned 4x grant-funded creative entrepreneur. She curates a monthly newsletter called "Grants For Creators," which shares funding opportunities for U.S. creatives and small business owners like grants, accelerators, pitch competitions, and more. Danielle believes creative projects should get the funding they deserve and she takes pride in handling the challenging task of locating the funds, so all you have to do is apply.
How do you navigate the complexities of the grant application process without getting overwhelmed? In this episode, we break down the steps to streamline your approach, making it more accessible and effective.
Listen to the Full Episode to Hear:
- Danielle’s journey from discovering grant opportunities to becoming a seasoned grant winner.
- Detailed discussions on the pros and cons of incorporating grants into your business funding strategy.
- Effective strategies for identifying and applying to grants that align with your business objectives.
- Danielle’s top tips for maximizing your time and effort when dealing with grant applications.
Learn more about Danielle Desir Corbett:
Learn more about me, Susan Boles:
- (00:00) - Introduction to Business Funding
- (00:43) - Exploring Grants as a Funding Source
- (04:08) - Understanding Grants and Their Benefits
- (06:27) - Efficient Grant Application Strategies
- (16:08) - Finding the Right Grants
- (19:49) - Conclusion and Final Thoughts
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Susan Boles (00:05):
Imagine having access to funds for your
business that don't need to berepaid. Those funds can help you
launch new projects, expand yourreach, or fill in the gap during
tough times. Sound too good tobe true? It's actually not. I'm
your host, Susan Boles, and thisis Beyond Margins, the show
where we geek out about what ittakes to build a calmer
(00:26):
business.
And today, we're wrapping up ourseries on funding options for
service businesses. So far inthe series, we've covered equity
investments, crowdfunding, andusing debt strategically. So if
you haven't checked out thoseepisodes, hop back into the feed
and have a listen. Today, we'rewrapping up the series by
exploring using grants as asource of funding for your
(00:48):
business. It's a funding sourcethat's really common in the
nonprofit space, but I don'tthink a lot of us running for
profit businesses reallyconsider it a viable option, but
it totally is.
Joining me today is DanielleDeSear Corbett, the founder of
Grants for Creators, which is amonthly newsletter that shares
funding opportunities for USbased creatives and small
(01:09):
business owners. Danielledoesn't just curate and source
these funding opportunities.She's also regularly applying
and winning grants for her ownbusiness. Danielle and I geek
out about the pros and cons ofusing grants as a funding
source, how to make the grantapplication process efficient,
and where to actually find goodgrants to apply for.
Danielle Desir Corbett (01:29):
I am all in on grants. After graduating
from grad school, I jumped intoa health care role as a
financial analyst for a grantsdepartment, and that was my
first introduction to the worldof grants in a healthcare
setting, though. I worked as agrant administrator for a total
(01:52):
of 7 years while I was alsoaccretive. I had a blog, I had a
travel blog, I have a travel alot there were a lot of things
happening in the economy, andthere were actually quite a bit
(02:13):
of grant opportunities that wereout there for small businesses,
for creatives, and I said, youknow what? Why not just apply?
So I applied. I won 1 grant, 2grants. By 2 years later, I won
4 grants total as a creativeperson. So as a podcaster and a
(02:35):
writer and blogger, I won 4grand total this opportunity. I
cannot unsee this, And it openedup my mind and world of
possibilities that, hey, grantsare a legit and viable funding
source that sure.
It's free money out there andthere are strings attached. I'm
sure we'll talk about it later,but it's something that can be
(02:56):
part of your funding mix. Sothat's really how I began and
how I started. By the time 2022came around, I felt really
inspired. I was finding so manygrants at any given time that my
friends were probably gettingreally tired of me sharing
opportunities with them.
So I decided to create thisnewsletter called grants, which
(03:16):
you can check out at grants forcreators.com. And this is a big,
big, big part of my everydaylife in business where I curate
and source different fundingopportunities specifically for
US based creatives andentrepreneurs. It's been a a a
passion of mine to be able toconnect so many people to money
(03:37):
that they may have missedbecause they don't have the
grant finding skill or theydon't even know that
Susan Boles (03:42):
it exists. I think that's maybe the biggest
challenge for people is, youknow, most of my listeners, we
run for profit businesses, and Ithink that grants are just
something we never really thinkabout when it comes to funding
our business. You know, it'sjust something that's out there
that nonprofits do. But whyshould we be thinking about
grants as a kind of corecomponent potentially of our
(04:04):
funding structure and ourbusinesses? Kieran.
Danielle Desir Corbett: Absolutely. So let's just take a (04:07):
undefined
step back to describe what ourgrant is. So a grant is an
award, a financial award that isused to promote an initiative,
to support an initiative, tofund ideas, literally grants out
there for just amazing ideas,all the way up to a full fledged
(04:28):
program or project. Right? Andthere are so many different
types of organizations that areawarding this money to support
the community, to promoteinitiatives that they're really
passionate about, and it'susually a tax benefit for them
to have these grants out therein the world.
So for us as small businessowners or creative
(04:49):
entrepreneurs, this is a pot ofmoney that we can use to launch
projects to kind of fill the gapwhere maybe you have a really
great idea or you wanna impactyour community, but you don't
need. Right? I know mostentrepreneur listening to this
can could think of 10 thingsthat they can do with $500 right
now or 10 things they could dowith with 5,000 or $50,000.
(05:12):
Right? Like, there's alwaysmoney that we wish we had to
have a bigger impact in ourcommunity, and this is what
grant funds can help us to do.
I do wanna say that on paper,grants are considered free money
because you don't have to paythem back. However, I always say
the disclaimer is that it's allthere's a lot of things attached
(05:33):
to that. So it's free money withstrings attached. It's like what
I have to like to say, becausethere are gonna be rules and
regulations as issued by thefunder of the opportunity. They
may have spending restrictions.
They usually always haveeligibility requirements. So you
have to make sure that you'reeven eligible to apply. There
(05:54):
may be recording requirements.There may be things that you
have to do after, like, licensesand and posting on social stuff.
Like, there's things that youhave to do besides just
receiving the funds, but it'smud table, and a lot of folks
realize that all I have to doinvest is is in my time to write
(06:14):
these applications.
Some people have a lot of time.So if you have a lot of time and
you have a lot of things
Susan Boles (06:20):
that you wanna do in your business, then grants
can be a great opportunity tosee if you can can secure that
money. Talk to me a little bitabout what really to consider
when you are thinking aboutapplying for a grant. You know,
you can spend a lot of timewriting grant applications. When
you're thinking about the kindof cost benefit of, should I go
(06:42):
sell to a new client, or shouldI write a grant? How do you
think about that holistically,that process?
What do you take into account?
Danielle Desir Corbett (06:52):
So one of the downsides I would say to
grants is that it is timeconsuming. And like you
mentioned, taking you away fromthe core money making activities
that you're doing in yourbusiness otherwise. Right? That
time investment is real. But wecan definitely talk about ways
to speed that time up, thingsthat you can do to be more
efficient.
However, I always say wheneveryou look at a grant
(07:14):
announcement, you want to readeverything on that page. So what
is the grant about? Who is thefunder? The eligibility
criteria, what they're lookingfor? How much money is being
awarded?
Because some awards, they'reconsidered like micro grants
where it could be under $500.And you may realize, you know
(07:36):
what? Looking at just the mathisn't mapping. Like, this is
gonna take me way too much timefor the payout, so I'm not gonna
apply. Some grants haveapplication fee, or reading fees
that they call, so that'ssomething that you can consider
in the terms and conditions.
Look at the FAQ section,officially ask questions. They
(07:57):
will list out deadline. All allthe things that you need to know
are all typically there on theapplication. When it comes to
private grants, meaning theseare private individuals or
corporations who are sharingthese grant opportunities, a lot
of times there's no contactinformation. So if you have a
question, it won't be easy foryou to contact the grant
(08:19):
administrator like a foundationor a government grant that has
these structures really inplace.
So just be aware of that. Ialways say, if I look at the
grant, I don't fit what they'relooking for in terms of like the
focus of the grant and whothey're trying to reach and
help. And I don't fit theeligibility criteria, it's a no
(08:39):
for me. One of the things Ithink a lot of entrepreneurs
struggle with is FOMO when itcomes to finding a grant. It's
like you see a grant, you feellike it's a good fit, and then
it's like, if I don't apply, I'mgonna miss out.
And you just kind of let this,like, shame, regret, and all of
this negative emotions come in.But I will be here to tell you
(09:02):
that, like, just last year, Ishared over a 1,000 funding
opportunities on my newsletter.So do not force fit an
opportunity if it's not theright fit, not the right target
for you, or not the right timefor you to apply. There's so
many out there that you willfind something else that will
better match what you're lookingfor later.
Susan Boles (09:22):
So let's talk about the actual application process.
How do we make it easier or moreefficient?
Danielle Desir Corbett (09:29):
One of the first things I look at is
before I even sit down and applyfor the grant, I'm looking at
how many questions. So I comparethe number of questions. I
estimate how much time it'sgoing to take me. I always
multiply it, though. So it's amultiple of 3.
I think it's gonna take an hour.It's probably gonna take 3
hours. Right? If there arethings in the application, like
do a video, which is a 60 secondvideo, it's like, oh gosh. It's
(09:51):
gonna take me another 3 hours.
These are things that are timeconsuming, so always allocate
more time. So looking at yourquestions is a good, like, gauge
so you can figure out how muchtime you need. But a lot of
applications have the samequestions. So this is where
efficiency comes in and practiceand repetition definitely helps.
As you apply to more grants,you're gonna see the same
(10:12):
questions like, tell me aboutyourself.
Tell me about the your business.Who are you impacting? How has
your business, you know,impacted your community? These
become now boilerplate templatesor submissions that you could
literally just a lot of timescopy paste and remaster it for
the, for the fundingopportunity, but you don't have
to start from scratch. It'salways going to feel like a lot
(10:34):
more work when you're startingfrom scratch for the first time
versus having a regular grantprocess where you can just copy
and paste submissions.
So what I like to do is I prettymuch have a Google doc with all
of the grant applicationquestions I ever submitted for
and all the responses. Caveat,though, something I wish I did
before is I wish I would havedated and also identify which
(10:58):
grant I applied for because I'vewon many grants. No idea which
ones were the good ones, whichones I maybe don't have to ever
go back to. Right? So have amaster document where you are
always, like, having all of yourquestions all in one place and
label it with the grant thatyou're applying for and the date
so that you can have somethingto reference later.
(11:21):
Another thing that I want todispel is that some grant
applications are really long,but you'll be surprised of how
short some are. Like 1 to 2questions, short. But you have
to just get into practice of,like, looking at the
applications, looking at thequestions so you can build up
that confidence to make it alittle faster for yourself.
Susan Boles (12:27):
Do you have any routines that you have created
around the grant applicationprocess? Yeah.
Danielle Desir Corbett (12:34):
So I love having a day a week where
I'm able to just review all ofthe grants that I'm aware of, or
I'm looking at newsletters. I'mlooking at databases to see what
funding opportunities are outthere. So it's my grants day,
for example, and from there, I'mable to identify which ones I
want to look into more, and Iadd those deadlines to my
(12:57):
calendar, and I kind of backdatefrom there to have time to
review the application, work onsubmission questions, and that
sort of thing. But definitelyputting dates on your calendar
is one of those processingworkflows that I feel like is so
important. And where I haveoften fell down is I missed
deadlines.
Right? This is where the FOMOmay come in because you're like,
(13:18):
that was perfect, and I missedit. Lastly, I think something
that if you have a friend, acolleague who is able to review
your answers, that I feel likeis ideal because you have fresh
pair of eyes and you can askthem for their honest input from
a person. Right? When it comesto grant applications, we are
talking to real people behindthese funding organizations.
(13:40):
So we wanna make thatconnection. And I think having
another human review your workcan help whether it's, you know,
your partner, your your teammember, or a colleague.
Susan Boles (13:50):
That's super helpful. Are there and and maybe
it changes grant by grant. Butdo you think there are specific
things to make sure that weshould include in applications
or not include in applications?Are there things that could
potentially make the applicationor what you're writing more
successful?
Danielle Desir Corbett (14:10):
So I am not a grant writer by any means
of the imagination. But with myline of work, like, I really get
to talk to grant writers a lot,and what I've learned from them
is the power and art ofstorytelling. So storytelling
and communicating the impact ofyour work. So, like, for me, I'm
a very, like, say it plain kindof person, but when it comes to
(14:34):
grant writing, I have to reallypull at the heartstrings. I have
to really tell a story.
And often I am being morespecific. I'm quantifying
certain things. Like, not only,like, I help podcasters, but I
help 200 podcasters launchwithin the 2 month cohort, like
very specific things. And theseare things that are not
(14:56):
necessarily may not be naturalto you, right, or natural to me.
But with practicing grantwriting, I'm learning how to
communicate more specifically,the art of storytelling and the
impact.
I think more than anything morethan anything, when I used to
start grant submissions yearsago, I would just look at the
(15:17):
application and say, I fit.Let's go. Today, I say, I fit.
And then I go and do moreresearch about the funder. I
look at their about page.
I look at the other initiativesthat they funded. I look at
their social media accounts. Ireally try to get a holistic
view because just because ourthey say small business doesn't
(15:39):
mean that I'm the right smallbusiness that they're trying to
help and support. So that Ithink is, also a huge time saver
when you do the little bit oflegwork to figure out, do we
match? I call it like thebillboard test.
Like, can me and this funder bein a billboard together? A lot
of times, we may not be a goodbillboard test. You know? It
doesn't we're not really goodbillboard partners. So that's a
(16:02):
no for me, and that woulddefinitely help me not waste
time on a submission that maynot be fruitful.
Susan Boles (16:07):
That's super helpful. So where are some of
the best places to to kind offind out about grants?
Obviously, your newsletter,Grants for Creators. Everybody
sign up, but what are some otherplaces we should be looking?
Danielle Desir Corbett (16:20):
You know, there are so many places.
I would often say don't startwith a Google search because
there's so much information onGoogle. A lot of it is outdated.
They're expired grants orthey're announcing the awardees
who have won the grant, but it'snot truly there's it's not an
open submission. So I woulddefinitely look at your industry
(16:44):
news publications.
So look at who in your industryreports on the news, who shares
opportunities, even if it's likejob board. Sometimes they may
have, like, fellowships andaccelerated programs on there.
So definitely start with yourindustry news publications. Talk
to your peers and your networkand your colleagues about your
grant search. Let them know,hey.
(17:06):
Listen. I'm looking for grantson x and x. If you ever see
anything, please let me know.You'll be surprised by
activating your network. Howmany people randomly shoot you a
text, right, or or randomlyforward you something because
they thought of you when you hadthat ask.
Right. And then if you are gonnado a Google search, I would just
(17:27):
be very specific. Like forexample, I'm a podcaster. So I
would say like podcaster groupgrants or like podcast grants
for launching a podcast orsomething like that, where it's
very specific versus just thegeneral, you know, small
business grants or grants,because you'll just get so
(17:47):
bombarded and overflowed withopportunities. There are also
lots of incredible newsletters.
There's like newsletters likemine, but there's databases as
well where they're larger, butif you want to cast your your
net wide, then they exist aswell. So there are a lot of
sources. Lastly, I always saycheck your inbox. Check your
(18:09):
inbox because a lot of theplaces that we subscribe to
naturally, they love sharingopportunities with their
community members. If you'repart of any Facebook groups,
just keep an eye in there.
And sometimes a lot of theseorganizations are having ads on
social media too. So you may bescrolling on on social media, on
Instagram, and all of a sudden,you know, an accelerator pops
(18:30):
up, and you're like, woah.
Susan Boles (18:31):
Oh, I love that. So is there anything you think we
should talk about or touch onwhen it comes to grants that we
haven't talked about yet?
Danielle Desir Corbett (18:38):
I think counting ourselves in is so
important. Oftentimes as smallbusiness owners, we, because
we're not a brick and mortar alot of times, we feel like we
can't compete with theattorneys. We can't compete with
the accountants or like therestaurants down the road, but
you are a small business. If youlook at the definition, the IRS
(19:01):
definition of a small business,many of us qualify as small
businesses and you do not alwaysneed to see the word that you
identify as in the applicationto say, I'm going to submit,
like for me, for podcasters,there are a lot of grants out
there that do not say the wordpodcast, but because I fit in
(19:22):
the narrative because I fit withwhat the funder is supporting,
then I can be the vehicle forchange for them and with them as
a podcast. So that is soimportant.
We have to really deconstruct.We're not always gonna see,
like, specific words within thegrant application, but we have
to count ourselves in versussaying, that's not for me.
(19:46):
Right? Count yourself in moreoften than not.
Susan Boles (19:50):
Throughout this series, we've been examining
some different options forbringing in some outside funds
for your service business. We'vecovered equity investments,
which can potentially bring inbig bucks or even a partner to
share the workload, but theyrequire you to give up some
ownership and control. We'vetalked about crowdfunding, which
is a fantastic option becauseyou don't have to give up
(20:10):
ownership or control, but it canbe a lot of work and require an
investment of both time andfunds. Last time, we covered
using debt strategically. Debtis likely the easiest and
fastest source of capitalavailable to you.
It doesn't require you to giveup any ownership at all, but it
does mean you have to pay thatmoney back. And finally, grants.
(20:31):
Grants can be a great additionto the funding mix for your
business, but there aredefinitely trade offs. You might
invest a bunch of time applyingfor grants that you don't get.
And if you do get them, youmight have some additional,
maybe time consuming obligationsthat you have to fulfill.
But they can be a great part ofyour overall funding mix, and
they are technically free money.When you're trying to decide how
(20:55):
to fund growth or how to keepyour business afloat during
tougher seasons, it's reallyimportant to consider all of the
funding options to help selectthe one that's right for you.
Each type of funding comes withits own set of benefits and
challenges, and ultimately, thebest choice depends on your
specific business needs andgoals. Whether you're looking to
grow, manage cash flow, orlaunch a new project, there's a
(21:17):
funding path that can supportyour vision. You can learn more
about what Danielle does andconnect with her using the links
in the show notes.
And while you're there, pleaseexplore my sponsor link so I can
keep this show going andgrowing. A big thanks to
everyone who supports BeyondMargins. If you're a listener,
if you're a sponsor or a partnerof any kind, I really couldn't
(21:39):
do this show without you. Formore ideas and stories from me
about how to build a calmerbusiness with comfortable
margins, head tobeyondmargins.com. While you're
there, you can sign up for myfree newsletter.
I send it every week and it'sall about one question. What
does it take to build a calmerbusiness? Thank you so much for
listening. I'm back in 2 weekswith a new episode and a new
(22:01):
format. For the next series,I'll be diving into my call more
framework with a new mini seriesformat.
So hit subscribe in yourfavorite podcast player so you
don't miss it.
Imagine having access to funds for your
business that don't need to berepaid. Those funds can help you
launch new projects, expand yourreach, or fill in the gap during
tough times. Sound too good tobe true? It's actually not. I'm
your host, Susan Boles, and thisis Beyond Margins, the show
where we geek out about what ittakes to build a calmer
(00:26):
business.
And today, we're wrapping up ourseries on funding options for
service businesses. So far inthe series, we've covered equity
investments, crowdfunding, andusing debt strategically. So if
you haven't checked out thoseepisodes, hop back into the feed
and have a listen. Today, we'rewrapping up the series by
exploring using grants as asource of funding for your
(00:48):
business. It's a funding sourcethat's really common in the
nonprofit space, but I don'tthink a lot of us running for
profit businesses reallyconsider it a viable option, but
it totally is.
Joining me today is DanielleDeSear Corbett, the founder of
Grants for Creators, which is amonthly newsletter that shares
funding opportunities for USbased creatives and small
(01:09):
business owners. Danielledoesn't just curate and source
these funding opportunities.She's also regularly applying
and winning grants for her ownbusiness. Danielle and I geek
out about the pros and cons ofusing grants as a funding
source, how to make the grantapplication process efficient,
and where to actually find goodgrants to apply for.
Danielle Desir Corbett (01:29):
I am all in on grants. After graduating
from grad school, I jumped intoa health care role as a
financial analyst for a grantsdepartment, and that was my
first introduction to the worldof grants in a healthcare
setting, though. I worked as agrant administrator for a total
(01:52):
of 7 years while I was alsoaccretive. I had a blog, I had a
travel blog, I have a travel alot there were a lot of things
happening in the economy, andthere were actually quite a bit
(02:13):
of grant opportunities that wereout there for small businesses,
for creatives, and I said, youknow what? Why not just apply?
So I applied. I won 1 grant, 2grants. By 2 years later, I won
4 grants total as a creativeperson. So as a podcaster and a
(02:35):
writer and blogger, I won 4grand total this opportunity. I
cannot unsee this, And it openedup my mind and world of
possibilities that, hey, grantsare a legit and viable funding
source that sure.
It's free money out there andthere are strings attached. I'm
sure we'll talk about it later,but it's something that can be
(02:56):
part of your funding mix. Sothat's really how I began and
how I started. By the time 2022came around, I felt really
inspired. I was finding so manygrants at any given time that my
friends were probably gettingreally tired of me sharing
opportunities with them.
So I decided to create thisnewsletter called grants, which
(03:16):
you can check out at grants forcreators.com. And this is a big,
big, big part of my everydaylife in business where I curate
and source different fundingopportunities specifically for
US based creatives andentrepreneurs. It's been a a a
passion of mine to be able toconnect so many people to money
(03:37):
that they may have missedbecause they don't have the
grant finding skill or theydon't even know that
Susan Boles (03:42):
it exists. I think that's maybe the biggest
challenge for people is, youknow, most of my listeners, we
run for profit businesses, and Ithink that grants are just
something we never really thinkabout when it comes to funding
our business. You know, it'sjust something that's out there
that nonprofits do. But whyshould we be thinking about
grants as a kind of corecomponent potentially of our
(04:04):
funding structure and ourbusinesses? Kieran.
Danielle Desir Corbett: Absolutely. So let's just take a (04:07):
undefined
step back to describe what ourgrant is. So a grant is an
award, a financial award that isused to promote an initiative,
to support an initiative, tofund ideas, literally grants out
there for just amazing ideas,all the way up to a full fledged
(04:28):
program or project. Right? Andthere are so many different
types of organizations that areawarding this money to support
the community, to promoteinitiatives that they're really
passionate about, and it'susually a tax benefit for them
to have these grants out therein the world.
So for us as small businessowners or creative
(04:49):
entrepreneurs, this is a pot ofmoney that we can use to launch
projects to kind of fill the gapwhere maybe you have a really
great idea or you wanna impactyour community, but you don't
need. Right? I know mostentrepreneur listening to this
can could think of 10 thingsthat they can do with $500 right
now or 10 things they could dowith with 5,000 or $50,000.
(05:12):
Right? Like, there's alwaysmoney that we wish we had to
have a bigger impact in ourcommunity, and this is what
grant funds can help us to do.
I do wanna say that on paper,grants are considered free money
because you don't have to paythem back. However, I always say
the disclaimer is that it's allthere's a lot of things attached
(05:33):
to that. So it's free money withstrings attached. It's like what
I have to like to say, becausethere are gonna be rules and
regulations as issued by thefunder of the opportunity. They
may have spending restrictions.
They usually always haveeligibility requirements. So you
have to make sure that you'reeven eligible to apply. There
(05:54):
may be recording requirements.There may be things that you
have to do after, like, licensesand and posting on social stuff.
Like, there's things that youhave to do besides just
receiving the funds, but it'smud table, and a lot of folks
realize that all I have to doinvest is is in my time to write
(06:14):
these applications.
Some people have a lot of time.So if you have a lot of time and
you have a lot of things
Susan Boles (06:20):
that you wanna do in your business, then grants
can be a great opportunity tosee if you can can secure that
money. Talk to me a little bitabout what really to consider
when you are thinking aboutapplying for a grant. You know,
you can spend a lot of timewriting grant applications. When
you're thinking about the kindof cost benefit of, should I go
(06:42):
sell to a new client, or shouldI write a grant? How do you
think about that holistically,that process?
What do you take into account?
Danielle Desir Corbett (06:52):
So one of the downsides I would say to
grants is that it is timeconsuming. And like you
mentioned, taking you away fromthe core money making activities
that you're doing in yourbusiness otherwise. Right? That
time investment is real. But wecan definitely talk about ways
to speed that time up, thingsthat you can do to be more
efficient.
However, I always say wheneveryou look at a grant
(07:14):
announcement, you want to readeverything on that page. So what
is the grant about? Who is thefunder? The eligibility
criteria, what they're lookingfor? How much money is being
awarded?
Because some awards, they'reconsidered like micro grants
where it could be under $500.And you may realize, you know
(07:36):
what? Looking at just the mathisn't mapping. Like, this is
gonna take me way too much timefor the payout, so I'm not gonna
apply. Some grants haveapplication fee, or reading fees
that they call, so that'ssomething that you can consider
in the terms and conditions.
Look at the FAQ section,officially ask questions. They
(07:57):
will list out deadline. All allthe things that you need to know
are all typically there on theapplication. When it comes to
private grants, meaning theseare private individuals or
corporations who are sharingthese grant opportunities, a lot
of times there's no contactinformation. So if you have a
question, it won't be easy foryou to contact the grant
(08:19):
administrator like a foundationor a government grant that has
these structures really inplace.
So just be aware of that. Ialways say, if I look at the
grant, I don't fit what they'relooking for in terms of like the
focus of the grant and whothey're trying to reach and
help. And I don't fit theeligibility criteria, it's a no
(08:39):
for me. One of the things Ithink a lot of entrepreneurs
struggle with is FOMO when itcomes to finding a grant. It's
like you see a grant, you feellike it's a good fit, and then
it's like, if I don't apply, I'mgonna miss out.
And you just kind of let this,like, shame, regret, and all of
this negative emotions come in.But I will be here to tell you
(09:02):
that, like, just last year, Ishared over a 1,000 funding
opportunities on my newsletter.So do not force fit an
opportunity if it's not theright fit, not the right target
for you, or not the right timefor you to apply. There's so
many out there that you willfind something else that will
better match what you're lookingfor later.
Susan Boles (09:22):
So let's talk about the actual application process.
How do we make it easier or moreefficient?
Danielle Desir Corbett (09:29):
One of the first things I look at is
before I even sit down and applyfor the grant, I'm looking at
how many questions. So I comparethe number of questions. I
estimate how much time it'sgoing to take me. I always
multiply it, though. So it's amultiple of 3.
I think it's gonna take an hour.It's probably gonna take 3
hours. Right? If there arethings in the application, like
do a video, which is a 60 secondvideo, it's like, oh gosh. It's
(09:51):
gonna take me another 3 hours.
These are things that are timeconsuming, so always allocate
more time. So looking at yourquestions is a good, like, gauge
so you can figure out how muchtime you need. But a lot of
applications have the samequestions. So this is where
efficiency comes in and practiceand repetition definitely helps.
As you apply to more grants,you're gonna see the same
(10:12):
questions like, tell me aboutyourself.
Tell me about the your business.Who are you impacting? How has
your business, you know,impacted your community? These
become now boilerplate templatesor submissions that you could
literally just a lot of timescopy paste and remaster it for
the, for the fundingopportunity, but you don't have
to start from scratch. It'salways going to feel like a lot
(10:34):
more work when you're startingfrom scratch for the first time
versus having a regular grantprocess where you can just copy
and paste submissions.
So what I like to do is I prettymuch have a Google doc with all
of the grant applicationquestions I ever submitted for
and all the responses. Caveat,though, something I wish I did
before is I wish I would havedated and also identify which
(10:58):
grant I applied for because I'vewon many grants. No idea which
ones were the good ones, whichones I maybe don't have to ever
go back to. Right? So have amaster document where you are
always, like, having all of yourquestions all in one place and
label it with the grant thatyou're applying for and the date
so that you can have somethingto reference later.
(11:21):
Another thing that I want todispel is that some grant
applications are really long,but you'll be surprised of how
short some are. Like 1 to 2questions, short. But you have
to just get into practice of,like, looking at the
applications, looking at thequestions so you can build up
that confidence to make it alittle faster for yourself.
Susan Boles (12:27):
Do you have any routines that you have created
around the grant applicationprocess? Yeah.
Danielle Desir Corbett (12:34):
So I love having a day a week where
I'm able to just review all ofthe grants that I'm aware of, or
I'm looking at newsletters. I'mlooking at databases to see what
funding opportunities are outthere. So it's my grants day,
for example, and from there, I'mable to identify which ones I
want to look into more, and Iadd those deadlines to my
(12:57):
calendar, and I kind of backdatefrom there to have time to
review the application, work onsubmission questions, and that
sort of thing. But definitelyputting dates on your calendar
is one of those processingworkflows that I feel like is so
important. And where I haveoften fell down is I missed
deadlines.
Right? This is where the FOMOmay come in because you're like,
(13:18):
that was perfect, and I missedit. Lastly, I think something
that if you have a friend, acolleague who is able to review
your answers, that I feel likeis ideal because you have fresh
pair of eyes and you can askthem for their honest input from
a person. Right? When it comesto grant applications, we are
talking to real people behindthese funding organizations.
(13:40):
So we wanna make thatconnection. And I think having
another human review your workcan help whether it's, you know,
your partner, your your teammember, or a colleague.
Susan Boles (13:50):
That's super helpful. Are there and and maybe
it changes grant by grant. Butdo you think there are specific
things to make sure that weshould include in applications
or not include in applications?Are there things that could
potentially make the applicationor what you're writing more
successful?
Danielle Desir Corbett (14:10):
So I am not a grant writer by any means
of the imagination. But with myline of work, like, I really get
to talk to grant writers a lot,and what I've learned from them
is the power and art ofstorytelling. So storytelling
and communicating the impact ofyour work. So, like, for me, I'm
a very, like, say it plain kindof person, but when it comes to
(14:34):
grant writing, I have to reallypull at the heartstrings. I have
to really tell a story.
And often I am being morespecific. I'm quantifying
certain things. Like, not only,like, I help podcasters, but I
help 200 podcasters launchwithin the 2 month cohort, like
very specific things. And theseare things that are not
(14:56):
necessarily may not be naturalto you, right, or natural to me.
But with practicing grantwriting, I'm learning how to
communicate more specifically,the art of storytelling and the
impact.
I think more than anything morethan anything, when I used to
start grant submissions yearsago, I would just look at the
(15:17):
application and say, I fit.Let's go. Today, I say, I fit.
And then I go and do moreresearch about the funder. I
look at their about page.
I look at the other initiativesthat they funded. I look at
their social media accounts. Ireally try to get a holistic
view because just because ourthey say small business doesn't
(15:39):
mean that I'm the right smallbusiness that they're trying to
help and support. So that Ithink is, also a huge time saver
when you do the little bit oflegwork to figure out, do we
match? I call it like thebillboard test.
Like, can me and this funder bein a billboard together? A lot
of times, we may not be a goodbillboard test. You know? It
doesn't we're not really goodbillboard partners. So that's a
(16:02):
no for me, and that woulddefinitely help me not waste
time on a submission that maynot be fruitful.
Susan Boles (16:07):
That's super helpful. So where are some of
the best places to to kind offind out about grants?
Obviously, your newsletter,Grants for Creators. Everybody
sign up, but what are some otherplaces we should be looking?
Danielle Desir Corbett (16:20):
You know, there are so many places.
I would often say don't startwith a Google search because
there's so much information onGoogle. A lot of it is outdated.
They're expired grants orthey're announcing the awardees
who have won the grant, but it'snot truly there's it's not an
open submission. So I woulddefinitely look at your industry
(16:44):
news publications.
So look at who in your industryreports on the news, who shares
opportunities, even if it's likejob board. Sometimes they may
have, like, fellowships andaccelerated programs on there.
So definitely start with yourindustry news publications. Talk
to your peers and your networkand your colleagues about your
grant search. Let them know,hey.
(17:06):
Listen. I'm looking for grantson x and x. If you ever see
anything, please let me know.You'll be surprised by
activating your network. Howmany people randomly shoot you a
text, right, or or randomlyforward you something because
they thought of you when you hadthat ask.
Right. And then if you are gonnado a Google search, I would just
(17:27):
be very specific. Like forexample, I'm a podcaster. So I
would say like podcaster groupgrants or like podcast grants
for launching a podcast orsomething like that, where it's
very specific versus just thegeneral, you know, small
business grants or grants,because you'll just get so
(17:47):
bombarded and overflowed withopportunities. There are also
lots of incredible newsletters.
There's like newsletters likemine, but there's databases as
well where they're larger, butif you want to cast your your
net wide, then they exist aswell. So there are a lot of
sources. Lastly, I always saycheck your inbox. Check your
(18:09):
inbox because a lot of theplaces that we subscribe to
naturally, they love sharingopportunities with their
community members. If you'repart of any Facebook groups,
just keep an eye in there.
And sometimes a lot of theseorganizations are having ads on
social media too. So you may bescrolling on on social media, on
Instagram, and all of a sudden,you know, an accelerator pops
(18:30):
up, and you're like, woah.
Susan Boles (18:31):
Oh, I love that. So is there anything you think we
should talk about or touch onwhen it comes to grants that we
haven't talked about yet?
Danielle Desir Corbett (18:38):
I think counting ourselves in is so
important. Oftentimes as smallbusiness owners, we, because
we're not a brick and mortar alot of times, we feel like we
can't compete with theattorneys. We can't compete with
the accountants or like therestaurants down the road, but
you are a small business. If youlook at the definition, the IRS
(19:01):
definition of a small business,many of us qualify as small
businesses and you do not alwaysneed to see the word that you
identify as in the applicationto say, I'm going to submit,
like for me, for podcasters,there are a lot of grants out
there that do not say the wordpodcast, but because I fit in
(19:22):
the narrative because I fit withwhat the funder is supporting,
then I can be the vehicle forchange for them and with them as
a podcast. So that is soimportant.
We have to really deconstruct.We're not always gonna see,
like, specific words within thegrant application, but we have
to count ourselves in versussaying, that's not for me.
(19:46):
Right? Count yourself in moreoften than not.
Susan Boles (19:50):
Throughout this series, we've been examining
some different options forbringing in some outside funds
for your service business. We'vecovered equity investments,
which can potentially bring inbig bucks or even a partner to
share the workload, but theyrequire you to give up some
ownership and control. We'vetalked about crowdfunding, which
is a fantastic option becauseyou don't have to give up
(20:10):
ownership or control, but it canbe a lot of work and require an
investment of both time andfunds. Last time, we covered
using debt strategically. Debtis likely the easiest and
fastest source of capitalavailable to you.
It doesn't require you to giveup any ownership at all, but it
does mean you have to pay thatmoney back. And finally, grants.
(20:31):
Grants can be a great additionto the funding mix for your
business, but there aredefinitely trade offs. You might
invest a bunch of time applyingfor grants that you don't get.
And if you do get them, youmight have some additional,
maybe time consuming obligationsthat you have to fulfill.
But they can be a great part ofyour overall funding mix, and
they are technically free money.When you're trying to decide how
(20:55):
to fund growth or how to keepyour business afloat during
tougher seasons, it's reallyimportant to consider all of the
funding options to help selectthe one that's right for you.
Each type of funding comes withits own set of benefits and
challenges, and ultimately, thebest choice depends on your
specific business needs andgoals. Whether you're looking to
grow, manage cash flow, orlaunch a new project, there's a
(21:17):
funding path that can supportyour vision. You can learn more
about what Danielle does andconnect with her using the links
in the show notes.
And while you're there, pleaseexplore my sponsor link so I can
keep this show going andgrowing. A big thanks to
everyone who supports BeyondMargins. If you're a listener,
if you're a sponsor or a partnerof any kind, I really couldn't
(21:39):
do this show without you. Formore ideas and stories from me
about how to build a calmerbusiness with comfortable
margins, head tobeyondmargins.com. While you're
there, you can sign up for myfree newsletter.
I send it every week and it'sall about one question. What
does it take to build a calmerbusiness? Thank you so much for
listening. I'm back in 2 weekswith a new episode and a new
(22:01):
format. For the next series,I'll be diving into my call more
framework with a new mini seriesformat.
So hit subscribe in yourfavorite podcast player so you
don't miss it.
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