Questions to Ask Potential Funders
For nonprofit directors, development staff and grant seekers with a call or meeting coming up with a foundation program officer or another institutional funder, who want to know what questions to ask potential funders before a word of the proposal is written. The 51 questions follow the order the decision does: fit, the money, how decisions get made, the proposal, reporting, and how the relationship runs after a yes or a no. A first conversation has room for five or six of them, so the guide under the list covers which to pick and what to look up beforehand.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Fit
What are your current funding priorities, and what has changed since the guidelines were written?
Why ask it
Published guidelines often trail what the staff and board are actually discussing. Listen for the newer emphasis, whether a place, a population or an approach, and hold it against your work as it runs today. If you would have to redesign a program to match, that is a reason to wait for a better fit.
From what I have described, where does our work fit in your grantmaking, if it fits at all?
Why ask it
Keep your description under a minute so there is time for a real answer. A program officer who names a particular program area is telling you where to apply and whose language to borrow. 'It could go in a few places' tends to mean it sits cleanly in none, so ask which is closest.
Are you taking on new grantees this year, or is most of the budget already committed?
Why ask it
Where the same organizations are renewed year after year, only a small slice of the budget is left for newcomers. Knowing the size of that slice tells you how much effort an application deserves this cycle. If it is nearly all committed, ask which cycle is likely to have room.
What kinds of organizations do you fund most often, by budget size, age and location?
Why ask it
Compare the answer with the grants list if one is published, since the pattern in past awards counts for more than the eligibility page. An organization far smaller or newer than the usual grantee can still apply, but should ask what would make the foundation comfortable with the difference.
Is there anything about our organization that would rule us out before we apply?
Why ask it
Legal status, a fiscal sponsor, geography, religious affiliation, budget size or advocacy work can each be a quiet barrier. Eligibility rules vary by funder and by country, so ask how they apply here instead of assuming. Hearing a no at this point costs you ten minutes and saves the weeks a proposal takes.
What would need to be different in five years for the foundation to call its work in this area a success?
Why ask it
This gets you the funder's goal in plain words instead of the mission statement. Write down the exact phrases. A proposal that shows how your work moves that goal reads as a partner's, and one that only describes your need reads as a request.
Which current grantee does work closest to ours, and what made you fund them?
Why ask it
The reasons they give are the selection criteria in practice. Look that grantee up afterward and note what it has that you lack, and the reverse. If the program officer offers an introduction, take it: a grantee will tell you things about applying that staff cannot.
What do you wish applicants knew about your priorities that the website does not say?
Why ask it
Program officers correct the same misunderstandings all year and are usually glad to head one off. Expect something practical, such as a region the board cares about most or a type of project they stopped funding without updating the page.
Is anything coming up, such as a strategy review or a change in leadership, that could alter what you fund?
Why ask it
A foundation in the middle of rethinking its strategy may pause new grants or fund for one year only. Staff will not always say much, but 'we are in a planning year' is a clear signal to ask when the new guidelines are due and whether to hold your request until then.
If we turn out not to be a fit, which other funders would you suggest we approach?
Why ask it
Program officers know their peers and often know who is funding what this year. Ask whether you may use their name when you make contact, and do not press if they would prefer you did not. A referral given freely is also a small sign of what they thought of the work.
The money
What range do most of your grants fall in, and what would be a sensible first request from an organization our size?
Why ask it
A first grant is sometimes smaller than the average, a way of getting to know a new grantee. Asking for a figure in conversation saves you from guessing in the application, where a request far outside the range can sink an otherwise good proposal. Note the number and who said it.
Do you give general operating support, or do you fund specific projects only?
Why ask it
Unrestricted money pays for rent, finance staff and the director's time, which project grants tend to leave out. If the answer is projects only, ask how much of a project budget may go to the shared costs of running the organization. If they do both, ask what makes them choose one over the other for a given grantee.
Do you make multi-year grants, and what does an organization have to show to receive one?
Why ask it
Longer commitments are sometimes kept for grantees a funder already knows, in which case a one-year first grant is the way in and worth saying yes to. Find out whether later years are paid automatically or depend on a report and a fresh approval.
How do you treat overhead or indirect costs in a project budget?
Why ask it
Policies run from a fixed percentage to a case-by-case view to nothing at all, and the definitions differ from one funder to the next. Ask what counts as indirect here before you build the budget, since a cost one funder calls overhead another will accept as a direct line.
Is there a cap on how much of our budget, or of a project's cost, your grant can cover?
Why ask it
A cap is often there so that the funder is not the reason you close if it leaves. It also tells you how much you must raise elsewhere, and whether that money has to be secured before you apply.
Are you willing to be the first funder in, or do you prefer to see others committed first?
Why ask it
Seeding new work appeals to one funder and worries another, who will join only once others have looked it over. If they want company, ask which names would reassure them and whether a pledge counts or the money must be in hand. If they will go first, ask whether they would say so to other funders.
Which costs do you never cover, such as salaries, equipment, events or debt?
Why ask it
Exclusions are sometimes written down and sometimes just habit. Build the budget around them, and do not tuck an excluded cost under another heading: reviewers notice, and it damages trust in every other line. Ask what they suggest for covering the part they cannot.
How is a grant paid out, and how soon after approval would the first payment arrive?
Why ask it
Money can come in one payment, in installments tied to reports, or after you have spent it and claimed it back. The schedule matters for cash flow, above all if you would need to hire before funds land. Practice differs by funder, so ask how it works at this one.
Besides grants, what else do you offer grantees, such as training, introductions or loans?
Why ask it
Workshops, meeting space, gatherings of grantees and low-cost loans are all things a foundation may offer alongside its grants. For a small organization these extras can matter as much as the money. Check which are optional, because a required gathering is also staff time you need to budget.
Decisions
How are funding decisions made, and who has the final say?
Why ask it
The answer might be a board vote, a committee, a family, a panel of community reviewers or staff acting within a limit. Whoever decides is the true audience for the proposal, even if you never meet them. Ask what those people care about that staff might not think to mention.
What is your own role in the review: do you make a recommendation, or do proposals go straight to the committee?
Why ask it
A program officer who writes a recommendation is your advocate inside the building, and your job is to hand them what they need to argue for you. One who only screens for eligibility cannot do that, so the written application has to carry the whole case.
What are the steps from first inquiry to a decision, and how long does each one take?
Why ask it
Get the stages in order: inquiry, invitation, full proposal, review, visit, vote. Then ask for the usual number of weeks between them. Months can pass between first contact and a first payment, and knowing that keeps you from counting on the money in this year's budget.
Do you accept unsolicited proposals, or should we start with a letter of inquiry?
Why ask it
Where applications are by invitation only, this conversation is the first stage of applying whether anyone says so or not. Ask what leads to an invitation and who extends it. Where a letter of inquiry comes first, ask what length and detail they like, since a short one that gets read beats a thorough one that does not.
When does the board or committee meet, and what date would we need to hit to be on that agenda?
Why ask it
The posted deadline and the real one can differ, because staff need time to review and write up before the meeting. Missing a cycle can mean waiting months for the next. Ask too whether submitting early gives the program officer time to come back with questions.
About how many requests do you receive in a cycle, and how many are funded?
Why ask it
You are asking for odds, and many staff will give a rough figure. Long odds are not a reason to walk away when the fit is strong, but they should shape how many hours you spend. Follow up by asking what set the funded group apart last time.
Is a site visit or a meeting with our leadership part of the review, and what are you looking for when you come?
Why ask it
Practice runs from a visit to every finalist to no visits at all. If they do come, find out who should be there: the director, a board member, program staff, the people you serve. Ask whether they would prefer to see an ordinary day or a presentation, and give them the one they pick.
Is it appropriate for our board members to contact your trustees, or should everything go through staff?
Why ask it
At some foundations a word between board members helps, and at others it is seen as going around the staff and counts against you. Never guess. If you already know a trustee, say so now and ask how the program officer would like it handled.
The proposal
What do the proposals you end up recommending have in common?
Why ask it
Expect an answer about clarity more than polish: a problem stated plainly, a plan a stranger could follow, a budget that matches it. Ask whether they can share a funded proposal as an example. If not, a current grantee may be willing to show you theirs.
What most often sinks a proposal that looked like a good fit on paper?
Why ask it
Staff can usually list the repeat offenders: a request that ignores the guidelines, outcomes nobody could measure, a budget that does not add up, a plan resting on one person. Check your draft against each one they name before you submit.
Would you be willing to read a one-page concept or a draft before we submit?
Why ask it
Whether staff may comment on drafts is a matter of each foundation's own rules, so asking is never out of line. If the answer is yes, send it well before the deadline and send one page, not twelve. If it is no, ask whether a short call about your outline would be possible instead.
What evidence of results persuades your reviewers: numbers, outside evaluation, or the accounts of people served?
Why ask it
Reviewers differ, and a board of business people may read a proposal differently from a panel of practitioners. Lead with the kind of evidence they trust and keep the other kind as support. If you have little data yet, say so here and ask what a young program can offer in its place.
Would a joint application with a partner organization help our case or complicate it?
Why ask it
Funders differ on collaboration: it can read as strength, or as a risk to one that has watched a partnership come apart mid-grant. If they like it, ask who should be the lead applicant and whether each partner needs its own budget. If they are cautious, a letter of support from the partner may do the job with less risk.
Which financial documents will you want, and what in them tends to worry your reviewers?
Why ask it
Expect to be asked for a budget, recent financial statements and sometimes an audit. The list depends on the funder and on what an organization of your size is required to produce where you operate. The second half is the useful part: if they name thin reserves or heavy reliance on one source and that describes you, address it in the proposal before they find it.
How should we handle a weak spot, such as a deficit year or a recent change of director?
Why ask it
Naming a problem yourself, along with what you did about it, generally lands better than hoping nobody looks. Asking also shows the program officer that you would be straight with them as a grantee. Take their advice on where in the application it belongs.
Which part of your application do people most often misread or answer badly?
Why ask it
Every form has one: the sustainability question, the theory of change, the box asking how you differ from similar groups. Once you know what that question is really after, you can answer it and not the one you assumed.
If the reviewers remember only one thing about us, what should it be?
Why ask it
It forces a ranking, and by this point the program officer has heard enough of your story to give one. Build the opening paragraph and the summary around their answer. If they hesitate, your own description may not have been clear, which is worth knowing before you write.
Reporting
What reporting do you require, how often, and in what form?
Why ask it
A short letter once a year and a quarterly form with financial schedules are very different amounts of work. Set the hours against the size of the grant before you apply. A small award with heavy reporting can cost more staff time than it pays for.
If you funded us, what would you want to be able to tell your board when the grant ends?
Why ask it
This is the funder's own test of a grant that worked, and it is often plainer than the outcomes table in the application: people served, a program still running, something learned. Write the answer down and plan your reporting around it. If they cannot say yet, the measures are still open and you can propose your own.
Would you accept a report we already produce, such as our annual report or one written for another funder?
Why ask it
Where a funder has dropped its own template, a report you already write may do with no extra work. The answer also hints at how flexible they are in general. If they need their own format, ask for the template now so you can collect the right things from the first day of the grant.
Which outcomes would you expect us to track, and who chooses them?
Why ask it
Measures picked by the funder may not match what your program records, and gathering new data takes money and staff. If they supply the list, read it before applying. If the choice is yours, propose a few you can honestly collect, and say what you cannot measure.
If the work goes differently than planned, how do we change the budget or the timeline partway through?
Why ask it
Plans slip: a hire takes longer, a partner pulls out, costs rise. Find out how large a change needs permission, who gives it and how long that takes. A funder with a simple route for this is easier to be honest with when something does go wrong.
What do you do with the reports once they arrive?
Why ask it
Reports may be read closely, summarized for the board, or filed. Knowing which tells you how much polish they need and what the reader hopes to find. Ask whether anyone ever replies, since a report that starts a conversation is the beginning of a renewal.
Do you require an audit or an outside evaluation, and can the grant cover what it costs?
Why ask it
Both are expensive for a small organization, and whether an audit is required of you at all depends on your size and on the rules where you are registered. If the funder wants one, ask to include the cost in the request. If you cannot afford it and they will not pay, ask what they accept in its place.
The relationship
If we apply and are declined, will you tell us why, and how soon could we apply again?
Why ask it
Not every funder gives feedback, and some are barred from it by their own policy. If they do, ask for it by phone, where people will often say more than they put in writing. A decline for fit calls for a different funder, and a decline for timing or money calls for a second try.
If the answer is no for now, how would you like us to stay in touch?
Why ask it
A yearly update, an invitation to see the work, or nothing until the next cycle: let them choose. Then do exactly that and no more. Program officers move between foundations, and one who remembers you as easy to deal with may open a door somewhere else.
How does renewal work: is it a full new application, and is there a limit on how long you will fund the same organization?
Why ask it
Renewal can mean a short update, a fresh application from zero, or a required year off after a set number of grants. If there is a limit, you know from the first day when to line up a replacement. Ask too how much notice grantees get when support is ending, and whether the last grant tapers.
Between reports, how much do you like to hear from grantees?
Why ask it
One program officer wants an email whenever something good happens, and another has a long list of grantees and would prefer silence until the report. Match their preference, and ask whether invitations to events or to see the work are welcome or a burden.
When something goes wrong, such as losing a key person or missing a target, how soon do you want to know?
Why ask it
The answer you will get is 'early', so go one step further and ask what happened the last time a grantee called with bad news. That story shows whether early honesty is rewarded there. Then hold yourself to it if you are funded.
What are you seeing across your grantees right now that an organization like ours should know about?
Why ask it
A program officer reads proposals and reports from across your field and can see what no single organization does: costs rising, a need moving, an approach losing favor. The question treats them as a colleague as well as a gatekeeper. Test whatever they describe against your own experience before it goes into a proposal.
What have your best relationships with grantees had in common?
Why ask it
You will hear what this person values, and it is seldom the size of the results: candor, reports on time, no surprises, a director who picks up the phone. That is the nearest thing to a job description for a grantee, so keep it with the award letter.
What should our next step be, and may I follow up with you directly?
Why ask it
End on something with a date: send a concept by a certain week, wait for the fall cycle, submit through the portal. Repeat it back before you hang up, then confirm it in a two-line email the same day so you both have a record.
How to talk to a funder before you apply
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before you get in touch
Read what is public first
Go through the guidelines, the list of recent grants, the annual report and any strategy paper before you ask for a conversation. In some countries a foundation's filings with the tax authority or the charity regulator are public and show each grant with its amount, so check what is available where this funder is based. Arrive knowing what they have funded and for how much, and spend the call on what no document says.
Know what kind of funder you are calling
A private or family foundation, a community foundation, a corporate giving program and a government agency are run differently, and the questions under Decisions land differently at each. A public agency may bar its staff from talking to applicants once a competition is open and take questions only through a published process, so read its rules before you call. At a family or corporate funder the deciding may be done by a few relatives or by a small team with other duties, which is worth asking about directly.
Check whether they want to hear from you
Some funders invite a call before every application and some state plainly that staff do not take inquiries. Follow whatever the website says. Where it is silent, a three-line email asking for fifteen minutes, with one sentence on what you do and why you think it fits, is a reasonable way in.
Have your own answers ready
A program officer will ask back: your budget, who you serve, what you would do with the money and how much you have in mind. Prepare a one-minute description and a figure. Replying 'whatever you think is right' when asked for an amount wastes the best opening the call will give you.
Take six questions, not the whole page
A first call may run only twenty or thirty minutes. Take two from Fit, then one each from the groups where the public material left you unsure. Most of Reporting and The relationship can wait for a second conversation or an invitation to apply. The exception is the last question on the page, about the next step, which is how to end any call.
On the call
Say what the call is for
Open by saying you are trying to learn whether to apply and are not asking for a commitment. A program officer who is not being pitched will tell you far more about how the foundation works.
Describe the work once, briefly
Give your one-minute description near the start and then stop. Every extra minute of explaining is a minute of their knowledge you do not get. If they want more detail they will ask, and what they ask about shows what caught their interest.
Ask about people as well as rules
Guidelines tell you what is eligible. Only a person can tell you what the board argued about at its last meeting or which kind of project the staff are tired of seeing. The questions under Decisions and The proposal are written to reach that layer.
Note their vocabulary
Write down the words the funder uses for the problem and for the people affected. Using those terms accurately in the proposal makes it easier for the program officer to present you to a committee. Do not adopt a label that does not truly describe your work.
Confirm it in writing within a day
Send a short thank-you that repeats the next step and any figure or date you were given. It corrects a misunderstanding while it is still cheap to fix, and it is the funder's first sample of how you would behave as a grantee.
What the answers mean
Encouragement is not a commitment
'We would love to see a proposal' means you may apply. It does not mean you will be funded, and the same sentence may be said to many applicants. Keep it out of your board's revenue forecast until there is a decision in writing.
A soft no is still a no
Staff seldom say 'do not apply'. They say the budget is tight this year, the board is focused elsewhere, or you are welcome to submit. If you hear two of those in one call, ask directly whether they would spend the time on an application if they were in your seat.
Listen to what they ask you
Questions about your reserves, your board or who else funds you point to what the committee will probe. Treat each one as a heading your proposal has to cover.
The program officer seldom decides alone
Even an enthusiastic one may have to persuade a director, a committee or a board. Ask what would make that easier and then supply it: a clear summary, a clean budget, a reference from another funder.
Where grant seekers go wrong
Asking what the website already answers
Deadlines, eligibility and the application form are nearly always published. Asking for them tells the funder you did not look, and uses up a call that could have told you something unwritten.
Reshaping the program to match the money
It is tempting to hear a priority and promise that your work can become that. A grant won this way pays for something you never planned to do, and you still have to report on it. Say plainly where your work overlaps with theirs and where it does not.
Going over the staff
Calling a trustee after a discouraging talk with a program officer rarely changes the outcome and can sour the relationship for years. If you have a real connection on the funder's board, raise it with staff and let them say how to use it.
Disappearing after the answer
Grantees who surface only at deadline time, and declined applicants who vanish, both miss what a funder can offer between decisions: advice, introductions, an early word that priorities are shifting. Keep whatever rhythm of contact they asked for, in good years and bad.