Funding Jumpstart in Action
Building the Foundation for Grant Success
Rochester Clinic & Lotus Health Foundation
Rochester Clinic and their associated nonprofit, Lotus Health Foundation, signed up for the Jumpstart package to strengthen their joint foundation for grant development.
Although the organizations share a commitment to plant-based nutrition, prevention, and whole-person health, they have distinct missions, programs and funding needs. Developing an effective grant strategy required understanding each organization's readiness, positioning, and funding opportunities before diving into grant writing.
Katydid guided them through a structured, three-part process designed to build grant readiness and establish a strategic approach to funding.
-
We began with a structured assessment of organizational health and grant readiness, examining existing strengths, organizational infrastructure and areas requiring further development.
This established a foundation for making informed decisions about future funding opportunities.
-
Next, we developed strategic messaging to communicate each organization's mission, vision, values and distinctive contributions.
The modular approach established consistent messaging that could be adapted to different funding opportunities and audiences without rebuilding the organization's story for every application.
-
With a clearer understanding of organizational readiness and positioning, we moved into targeted grant research.
Opportunities were evaluated for mission alignment, eligibility, organizational capacity, application effort and long-term strategic value.
This helped distinguish opportunities worth pursuing from those better suited to future development or collaborative partnerships.
They emerged with an understanding of their organizational readiness, strategic messaging to support future funding conversations, and targeted prospecting research to guide grant development.
Equally important, our collaborative discussions generated ideas and plans extending beyond the immediate scope of the engagement.