Tips for Writing the Sustainability Component

Many funders ask specifically for this component in their grant guidelines; others do not. Whether or not this component is required, you should include some information on sources of support for the project’s future.
The more specific you are in this section, the more confidence you will inspire in potential funders that the project will continue beyond their grant, maximizing the impact of their investment.
Take a look at the Sample Sustainability Component to see what the Some City Senior Center has planned for the sustainability of its program.
Answering the questions in Worksheet 7.1A will get you started on developing the future funding component of your proposal. Worksheet 7.1B provides sample answers, continuing the example of the Senior Latino Community Outreach Pilot Project. Then write your own future funding information, referring to the Sample Sustainability Component you reviewed earlier. Check your work by answering the Sustainability Review Questions.
Sample Sustainability Component
The Some City Senior Center has a successful fourteen-year track record of securing and maintaining funding for its numerous programs and services. We anticipate receiving a portion of the program’s funding from the city governments of Some City, Valley Vista, Grove Beach, and Hill Viejo, as well as from the Any County government. We also have two board members—the same board members who have stepped forward to cochair our program’s outreach committee—who have committed $2,500 each for three years. Our board and staff believe so strongly in this program that they have committed to helping our director of development to raise an additional $25,000 per year in our annual fundraising campaigns specifically for this program. Finally, we are in continuing conversations with the Wegivit Foundation and Youtakeit Regional Fund, as both have provided small grants to assist us in piloting the project.These two local grantmakers have indicated clearly that they have an interest in potentially larger investments should we move forward with the program after our pilot year.
WORKSHEET 7.1A: Future Funding Questionnaire
Winning Grants Step by Step,Third Edition. Copyright © 2008 by JohnWiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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WORKSHEET 7.1B: Future Funding Questionnaire Example
Winning Grants Step by Step,Third Edition. Copyright © 2008 by JohnWiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Sustainability Review Questions
1. Is it your organization’s intent to have the program continue after the initial grant funding is gone?
2. If yes, does the sustainability component of your proposal present a plan for securing future funding for the program?
3. Does it discuss future funding strategies or earned-income strategies?
4. If you are requesting a multiyear grant, have you shown that your organization will have a decreasing reliance on grant support each year? (Grantmakers are more inclined to make a multiyear grant to nonprofits that assume greater financial responsibility for the project each year, rather than asking the funder to maintain the same level of funding each year.)
Now it’s time to translate your nonprofit’s program into the language of dollars by developing a budget.
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