What is a grant? And how it can fund literary ambitions?

Earlier this year, I invested some money in a grant-writing course. At the time, while living in a homeless shelter, I became more and more curious about how local nonprofits keep the lights on. Tulsa has a high number of homeless people, and there are plenty of nonprofits that provide job placement assistance, free groceries, transitional living facilities, donated furniture, mobile showers, and other resources to anyone experiencing or who is two paychecks away from homelessness.

What is a grant?

A grant is a specific type of financial assistance awarded to a certain type of organization. Below are some criteria.

• The organization must be registered as a 501 (c)(3) (a specific kind of nonprofit exempt from federal income tax, and is normally structured for scientific, educational, charitable, religious, or literary purposes).
• The funds must align with the organization's purpose, meaning an organization can't simply apply for funds to start a fundraising event, then turn around and use the money to buy a forklift for its food bank warehouse.
• The grant application must abide by certain rules, and in some cases, the money can't be used until a later date. Funders lose trust and confidence if shady business practices and irresponsibility arise.

Types of grants

• Government grants are issued federally, state(ly?), and locally for well-established organizations.
• Foundations are for corporations and private companies.
• Small-scale, locally funded grants are given to clubs and chambers of commerce.
• Partnership grants are for umbrella organizations and co-ops.

Applying for a grant isn't as easy as just sending an email, fax, or handwritten letter asking for money. It all begins with a Request for Proposal (RFP). This lengthy document is usually posted on an organization's website for easy access, but for some, an applicant has to ask the organization directly to access it. An RFP is a guideline and basis for (1) how to start an application, (2) which sections to include, and (3) any supporting documents you may need. Since all RFP's have a deadline, it's best to start reviewing the guidelines well ahead of the deadline.

An RFP also goes by:

• Request for Application (RFA)
• Notice of Funding Available (NOFA)
• Call for Applications (CFA)
• Letter of Intent (LOI) for the pre-application steps.

​Dismantled publishing scene

A nonprofit must put forth much effort to complete a grant application, and it can take weeks or months to gather all of the needed documents. I someday want to help an organization with a literacy grant or book fund to publish a book (or books) by an author who doesn't have the resources to pay for a literary agent. The publishing world is dismantled thanks to social media platforms that have built a stable bridge between authors and readers; literary influencers and authors have less red tape to tear through when it comes to increasing readership and generating a fan base. Still, there are plenty of people who cannot access these platforms due to physical and mental restraints, or they simply don't know they exist.

I don’t know much about how nonprofit publishing houses work, but Tilted Axis Press seems to have a great business model, and I’ve been keeping up with their news over the years. Many of their books sit on my bookshelf at home (as seen in the cover photo of this post).

If you had the opportunity to write a grant, which organization would you choose, and for what kind of project?

Thanks for reading, reader!