Grant Writing Funder Research and Alignment 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A federal grant opportunity on Grants.gov lists CFDA number 93.243. What does the CFDA number help grant seekers determine?
- The exact dollar amount available per applicant
- The federal program and sponsoring agency offering the grant (Correct answer)
- The number of awards made in prior years
- The application deadline and submission window
Correct answer: The federal program and sponsoring agency offering the grant
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number identifies the specific federal assistance program and the agency administering it.
Question 2: Which funder research strategy involves reviewing a foundation's publicly available board meeting minutes or press releases to identify emerging priorities?
- Prospect screening
- Environmental scanning (Correct answer)
- Needs assessment
- Logic modeling
Correct answer: Environmental scanning
Environmental scanning involves actively monitoring public funder communications to detect shifts in strategic priorities before they appear in formal guidelines.
Question 3: An organization finds a corporate funder whose foundation supports education, but the parent company manufactures tobacco products. What should the grant writer consider?
- Only the foundation's stated priorities matter, not the parent company
- The source of funds and any reputational risk to the organization (Correct answer)
- Whether the foundation is registered as a 501(c)(3)
- The corporate foundation's average grant turnaround time
Correct answer: The source of funds and any reputational risk to the organization
Accepting funds from a corporation with conflicting values can damage an organization's credibility and violate its mission integrity.
Question 4: What is a 'Letter of Inquiry' (LOI) primarily used for in funder alignment?
- Formally submitting a full grant proposal
- Testing funder interest before investing in a complete application (Correct answer)
- Reporting outcomes after a grant period ends
- Requesting a deadline extension from the program officer
Correct answer: Testing funder interest before investing in a complete application
An LOI is a brief document sent before a full proposal to gauge whether a funder is interested in the project concept.
Question 5: A funder's website states they practice 'participatory grantmaking.' What does this MOST likely mean?
- Applicants must present proposals in person to the board
- Community members or grantees have a voice in funding decisions (Correct answer)
- All applications are reviewed by a public panel
- Funders require a community co-signer on the grant agreement
Correct answer: Community members or grantees have a voice in funding decisions
Participatory grantmaking involves centering communities and grantees in decision-making processes rather than relying solely on foundation staff.
Question 6: Which of the following is the MOST reliable indicator that a funder is actively making grants?
- The foundation has a professional-looking website
- Recent 990-PF filings show grants paid within the last 12-24 months (Correct answer)
- The foundation's name appears in a newspaper article from five years ago
- The foundation is listed in a philanthropic directory
Correct answer: Recent 990-PF filings show grants paid within the last 12-24 months
Recent 990-PF filings confirm actual grant activity; a listing or website alone does not guarantee a foundation is currently accepting or making grants.
Question 7: When a funder specifies 'general operating support' as an eligible use of funds, this means the grant can be used for:
- Only capital purchases like equipment and vehicles
- Exclusively program-specific direct costs
- Overhead, salaries, rent, and other core organizational expenses (Correct answer)
- Research and evaluation activities only
Correct answer: Overhead, salaries, rent, and other core organizational expenses
General operating support grants are unrestricted funds that can cover an organization's core administrative and operational costs.
Grant Writing Funder Research and Alignment 3
A federal grant opportunity on Grants.gov lists CFDA number 93.243.
What does the CFDA number help grant seekers determine?