• Grant Readiness Supportive Assessment

    Let’s get you grant-ready! Please use this form to request support and complete your initial readiness assessment. To ensure we have the most accurate data, we recommend this form be filled out by someone very familiar with the organization's operations and strategy, typically a senior leader or grant writer.

  • The Grants Capacity Building Initiative was designed to get money into the hands of communities who have been on the economic sidelines.

    To that end, the program is limited to organizations with budgets of less than $5M, with a special emphasis on resourcing organizations led by or serving marginalized communities. The following questions collect data to evaluate our progress towards that goal. No matter how you respond, we will still do our best to help however we can. We define marginalization as: "the systemic social process of pushing individuals or groups to the fringes or "margins" of society, denying them equal access to resources, opportunities, power, and a voice."
  • How would you describe your organization? Check all that apply*
  • What is your organization's annual operating budget?*

  • Unfortunately, your organization is not eligible for free grant writing through Causewave based on your budget size.

    We can still provide coaching, a free resource library, and grant readiness workshops. We can also provide connections to budget-friendly freelancers. You are still welcome to click "next" to complete the readiness assessment and schedule a consult with our grants specialist.

  • Congrats! Your organization will be prioritized for free grant writing support through Causewave.

    We also offer coaching, a free resource library, and grant readiness workshops. Click "next" to complete the readiness assessment and schedule a consult with our grants specialist.

  • Congrats! Your organization is eligible to receive free grant writing support through Causewave.

    We also offer coaching, a free resource library, and grant readiness workshops. Click "next" to complete the readiness assessment and schedule a consult with our grants specialist.

  • Grant Readiness Assessment

    The following questions are designed to assess your organization's readiness for seeking, winning, and managing grants. These results will help us to understand your baseline and the impact of our efforts towards building the capacity of community-based organizations to secure grants from state, federal, and private funders. For each area of readiness, select the category that most closely represents your organization's progress in that area, even if the exact wording may or may not be accurate.
  • How would you assess your organization's Strategic Clarity? This category evaluates how effectively an organization uses its mission and strategic priorities to guide decision-making and shape its fundraising strategy.*
  • How would you assess your organization's Programmatic Clarity? This assessment area focuses on how well programs are defined and the organization's ability to use logic models and data to measure outputs, outcomes, and long-term impact.*
  • How would you assess your organization's Financial Management? This category reviews the organization's financial health, including the quality of budgets, the ability to produce grant-specific reports, and the strength of internal controls.*
  • How would you assess your organization's Leadership & Staffing? This category examines who is responsible for grant seeking, the level of dedicated expertise available, and how actively the board and cross-departmental teams collaborate on fundraising.*
  • How would you assess your organization's Pre-award Infrastructure? This area assesses the tools an organization has in place to secure funding, such as a "Case for Support," grant calendars, prospect research systems, and a library of key attachments.*
  • How would you assess your organization's Post-award Stewardship? This category measures how an organization manages a grant after it is received, focusing on tracking deliverables, meeting reporting deadlines, and building proactive partnerships with funders.*

  • Score: 1 - Foundational Review Needed 🔴

    Description: This score indicates that critical, foundational elements for grant readiness are not yet in place. Pursuing grant funding now would likely be an additive activity that could lead to mission drift and burnout. The immediate focus should be on internal capacity, not external funding.

    Strategic Suggestions:

    Revisit the Grant Readiness Rubric: Review the full grant readiness rubric. Identify the one or two lowest-scoring categories. This is your starting point. Don't move forward until you have a plan to address these core gaps.


    Build Your "Grant-Ready" Kit: Focus on building a boilerplate proposal package. The task of gathering essential documents (like your board list, financial statements, and letters of support) is a practical first step that will reveal exactly what's missing in your organizational infrastructure.


    Focus on Core Work, Not New Programs: Your goal is to strengthen your core so you can pursue an integrated grant strategy later. Avoid "chasing the money" for new projects and instead focus on stabilizing the vital work you already do.

  • Score: 2 - Building the Systems 🟠

    Description: This score suggests your organization is doing good work but lacks the formal systems and clear narrative needed to be competitive. You likely have the passion (Pathos) but need to strengthen your credibility (Ethos) and logic (Logos). You may be reacting to opportunities rather than proactively planning.

    Strategic Suggestions:

    Implement the Funding Opportunity Evaluation Tool: This is the most critical tool for you right now. It will help you move from a reactive to a strategic mindset by creating a formal process for evaluating opportunities, ensuring you only pursue grants that align with your mission and capacity.


    Map Your Story: Complete the top "Story" half of the Story+Data Map from the resource library. This exercise will force you to clarify your hero, their challenges, and your solution, forming the backbone of your case for support. If the format isn't working for you, try using one of the logic model templates instead.


    Calculate Your True Costs: Before you write a budget, work with your finance team to calculate your actual indirect cost rate. This ensures that when you do apply for grants, you're requesting enough money to cover the full expense of the project, not just the direct program costs.

  • Score: 3 - Ready to Formalize 🟡

    Description: A score of three indicates you meet expectations and have a solid foundation. You likely have a good sense of your story and some data, but they may not be fully integrated. You can talk about your outputs (what you do), but you need to strengthen how you articulate your outcomes (the change that results).

    Strategic Suggestions:

    Complete the Story+Data Map: Your priority is to complete the bottom "Data" half of the map. This will force you to connect every part of your compelling narrative to a piece of evidence, making your proposal significantly more persuasive and believable. If the format isn't working for you, try using one of the logic model templates instead.

    Build a Logic Model: Use a template from the resource library to draft a logic model for your core program. This exercise visualizes your theory of change, strengthens the Logos of your argument, and is a key document that many state and national funders look for.


    Begin AI-Powered Prospect Research: Now that your story and data are taking shape, you're ready to start looking for funders. Use AI to save time and find highly aligned prospects.

  • Score: 4 - Poised for Strategic Growth 🟢

    Description: Description: This score means you are grant-ready and have strong systems in place. The next step is to move from simply writing good proposals to proactively building funder relationships. You are ready to move down the Funder Relationship Funnel from the "Qualify" stage to the "Cultivate" stage.

    Strategic Suggestions:

    Start Cultivating Your Top 3 Prospects: Use your vetted list and begin building relationships. Follow best practices in prospect identification and cultivation: sign up for their newsletters, attend their webinars, and ask for a brief introductory meeting to introduce your organization before you need to make an ask.


    Practice Funder Conversations: Role play funder conversations before you have them. Practice the "Pre-Submission" call to build rapport or the "Stewardship Thank You" call to show gratitude. Getting comfortable in these conversations is key to building partnerships.


    Collaborate on Budgets: Ensure every proposal budget is a collaborative effort between your program and finance staff. This demonstrates a high level of internal organization and ensures your budgets are realistic and account for the project's true costs.

  • Score: 5 - Leader & Innovator 🔵

    Description: An exceptional score signifies that your organization excels at not just winning grants, but at practicing deep financial and relational stewardship. You are at the Stewardship and Renewal stages of the funder funnel and are viewed as a reliable, high-impact partner.

    Strategic Suggestions:

    Leverage Funders as Thought Partners: Go beyond transactional updates. Proactively reach out to your program officers to share learnings and ask for their strategic advice. Treat them as the "thought partners and connectors" they can be to advance your mission.

    Systematize Your Stewardship: Plan for the future by perfecting your documentation systems. Create a shared "Spreadsheet of Truth" or optimize your CRM to track deliverables and "plan for the day that no one who wrote the grant works at your org anymore".

    Partner with Causewave to Go National: Your organization is a prime candidate for the Grants Capacity Building program's free grant-writing support. Use your strong foundation to strategically target and win the "out-of-town dollars" this initiative is designed to attract.

  • Would you like to meet with Causewave's Senior Manager of Grants Capacity Building to discuss your results?
  • Book an appointment with Ray Wugg, Senior Manager of Grants Capacity Building
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