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Any funding source you approach will have questions about the grant applicant organization’s legal name and structure, such as nonprofit, unit of government (village, town, township, city, county, or state government agency), association, or membership-based organization. Although the wording may vary slightly from one application to another, the cover documents (if applicable) and narratives of grant applications generally ask for the same basic information. Understanding exactly what the application is asking for and knowing how to reply in the right language is critical.

Don’t hesitate to call or email the funding source for assistance if you have questions about any portion of the application. Asking a funder for help won’t hurt your chances of getting a grant. In fact, doing so may even help because you’re filling in online text boxes that have limited space. This means that you have to hit the funder’s expectation target with your written responses in each of the text boxes. Calling or emailing with queries is another way to connect on a higher level with potential funder communications.

If you’re trying to enter your responses into an online electronic (e-grant) application, pay special attention to any word, character, or space limitations and stay within those limits. Also, don’t try to copy and paste any graphics or other nontransferable formatting like bullets, underlining, italics, or bold font from your word-processing application into an e-grant application template. I tell you more about e-grants in Chapter 23.

The basic applicant information requested by all funders includes the following:

 Legal name of the grant applicant: Be sure to list your organization’s legal name here. For charitable organizations, associations, and foundations, the legal name is the one that appears on the organization’s IRS 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(6) letter of nonprofit determination. (If you’re not sure, 501(c)(3) is the charitable designation, and 501(c)(6) is the association or membership designation.) For cities, townships, villages, county units of government, and public schools, which have a different classification of nonprofit status, the legal name is the incorporated name.

 Type of grant applicant: Check the box that best describes your organization’s forming structure. For example, you can choose from state agency, county, municipal, township, interstate, intermunicipal, special district, independent school district, public college or university, Native American tribe, nonprofit, individual, private, profit-making organization, and other (which you have to specify). If the grant applicant is a nongovernmental organization (NGO), indicate that early on in your funding request. You may be asked for proof of registration as an NGO with your country’s approval officials. Read more about NGOs at www.state.gov/non-governmental-organizations-ngos-in-the-united-states/. Is your organization a type of applicant that isn't eligible? Search for a partner (government agency or nonprofit) that can be the lead grant application responder. Doing so gets dollars into the front door of your organization because you’re incorporated into the funding request as a subcontracting partner.

 Year the grant applicant organization was founded: Enter the year your organization was incorporated or created. Often, the year of incorporation differs from the creation date because many nonprofit founders start providing programs and services first and seek incorporation several years later. You need to explain any such discrepancy in your opening narrative, which is the background/history narrative section.

 Current grant applicant operating budget: Supply the organization’s 12-month operating budget total for the current fiscal year. Note that some funders also request the operating budget for the time period that the grant would cover. Always comply with whatever information is requested. When it comes to money, be sure to supply information that portrays the truth and nothing but the truth.

 Grant applicant organization’s employer identification number (EIN) or taxpayer identification number (TIN): This portion of the form asks for the seven-digit EIN/TIN assigned to your organization by the IRS. The EIN/TIN is also called a taxpayer reporting number. You can find the EIN/TIN on your IRS letter of nonprofit determination or by calling your organization’s financial person/department.

 Grant applicant organization’s fiscal year: Indicate the 12-month timeframe that your organization considers to be its operating, or fiscal, year. The fiscal year is defined by the organization’s bylaws and can correspond with the calendar year or some other period, such as July 1 to June 30.

 Grant applicant organization’s contact person information: Name the primary contact in your organization for grant or cooperative agreement negotiations, questions, and written correspondence. This person should be your executive director, board of directors’ president, or program director — not the grantwriter. Why? Because you, the grantwriter, have no legal or financial authority to act as the contact person. Communications clearly need to be with the governing body or the authorized executive-level staff.

 Grant applicant organization’s address: Provide the current street and/or mailing address for the applicant organization. Potential funders view a post office box address as a red flag because these addresses tend to be used by grassroots nonprofits and fly-by-night (here today, gone tomorrow) grant applicants. Stick with a street address on your grant application.

 Grant applicant organization’s telephone/fax/email information: List the contact person’s telephone and fax numbers (with area code) as well as an email address. Some nonprofit organizations use online fax services, such as eFax (www.efax.com).

 Grant applicant organization’s website address: Organizations seeking grant funds are wise to have a website that funders can refer to that includes an overview of the organization.

If you’re applying to a federal funder, you also need to provide the following information:

 D-U-N-S number: Federal grantmaking agencies require that all grant applicants have a D-U-N-S number that lets others more easily recognize and learn about their organizations. The D-U-N-S number is a nine-digit identification sequence that provides a unique identifier of a single business entity while linking corporate family structures together. You can register for a unique D-U-N-S number by visiting the Grants.gov website (www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html) and following the on-screen instructions. You'll need to register with SAM.gov (sam.gov/content/home) to have your D-U-N-S fully integrated for government grant identification purposes.

 Grant applicant’s congressional districts: On a federal grant application, you need to list all the congressional districts in which your organization is located and your grant-funded services will be implemented (www.govtrack.us/congress/members/map). You can also get this information by calling the public library or surfing the Internet to locate your legislator's website, which will contain their district numbers. Knowing and developing ties with representatives in Washington, D.C., and at your state capital is critical. You always need friends in high places. (See Chapter 4 for more on connecting to government officials.)