New Year. New Funders. New You.
If you’re heading into 2026 thinking, “We need new funders,” you’re not alone. Plenty of misconceptions float around the nonprofit world, like:
- “Finding a grant is easy — just Google it or use AI.”
- “Grants are quick money. There are tons of them out there.”
- And of course: “Can’t we just write a grant for that?”
The reality? Only about 1 in 10 grants is funded. Grant writing is time-intensive, competitive, and rarely quick. Many proposals take months to review — and some never receive a response at all.
Most nonprofits rely on a small circle of familiar foundations or sponsors, which is completely normal. But this also means organizations often overlook something essential: building and maintaining relationships with grant funders is just as important as cultivating individual donors. Funders want to know your work, your people, and your results long before a proposal arrives in their inbox.
Across all of our grant trainings— from Grant Writing Basics to Increasing Your Chances for Grant Success — we emphasize one big message: strong proposals start with strong research. Your success rate rises dramatically when you focus on true alignment and pursue opportunities that genuinely align with your mission, capacity, and impact. And here’s the good news: investing in research pays off all year long. When you identify funders who already care about the work you do — your community, your issue area, your population — you write fewer proposals, submit stronger applications, and increase your chances of being funded.
1. Start With Your Real Funding Needs
Before you begin searching, get clear on exactly what you need: staffing, program expansion, equipment, operating support, or something else. Funders are specific — and clarity helps you identify real opportunities quickly. Grant writing should support the work you already do, not force you to create new programs or data tracking systems just to fit a funder’s priorities.
2. Use Free Tools and Smart Searches
You don’t need paid databases to find strong prospects. Start with powerful — and free — tools:
- Grants.gov
- City, county, and state bid/contracting sites
- Grantmakers.io
- Guidestar/Candid (especially Schedule I of the 990 — your new research superpower)
A foundation’s 990 shows you who they funded, how much they gave, and what they prioritize — at no cost.
Then take your search further with strategic Google digging. Use keywords, geographic terms, and program descriptors. Many funders don’t promote their giving widely; their grantmaking is buried in old PDFs, board notes, or partner websites. A thoughtful search can reveal funders you’d never discover otherwise.
3. Build Relationships Before You Apply
Your proposal is much stronger when a funder already knows your name. Focus on a few high-impact ways to build relationships:
- Send a brief introduction email sharing who you serve, a recent win, and why your mission aligns with their priorities WITHOUT asking for money.
- Share quick updates a few times a year — a story, outcome, or milestone — to stay on their radar.
- Ask thoughtful questions (“What are your priorities this year?” “What makes a strong application?”) rather than “Will you fund us?”
Funders are more likely to invest in organizations they know, trust, and have seen in action. A warm relationship turns a cold application into a much more winnable opportunity.
4. Align Your Mission With Their Priorities
One of the biggest mistakes nonprofits make is applying for every grant they hear about. It wastes time, confuses your message, and lowers your chances of success.
Before you apply, ask:
- Does this funder support work like ours?
- Have they funded similar programs?
- Do our outcomes and population align with their values and goals?
If the answer is no, skip it. Funders can tell when you’re stretching your mission to fit their money — and it almost never works. One well-matched proposal will always outperform ten scattershot ones.
Let Us Help With the Hard Part
Grant research doesn’t have to feel overwhelming. When you focus on alignment — the funders who already believe in the kind of work you do — everything gets easier: your list gets clearer, your proposals get stronger, and your chances of being funded go up. And if the research side feels like one more thing on your plate, we can help. Partner for Better can dig into your mission, programs, and goals and create a tailored list of funders who are the best fit for you in 2026. Curious what that could look like? Just ask — we’d love to help.