Many non-government and non-profit organizations understand that there is a need to help nations recover from their socio-economic problems. These organizations know that the threat can only be stopped if people afflicted by poverty or any related concerns would start the change within themselves.

Unfortunately, people who have already sustained a huge amount of damage against poverty, low quality of education, and other social turmoil are too weak and vulnerable to make a stand. They have already suffered crushing blows brought by the aftermath of different and patterned socio-economic problems.

Spearheading the change among NGOs and non-profit organizations are private foundations focused on bringing worldwide change and global restoration of hope. These foundations exist to address a specific problem range that continues to emerge victorious in different third-world and developing countries.

The foundations listed below award grant money to qualified non-profit organizations and creative social entrepreneurs that have realistic blueprints for solving a specific global crisis.

• Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation – The Foundation provides selected and qualified entrepreneurs with a total of $100,000 for three years. The Foundation is interested in creating global impact and as such, financially sustains entrepreneurs with capable models and manageable frameworks for international success.

Web Site: http://www.draperrichards.org/

• Skoll Foundation – The Skoll Foundation chiefly invests its time on social entrepreneurs whose contributions and initiatives focus on bringing large-scale impact in areas such as environmental conservation, peace and anti-terrorism countermeasures, economic balance, and health.

Web Site: http://www.skollfoundation.org/

• Global Fund for Women – The Global Fund for Women is a women-centric non-profit organization that promotes the economic security, health, and education and leadership values of women at the local, regional, and national levels. The Fund entrusts its grantmaking opportunities to organizations that have a flagship movement to end social inequities among women in different parts of the globe.

Web Site: http://www.globalfundforwomen.org/

• The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation – The Foundation heavily invests its strategic grantmaking on educational programs and employee volunteerism on an international scale. The Foundation also champions social responsibility of caring for the environment and preserving its pristine beauty.

Web Site: http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/

• Bridge Foundation – The Bridge Foundation works to help countries recover from devastating events such as cataclysmic earthquakes and tsunamis. The Bridge Foundation pairs with organizations working under the same principles and enthusiasm in promoting the lives of civilians living under sub-standard conditions.

Web Site: http://www.bridgefoundation.net/

Military personnel refer to as members of any armed forces, which include the Army, Navy, Air Force, and the Marine Corps. They are the country’s defenders against any threat of invasion or war. Keeping the country safe and under control are only some of its responsibilities. From the day they have decided to join the military, they have dedicated their entire lives to serving and protecting the country.

Families of military personnel are familiar with the sacrifices they have to endure. While a member of the family is away on active duty, members who are left behind must take care of each other and rely on faith to keep their loved ones safe. If the head of the family is on duty, the woman will take both responsibilities of being a mother and the father to their children. She will have to decide on everything. If she has a career that brings additional income to the family, it is an advantage. But if not, the family will go through a tough time.

Military families face difficulties, both financially and emotionally. The emotional aspect can be minimized by keeping yourself busy with the day to day activities and household chores. Also, your children can help you cope with your emotional distress. On the other hand, the financial aspect cannot be ignored because money matters. Everything has a price including food, shelter, clothing, and education. These things are needed by every family in order to survive, including families in the military. To acknowledge the sacrifices and hardships of military families, the government has created programs for military families.

The government created programs or financial aid grants including, but not limited, to educational assistance for dependents and spouses of members of the Armed Forces. This is available to all active and retired members and their families. Both programs are free money or grants for education that they do not need to pay back. Nowadays, very few students are able to continue their education due to its rising cost. Only rich people are able to put their children to college or even in higher education. The educational assistance program for dependents will ensure their bright future. It is free money that can be utilized for tuition fee, books, allowances, and other education related expenses.

Similarly, the educational assistance available for spouses of Armed Forces personnel can also be utilized for tuition fee, books, allowances, and other education related expenses to continue education for career growth. The opportunity will allow the spouse to acquire employment that will bring a profitable income to the family. Every military family must take advantage of the programs that the government provides to help them live a better quality of life.

Surf the Internet and get to know more about grant programs for education, veterans, elderly, and others.

• Health Benefits

Having a home will allow you to live a stress-free and comfortable life.

• Social Benefits

Having your own home will allow you to establish close relationships with the people around you.

• Benefits for children

Children who live at their own home are more confident, happy, and motivated to learn.

A home is an irreplaceable asset that a person can own in a lifetime. It must be properly maintained and taken care of to forever shelter dreams and admirations etched in every corner of a house’s set of rooms.

Unfortunately, nothing is permanent and as we continue to age, our homes will suffer structural and material degeneration. Sturdy walls will crumble and furniture will show its rust over time.

Limited financial allotments require families to think of something to preserve their homes, which ‘houses’ close to a near thousand memories.

Families prioritize the remodeling of their house to remove any safety hazards and make it more accessible to their loved ones, elderly suffering from disabilities and more importantly, the children. Common renovated areas of the house are the bathroom, kitchen, and the bathroom.

Most common improvements for a bathroom include removal of slippery tiles, added grab bars and bathroom rails so that elderly or people with disabilities are safe to use the bathroom alone. The kitchen, on the other hand, must be upgraded with the latest cooking tools and kitchenware to avoid unnecessary accidents.

Finally, adequate bedroom upgrades must cover at least a portion of the overall budget for the home renovation budget.

Carelessness to remove safety hazards inside the house can result to injuries to any household members especially to children, elderly, or people with disabilities. Injuries caused by household materials and architecture are known to cause about 75% of deaths worldwide, making it 6^th among unnatural reasons why people die.

Here are some tips to avoid house-related accidents and deaths:

• Install handrails on stairs;
• Maintain a clutter-free walkway;
• Install adequate lighting especially along staircases, walkways and doorways;
• Install grab walls beside the toilet and around the bathtub;
• Put non-slippery mats inside the bathroom;
• Install shower seats;
• Remove cords from walkways; and,
• Avoid using floor wax (carpets are a better option).

Fortunately, the federal government is ready to assist families plagued with home-related problems. As part of the US government’s responsibility to aid every American family, home improvement grants and loans are rewarded to families that are able to produce grant proposals explaining the condition of their home.

Normally, the grants and loans are produced to give emphasis on power conservation, green projects, and property weatherization such as improvement of heating, electrical, or plumbing. This opportunity is given to people who live in non-urban areas with population that are less than 10,000.

Home renovation grants are given to qualified individuals who are in dire need of receiving financial support from the government provided that the proposal will be used “only for home improvement or renovation.”

Step One: Formulate Your Plan

You must start by brainstorming on what project to pursue and, in the process, determine your general goals in a broad sense. What arguments or issues do you passionately feel about? What are your organization’s strong points in accomplishing a plan? What are the highlights of your project?

Step Two: Extend Your Plan

Evaluate carefully the key issues affecting your community. Choose one issue to prioritize and devise the type of project that will concretely address or resolve it. Subsequently decide a project that you will put together and turn into a reality.

Step Three: Finalize Your Plan

Transform your ideas into a more detailed plan. Formulate your goals, objectives, as well as activities of the project. Make a clear and honest estimate of your income and expenses. Determine your methods to evaluate the project’s implementation.

Step Four: Search for Funding Sources

At this point, you may start looking for foundations or agencies that offer grants to organizations similar to yours. The best resources include the Internet and local libraries. People give money to people they already know, so make an effort to build connections and relationships whenever and wherever you can. With a well-written proposal presented to them, they may be interested in funding your project.

Step Five: Prepare Your Application

Get all the information you need in applying for a grant. Follow exactly the instructions stated. Study each application closely to make sure that your project is a good match to the qualifications and guidelines set by the funding sources. If not, then do not waste any time by immediately terminating your application.

Step Six: Be Convincing

Use statements that will propel your image positively, leading to a conclusion that funding your project is a smart investment. Make funding sources see that every dollar will be spent wisely, and that your organization will be on its way to make a difference if support is given.

Other Pointers

Before you send your application through mail, be sure to add a cover letter that includes a brief summary of your funding request. Double check to see if you’ve answered all the questions and met all requirements related to your application. Proofread the entire document again. In addition, make a personal copy of all these files and ensure that you send your application documents prior to the deadline.

Call the officer in charge of grant applications about a week after sending your application to make sure they received them completely. It takes a long time to review grant applications, so be patient.

Grant seekers who are more likely to win a grant are those who do their homework properly, see clearly the bigger picture, possess the capacity to establish and maintain a support network, aware of the budget cycle, and determine ways to meet match requirements.

Not all applicants get funded, though. But there are things to know if you or your organization got what it takes to win a grant:

-  You, your organization, and your prospective funder should have the same interests, intentions, and needs

-  You and your organization should meet the grant criteria

-  You and your organization should not overlook other programs as potential sources

-  You and your organization should be an eligible applicant

-  You and your organization should understand what is involved in the application process

-  Your project should meet the interest of the funding source

-  Your project should benefit a specific target population

-  Your project should fit right to what the funders support

-  Your project should fit to the size of a given grant

Dissecting your plan and concept

As a grant seeker, you should discuss and determine your plan and concept first before starting to write your grant proposal. Your tasks should include, but are not limited to, the following:

-  Reflect the overall mission of your organization

-  Explain the context of your organization’s work

-  Identify certain problems or issues that the organization hopes to address

-  Clarify your goals, objectives, and activities

-  Explain why it is critical to the situation at hand

-  Demonstrate the results you intend to achieve

-  Illustrate the changes to occur as a result

-  Present the stakeholders your organization will work with

-  Distinguish how the stakeholders were consulted and how will they be involved

-  Present an appropriate timeline as well as required resources such as funding and staffing

-  Demonstrate your monitoring and evaluation process

-  Clarify how the project will continue after funding

Assessing organizational capacity

You should be aware, however, that each prospective funder has its own guidelines, requirements, and procedures before considering an application. A grant proposal is the most effective way to articulate your organization’s mission as well as its accountability to the stakeholders.

-  Illustrate the structure of your organization

-  Identify the relevant skills of your staff and volunteers

-  Present your management team as well as the duties and responsibilities of each team member

-  Identify your supporters and describe your relationship with the local community

-  Present your organization’s most recent accomplishment

-  Make a short list of monetary or in-kind contributions the community provided to the project so far

-  Make a list of active donors to your organization

-  Explaining the networks you and your organization belong to

Strong and weak proposals

After completing the draft, you are now in a better position to go through again what you have just done.

Proposals with strong chances to win are those that follow application instructions; timely, succinct, and well organized; target funding priorities and show a realistic budget plan; legitimate and innovative; and, of course, proofread well.

Weak grant proposals, meanwhile, are those that do not follow directions in the guidelines for application, do not match, submitted late, and have numerous writing errors.

Some organizations such as small business operations, non-profit organizations, and educational institutions, view grant writing as advantageous over applying for loans because the organizations that are awarded a grant do not have the obligation to repay it. These organizations are, however, obligated to have their proposed activities in line with the objectives of a funding institution.

Proposals for grants are usually formal applications by an organization to the funding party, usually a private foundation or a government agency. The organization or individual seeking the grant needs to show that they are in line with the objectives of the funding agency, in terms of the proposed activity’s goals and objectives and potential output. These are the main reasons why writing grant proposals needs to have specific portions such as the abstract /summary, needs assessment and goals. These portions need to be clear so that the funding agency can easily assess if the proposed activity is in line with its objectives and values.

This is also why grant writing is considered a specialized task done by experienced individuals. In fact, there are companies that were established to write grant proposals. With some of the funding agencies, particularly federal government agencies, wanting a specific format for the grant proposals given to them, these specialized companies are becoming more and more necessary in writing grant proposals. Furthermore, writing proposals also requires a lot of research and ability to organize ideas in a cohesive way.

Fundraisers should always look into the possibility of applying for a grant for their organization’s projects. They need to have writing grant proposals as a part of their overall fundraising plan, and should always look to their proposals’ success.

Searching for a grant writing firm is not easy at all. Many optimized web sites catering to grant proposals continue to gain an advantage over each other for rankings. Consequently, search engines are now polluted with fraudulent grant writing web sites that do not even own an in-house grant writing facility.

When searching for a grant proposal web site, make sure to check the following elements:

• Kinds of grants offered – A fraudulent grant writing web site will not speak of different proposals because its owner does not know the basics of writing a grant proposal. Legitimate grant providers inform visitors or prospective clients about different kinds of grants and its significance to funders.

• Pricing – Fake grant writing companies will charge its clients double for a 7-10 page proposal. Compare and contrast prices with different grant providers. Search for multiple web sites offering the same kind of proposal package and identify which has the most believable price tag.

• External links to grant writing organizations – Legitimate grant writing web sites sprinkle its pages with external links pointing to grant writing organizations. The link acts as a seal and proves that the site does offer quality proposals for clients. Moreover, check the credibility of the organization as scammers bathe their sites with list of grant writing bodies that do not even exist.

• Technical support – Search for the company’s phone line for its 24/7 customer support. A grant provider’s technical support is an indicator that it respects the customer’s freedom to phone-in questions regarding their proposal at any given day.

• Testimonials – Be vigilant with your approach. Check for the company’s past projects and make sure that the project did receive funding due to the quality of the proposal produced by the writer.

Cleaning services or janitorial services cleans, organizes, and maintains facility to keep it safe and clean. The business provides a one-time or regular cleaning to homes and business facilities of any size including commercial buildings, government offices, shopping centers, hotels, apartments, healthcare facilities, office buildings, and clinics.

Most janitorial businesses are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its crew works in the commercial facility when its staff and workers have finished their work and gone home. They work at night till daybreak the next morning. The crew is also on call when clients needed someone to clean the facility during office hours. Furthermore, the crew works in residential properties at a convenient schedule set by the owner of the residence.

The success of the business could not only be attributed to the managing abilities of the owner, but also to the honesty, hard work, and dedication of the crew. If the crew is properly motivated and compensated, they would do their job without any complaint and hesitation. Most of the time, they are experts in their line of work because they have already spent a couple of years in the business.

As more and more businesses are being established, the need for janitorial services is expected to continually increase. Most businesses would choose to hire janitorial services, so that they can concentrate in doing their own job to help the business grow. Also, maintaining in-house janitorial services is quite expensive. More importantly families, with both parents working, do not have time to clean and organize the house. They choose to spend their leisure time with their children and entrust the house work to the cleaning services.

Families and business owners require the help of cleaning services to keep occupants healthy and the facility clean, meet health code requirements, and make a favorable impression on their customers. Professionally cleaned facilities not only keep the place safe but also the environment because most of the janitorial services or cleaning services use environmentally friendly cleaning products and green cleaning processes. By keeping the environment safe, the Earth will be a healthier and better place for children to live in.

People who wish to venture into this kind of business may start small. It means they can start the business out of their home with one employee, a vehicle, and cleaning equipment. As they acquire regular clients, they can hire additional employees and expand the scope of their services. Fortunately, the business can be established with a small capital, but not all people have it.

Aspiring businessmen can apply for grants or loans with various funding sources such as private foundations, angel investors, venture capitalists, and lending organizations. They just need to determine if they are eligible to apply, follow certain instructions, and understand the requirements given. Qualified applicants can apply online or send a proposal to the funding organization. Applicants can also create their own proposal or acquire the assistance of a professional grant writer.

Although there are very few grants for businesses, for profit projects with a high social impact may qualify for grant funding.

Senior citizens diagnosed with chronic and debilitating diseases spend the rest of their lives bedridden isolated from their loved ones. These individuals stare blankly into space, waiting for that time when they are finally relieved of their suffocating condition.

There are also senior citizens who have decided to live in separation because they could no longer enjoy what life has in store for them. A majority of these elders spend their time sitting on their living room, pondering on moments they have forever buried within their hearts.

Many private foundations across the United States hear the calling of America’s aging community. These institutions award grants to organizations willing to spend energy and effort on senior citizens dying of a chronic illness.

Though most of these foundations do not award grant money to families taking care of elders with life-altering disabilities, they instill programs that help value what remaining time that a dying senior citizen have left. These grants are appreciative for what senior citizens contributed in this generation dominated by young and dynamic paragons of global progression.

• Forever Young Senior Wish Organization – Forever Young is an online wishing well for seniors who want to become part of a refined and vibrant culture inhabited by young and physically able individuals. The organization’s web site contains links pointing out to some of wishes granted for senior citizens who were once part of momentous events that helped shape and secure America’s rich history.

Users do not need a formal proposal. Visitors can easily submit their wish(es) inside the site’s Wish Ballot. Most of the wishes published on the site’s Wishes Granted category contain heart-warming stories of senior citizens who once again experienced some of life’s amenities.

Web Site: http://www.foreveryoungseniorwish.org/

• Delaware Community Foundation – The Delaware Community Foundation, through its Delaware Aging Networks, has helped Delaware’s senior citizens in pressing on with life as independent citizens of the country. The Foundation aims to award a three-year grant on initiatives that promote the lives of senior citizens.

Web Site: http://www.delcf.org/

• The Memorial Foundation – The Memorial Foundation awards grants to non-profit organizations near the geographic area of the Nashville Memorial Hospital. The Foundation has a diverse spectrum of program focus, and senior citizens are a part of their grant-giving considerations.

Web Site: http://www.memfoundation.org/

• The Daniels Fund – The Daniels Fund supports non-profit organizations that assist senior citizens in achieving independence and quality of life despite their waning physical and mental condition. The Fund entrusts its grants to organizations that offer in home services to senior citizens, programs that engage senior citizens, and facilities that offer palliative and hospice care to family members of a dying senior citizen.

Web Site: http://www.danielsfund.org/

Of Course, You Need to Prepare

The first thing to do is to know the rules. Read carefully the guidelines in order to find out how the application will be processed and assessed.

Call the program officer of the funding source over the phone to ask questions about matters not included in the information already published. Don’t forget to remember the name of the person you spoke with in case you need to call again.

You can inquire about the type of projects they are looking for, the size of grants expected to be awarded, the number of applications they got so far, the things they don’t want to see in a proposal, and the person(s) who will review the application.

The Competition Factor

Be reminded, however, of the possibility that there will be more applications rather than funds being offered to deserving applicants. Competition is an expected factor. At this point, you need to show that yours has an edge over others.

You must let them know that your project is a good match to their funding aims. This may seem easy, but actually the fate of the project depends on whether they find it worthy or not.

Start Writing Now

The first thing to do is to organize your thoughts. Read carefully each question first in the application form and then think about your answer before writing it down. You must be able to explain your project in a brief form, most importantly the reason for, and aim, of the project.

Do not assume that the reader knows the obvious. Write as if the reader totally knows nothing about your project or organization. Your answers must be simple and concise. Prefer using familiar words instead of jargons to make your writing easy to read.

The format must be basically simple and consistent. The best tip is to smartly use headings, bullet points, and diagrams, which are in fact helpful for the reader to navigate through your proposal. To present key information, you may include photos, maps, and tables, but only if it is appropriate.

Keeping it short and simple allows the reviewer to read your work more quickly and, thus saves time. Get someone to read your draft, preferably someone who is not part of your project or organization.

Complete Your Application

As much as possible, do not leave anything blank in your application form. Complete all boxes and spaces provided. If there’s a question that you think doesn’t apply to you, write “N/A”. If the guidelines say there is a word limit, then stick to the rule.

Attach supporting information along with your application. Preparing this may take some time so start early, if possible. The program officer will expect to receive supporting documents for your project such as financial statements, letters of support, among others.