Determining how much funding to request in a grant proposal can feel like a guessing game, but it doesn’t have to be!Â
Taking a strategic approach when thinking about how to ask for a grant helps ensure that your ask is for the right amount of grant funding—one that aligns with the funder’s giving history and your organization’s needs.
Securing grant funding involves following a structured series of steps. While specific grant requirements may vary by funder, the application process will generally look the same.Â
Here’s an overview of what you can expect:
1. Identifying Funding Opportunities: To win a grant, you have to start by researching potential funders to find those that align with your organization’s mission, project goals, and geographic focus—and that are actively requesting applications.
2. Preliminary Outreach: Some funders encourage initial contact before submitting a full application. This could involve submitting a letter of inquiry (LOI) or having a preliminary meeting to discuss the project you’re seeking funding for.
3. Preparing Your Proposal: Developing a compelling application includes drafting these key proposal components:
Project summary
Statement of need
Description of activities and outcomes
Budget and budget narrative
Supporting documentation (e.g., proof of IRS nonprofit status, board-approved budget, audited financial statements, Board of Directors list)
4. Submitting the Application: Funders have different submission requirements; following each funder’s guidelines carefully is crucial. Some require applications to be submitted through an online portal, while others may still require hard copies sent via snail mail.
5. Review and Follow-Up: Some funders operate on a rolling basis, reviewing applications as they are received, while others have a strict grant cycle with specific deadlines. Understanding how and when a funder reviews applications is essential for planning and ensuring timely submission. Be prepared to answer follow-up questions, as some funders may request additional details or conduct site visits as part of their review process.
‍6. Award Notification & Grant Management: If awarded, you move into the post-award phase of the grant lifecycle, where effective grant management is key. Once you receive the grant award, you must comply with reporting requirements and use funds as outlined in your proposal. If denied, we recommend requesting feedback for future applications.
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How to Decide How Much to Ask for in Your Grant Proposal
One of the biggest pain points for grant seekers is the uncertainty surrounding how much to request in a proposal. Asking for too little could leave your project underfunded, and asking for too much could make your proposal unrealistic to funders.
Fortunately, you don’t have to pull your ask out of thin air, hoping it resonates with the review team. Instead, you can identify an appropriate request amount by researching the funder’s past giving. ‍
Most foundations stick to patterns in how they fund organizations. Their past giving is the best predictor of future giving—so looking at their previous grant history provides key insights into what you can expect.
For example, if a foundation typically gives between $25,000 and $50,000 per grantee, it’s unlikely that they will suddenly award $200,000.
The only problem: where can you find data on a specific funder’s giving history?Â
How to Find the Past Giving History of a Foundation
Every year, foundations are required to file Form 990 with the IRS, officially known as the "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax.”
This document provides detailed information about their finances, governance, programs, and compliance with tax-exempt regulations. It is used by the IRS as well as the general public to assess the transparency, accountability, and financial health of nonprofit organizations.
Form 990s are publicly available, meaning anyone can look up a specific foundation to learn more about their annual financials—including their grant funding.
However, if you’ve ever used the IRS 990 finder to look up a funder’s 990 form, you know they’re long and super difficult to read. It can be tricky to find the information that you need and even more difficult to discern what information is relevant to you.
Here’s an example of just one section of a 990:
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Page 10 of a funder’s Form 990 Statement of Functional Expenses
But don’t worry—Instrumentl makes the process of uncovering giving trends much faster and easier.
Next, navigate to your dashboard and select the “Quick Find” search bar in the upper left corner of your screen to type in the name of the foundation you want to learn more about.
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Instrumentl’s dashboard with the “Quick find” feature highlighted
Click on the funder under “990 Reports” in the search bar to access their full grant-making history, key people, and geographic focus.
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Search results for the “Kresge Foundation” in Instrumentl’s platform
Step 2: Compare Grant Range and Grant Size
Once you’ve clicked into a funder’s 990 profile, you should be able to scroll down to the “Grant Amounts” section to see key statistics, including:
Minimum, median, average, and maximum grant amounts
Number of grantees
Most common grant award amount
Breakdown of grant amounts for new vs. repeat grantees
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A bar graph depicting a funder’s minimum, median, average, and maximum grant amounts over the past 3 years
In the image above, you can see that grant amounts for this funder range from $2,500 to over $1 million.Â
You’ll also notice that the median grant amount awarded by this funder is $43,889, and the average amount given is $67,324.Â
It’s also important to pay attention to the number of grants awarded (visible on the Y-axis of the above graph). In this case, most awards fall between $21,000 - $50,000.
Step 3: Analyzing New Versus Repeat Grantees
Another key piece of data to consider before submitting a proposal is the median grant amount for new versus repeat grantees.Â
Some funders award higher grant amounts to repeat grantees, so if you’re a new applicant, you’ll want to look at their past giving specifically for new grantees.
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A bar graph depicting a funder’ s minimum, median, average, and maximum grant amounts for new vs. repeat grantees
According to the snapshot above, the median grant size for a new grantee was $15,000, while the median grant size for a repeat grantee was over $150,000—that’s a huge difference!
As a new grantee, taking an evidence-based approach to determining an appropriate ask amount is key.
Step 4: Check Out Past Grantees
Instrumentl’s 990 breakdowns also include a “Past Grantees” section. Here, you can see who the funder has given grants to in the past, as well as other key insights such as:
Where the organizations were located
How much they were awarded
What the grant money was used for
These insights are incredibly valuable as you evaluate your nonprofit’s alignment with a funder’s past giving and determine what sort of grant you could expect to receive.Â
For example, in the image below, we see that most grantees for this particular funder were from California, with a few in Illinois and Texas. If you scroll down a little further, you’ll see a list of the actual grantees, their award amounts, and their funding purpose.
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A heat map highlighting which states have received the most grants from a specific funder
Finding out how much funding similar nonprofits have received from a specific funder can help your organization come up with an appropriate and effective ask.
Step 5: Spot the Big Picture Trends
As you determine an appropriate grant request size, spotting big-picture trends is also essential.
For example, you'll want to identify if a potential funder shows an increasing, decreasing, or a relatively stable trend in their giving.
In the image below, we see that this organization saw a drop in both its giving average and median grant amounts in 2020. What was going on in 2020?
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A line chart showing the change in average grant amount between 2016-2022
Well, how could we forget? A global pandemic. Yet, we see in 2021 and 2022 an immediate return to their regular giving patterns. While not every drop can be explained away by the COVID-19 pandemic, these are the sorts of patterns you should be paying attention to.
Understanding a foundation’s giving trends can help you determine a realistic grant request amount that aligns with the funder’s giving history. This strategic alignment increases your proposal's chance of success!
Now that we’ve walked you through the steps to determine how much to request, you’re probably wondering, “How much of my request will actually be funded?”
The answer varies widely based on the funder type, sector, and relationships with grantmakers. While some funders fully fund requests, many only provide partial awards. Understanding these trends can help set realistic expectations.
State/Local Government: These funders award about 50% of requested amounts, making them a strong choice—and a potentially untapped source of funding.
Corporate Funders: On the lower end of the spectrum, corporate funders typically award only 11% of the total amount requested.
Federal Funders: Federal agencies award 15% of requested amounts. While they have a higher overall funding pool, they rarely meet full requests.
Private Funders: Private foundations tend to award 32% of requested amounts, offering a moderate return.
Association & Society Funders: Similar to private funders, these organizations typically award 28% of requested amounts.
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A bar chart with the type of funder on the x-axis and the grant amount percentage won vs. requested on the y-axis
The Value Provided By Advanced Funder Insights
Manually reviewing IRS 990 Forms can be a time-consuming and tedious task—these documents often exceed 50 pages and can be challenging to navigate. However, the information they contain is crucial for understanding a funder’s giving patterns.Â
As grant expert Jacob Chase advises: ‍
“Always review the funder’s 990 – this will help you understand what types of organizations a foundation will typically fund, how much they typically give, and where (geographically) they tend to give.”
With Instrumentl, you no longer have to spend hours sifting through dense tax documents. Instead, you get instant access to key funding insights in a fraction of the time.
Here are some of the top benefits of Instrumentl’s advanced funder insights:
Saves Time: What used to take hours—or even days—can now be done in minutes. As Dr. Bev Browning, Grant Consultant and Coach, puts it: “Instrumentl does in about 20 minutes what used to take me 40 hours.”‍
Reduces Stress: No more worrying about requesting too much and scaring off funders—or asking for too little and leaving money on the table.‍
Streamlines Grant Management: All the information you need is in one place, helping you make smarter, data-backed funding requests.
By eliminating the guesswork and simplifying the research process, Instrumentl allows you to focus on what matters most: securing the right funding for your organization.
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Grant Funding FAQs
We’re going to break down some of the most common questions that grant seekers have, from what costs you can include in a grant to how long the process typically takes. Whether you’re new to grants or looking to refine your strategy, these insights will help you confidently approach funding opportunities.
What Costs Can You Include in a Grant?
Grant-eligible costs vary depending on the funder and the grant type. Commonly-covered expenses include:
Project-related costs
Staff salaries
Equipment
Travel
Administrative overhead
Direct program expenses
To make sure that you are only requesting funds allowable by your funder, it’s critical to review the grant guidelines before drafting your budget and budget narrative.
How Long Does it Take to Receive a Grant?
The timeline for receiving grant funding varies widely from funder to funder. Some grants are awarded within a few weeks, while others may take several months. It all depends on the funder’s application review process and disbursement procedures.Â
Be sure to plan accordingly when submitting a grant and factor in time for potential delays.
How Many Grants Should You Apply For to Win Funding?
A good rule of thumb is that the average grant professional has a 40% success rate.Â
This means that to meet your funding goals realistically, we recommend that you aim for 250% of your funding goal.
So, if your goal is $1 million, this means applying for at least $2.5 million in potential funding to account for the 60% of grants that you likely will not be awarded.
Wrapping Up: How To Determine the Size of a Grant Request
Securing funding isn’t just about writing a strong proposal—it’s about making a strategic, data-driven ask. By following the steps in this article, you can take the guesswork out of grant research and maximize your chances of success.Â
Open Funder Insights: Use Instrumentl to quickly access and analyze funders’ 990 reports instead of manually sifting through lengthy IRS documents.
Compare Grant Range and Grant Size: Identify key funding patterns, including median, average, and most common grant amounts, to determine a realistic request.
Analyze New vs. Repeat Grantees: Understand how much first-time applicants receive compared to returning grantees to set an informed initial ask amount.
Check Out Past Grantees: Look at past recipients, their award amounts, and funding purposes to evaluate how well your nonprofit aligns with a funder’s priorities.
Spot Big-Picture Trends: Review historical giving trends to gauge whether a funder’s grant amounts are increasing, decreasing, or staying stable over time.
With Instrumentl, you’ll have access to the data you need to make confident, well-informed funding requests, without worrying about over- or under-asking.