2019 PSGA Grant Competition Guidelines

2019 Panorama | Grant ApplicationGrant Competition Guidelines


Grant Competition

Submissions are no longer being accepted. 

An opportunity to earn $2,000 for your nonprofit organization

PSGA invites our fellow grantwriters to submit an original, short grant proposal for up to $2,000 in funding for a program or project of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Washington. Through a random lottery, six proposals will be chosen in early October to be publicly discussed at PSGA Panorama on November 1, 2019, by a Grantmaking LIVE! panel of experienced funders. The panel will award – on the spot – a total of $2,000 in PSGA funds to the selected organization(s).

Audience Choice Award: no cash, but still valuable

Six selected proposals will be made available to Panorama registrants, so they can vote (honestly!) for their first choice before the Grantmaking LIVE! panel does. The winner of the “Audience Choice Award” will be announced at Panorama and receive a free year’s membership to PSGA. 

See a list of past winners.

Criteria used by our panelists

The Grantmaking LIVE! panel is asked to look at whether $2,000 will make a significant impact on the proposed project/program, regardless of the organization’s size. The panel also will consider whether the proposal states clear objectives, provides a clear, accurate budget, and includes an evaluation method. PSGA leaves the rest to the panelists, who may have specific biases (as may occur in any grantmaker’s decision-making process). Warning: The public discussion may be brutally honest. Do your best. Good luck!

Guidelines

  1. Craft a simple proposal that explains: your nonprofit organization’s mission, the constituency you serve, how you plan to use the grant (your project/program), how you plan to measure impact, and a simple budget for your project (no need to include your organizational budget).
  2. Use a proposal application form, which provides a cover page and two blank pages for your proposal. Your proposal should have two pages (single-sided), including budget, and must use a reasonably sized typeface and margins. (Proposals longer than two pages will not be considered.) 
  3. You may submit your proposal in PDF or Word. Include your organization’s name and project title in the header of each page of your proposal. When naming your file, include your organization’s name in the proposal title and use underscores instead of spaces. Example: “Cat_Rescue_of_Seattle.pdf”. Do not submit any additional attachments; they will not be provided to the panel.
  4. To be eligible for the cash award, each finalist organization must have a representative registered and attending the Grantmaking LIVE! Session of PSGA Panorama on November 1 at the Panoramic Center of Pacific Tower, 1200 12th Ave. S., Seattle.
  5. At PSGA’s discretion, the winning organization may be asked to appear at a 2020 PSGA event to present a 5-minute report on the use of the grant.
  6. Submit your proposal online. Confirmation of receipt will be sent to the email you use for submission.

Download the guidelines