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AED Grant Writing Guidance
At AEDSuperstore, we understand that for some communities and organizations, being awarded a grant is the only option to access funds to purchase life-saving equipment like an automated external defibrillator for your community. Not only do we want to provide the resources to find grants, but we want to give you tips for writing a successful grant.
Before submitting a grant application, ask yourself the following questions to help make writing your grant a seamless process:
- What components is the foundation offering the grant looking for, and do they align with what you need?
- What resources are available and needed to aid in the research and writing process?
- When is it time to submit your application?
What components is the foundation offering the grant looking for, and do they align with what you need?
Before you can even begin thinking about writing your grant, it’s important to understand the types of grants available and which one best fits your organization’s needs.
The most common types of grants available are:
- Capital grants: Capital grants are great for companies looking to fund new AED programs or public access defibrillator programs. They also are typically used for projects like building purchases, new construction, renovations, etc.
- Crowdfunding: Crowdfunding consists of raising a large amount of money from individuals who may not live in your community. Sources that use crowdfunding include GoFundMe, GotAED.com, and Kickstarter.
- Employee match grants: Employee match grants are when companies match an employee’s donation to a charity or cause of their choice.
- In-kind donations: In-kind donations are when donations are made in the form of goods or services rather than monetary.
- Matching grant: A matching grant is when a company that is requesting a grant raises money that is then matched by the donor organization, which then can be used to fund projects, purchases, or equipment for the company.
- Project-based grants: Project-based grants are awarded to organizations and companies for a specific project or program. These are great for individuals, organizations, schools, or state and local government projects.
As you start to understand which type of grant you are interested in, you may find multiple grants in one category that may be a right fit. Before submitting applications to them all, it’s important to question whether or not it’s worth your time. Grant proposals can take a lot of time and effort, so being sure you understand the eligibility guidelines, deadlines, and the amount the grant is worth is crucial before the writing process begins.
When choosing a grant that aligns with your organization’s needs, it’s important to start considering the type of questions you may want to answer in your grant proposal to be sure they match the organization’s ideal grant winner. Ask yourself the following questions:
What resources are available and needed to aid in the research and writing process?
AEDSuperstore is here to help to the best of our ability when it comes to finding a grant that best fits your needs. We offer resources for fire/EMS grants, nonprofit grants, school grants, and community grants. We realize that there are thousands of grants available, and we may not have the right one for you listed. Check out the following resources that will help generate a more extensive list of grants available:
Maybe you already found the grant you are looking for but may not have the lift among your team for the time and effort it takes to fill out and submit grant applications. Reviewing previous grant application examples can take hours and may or may not be helpful if it’s not related to your specific grant ask.
We recommend exploring grant writing resources that give you tips on how to write, offer freelance grant writing services, or provide you with grant writing software to take some of the heavy lifting from your team. Check out the resources below that are designed to help you create your grant content or, in some cases, write your content for you:
- Assistance from the U.S. Department of Justice- Bureau of Justice
- American Association of Grant Professionals
- Association of Fundraising Professionals
- Capterra Grant Writing Software
- Grant Station Step-by-step Grant Writing Tutorial
- eCivis Grant Management Services
When is it time to submit your application?
Finally, we’ve made it to the last step! You have chosen your grant and used all the resources needed to draft your grant application. The final step is to submit your application.
Before jumping the gun and submitting your grant application, it’s important to remember the questions you asked yourself when searching for the right grant at the beginning of this process. Do a thorough final review of your application and be sure you answered all of the following questions on your checklist:
After hitting these key points, double-check that all required fields are filled out on your application document. Also, take a moment to verify that you are submitting your application within the specified deadline. We recommend marking the due date on your calendar. Try not to wait until the last day to be sure no last-minute changes make you miss your deadline.
Once you have submitted your application, you’re all set – now we wait! Most grant programs feature an announcement date in their grant guidelines, so keep an eye out for the moment you don’t want to miss – when your grant application is accepted! Have more questions about grants? Visit our Grants Frequently Asked Questions page.