in search of resources

Hi!

I don't want to be a wet blanket, but finding grant funding, particularly in upstate MI, isn't going to be easy. All of the nonprofits I know that rely on grant money are shrinking, drying up, or shuttering their doors right now. There are 10 times the number of organizations competing for fewer total grant allocations than ever before, so the competition is fierce. And Michigan has been impacted so severely by the recession that I doubt there are many companies or foundations making new grants. And new organizations, in particular, have difficulty getting grant money because there are so many deserving ones with a long track record that are underfunded, and the funders tend to go with a proven track record over a new organzation.

Now... that said, if you really want to make this happen, there's a lot to do.

-- First I'd suggest is find a bunch of well-connected people that have access either to people with money or to executives with corporations that make grants in this sort of area. Get several of those people to agree to help co-found your organization and sit on its board of directors.

-- Find a really good grant writer (these people aren't free, so you may have to pay out of pocket for his or her services) and discuss what you are after, and ask the person to sort of do a quick look-see to see who is currently funding projects similar to what you're trying to do.

-- Then, after those two steps, you will need to incorporate as a nonprofit organization in your state, and then apply with the IRS for tax-exempt status. The exemption application is about 20 pages long, requires detailed essays and explanations about what the organization is doing, why there's a need, what it will accomplish (with specific goals and outcomes) and what sort of budget you expect to make it all happen. You submit the application after you form the corporation and wait (anywhere from 4 months to 2 years) for a decision. Sometimes they come back with questions or concerns which you address and then they continue reviewing the application. Sometimes (rarely, unless your application is professionally prepared by an attorney with extensive experience in nonprofit issues), you get an approval the first time through.

Only after you've actually got your exemption letter from the IRS can you then apply for grants, as no one will give you any grant money until the exemption is established.

Plan on the exemption application and related schedules and explanations taking a ton of time to complete, and plan on each grant application taking as much or more time. (plus fees to the grant writer; don't try to do it yourself.) It's very time consuming, but what you're doing sounds like a worthwhile endeavor, so if you're willing to put the time in, I'm sure it will benefit your community.