What to Ask A Foundations During A Call

You’ve managed to get a meeting with a foundation.

Great.

Now what are you going to talk about?

Most of us spend so much time worrying about what we are going to say that we forget there is another side to the conversation. Of course you need to be able to explain your nonprofit’s mission, your programs and the people you serve, but you should also be asking questions.

Quite a few of them, actually.

Not all 25 questions in this article in one meeting. Please don’t do that. Nobody wants to feel as though they have accidentally agreed to a job interview. The idea is to go into the conversation knowing what you still need to find out.

Maybe you want to know whether the foundation is actually interested in a program like yours. Maybe you are trying to work out how much to ask for. Maybe you have read the website three times and still cannot work out whether they want an LOI, a full proposal or a polite introduction first. Those are useful questions.

And ideally, you have already done enough research to know there is at least some reason for the conversation in the first place. If you are still working out which foundations are actually worth approaching, start with our guide on how to find aligned foundations.

A meeting with a foundation should help both sides work out whether there is enough of a match to keep talking.

So let’s talk about what to ask.

Do your research before the call

Before you start writing your list of questions, spend a little time researching the foundation. Have a look at its website. Read the funding priorities. Check the application guidelines. Look at recent grants. See where the money is going and how much the foundation normally gives.

If you are dealing with a U.S. private foundation, have a look at its Form 990-PF too. We have a full guide on how to read Form 990-PF if tax forms are not normally how you like to spend your afternoon.

You can also use Grant Advance’s Foundation Profile Pages to review previous recipients, grant amounts, funding interests, directors and other foundation information before the conversation.

Why do all of this first?

Because you do not want to use valuable time asking:

What causes do you fund?

When that is clearly explained on the website.

Or:

Do you fund organizations in our state?

When the last three years of grants already answer that question. Do the easy research yourself. Use the meeting for the things you cannot easily find online.

What is the foundation interested in right now?

Funding priorities can change. Sometimes the website changes with them. Sometimes it doesn’t.

A foundation may still describe itself as supporting “children and youth,” for example, while most of its recent attention has shifted toward youth mental health or employment. That is something worth asking about.

1. What funding priorities are most important to your foundation over the next year?

This gives the foundation an opportunity to tell you what is getting the most attention right now. You already know the broad mission. You are trying to understand what sits at the top of the list today.

2. Have any of your funding priorities changed recently?

A new board, new leadership, changing community needs or even the foundation’s own financial position can affect where the money goes.

If priorities are changing, it is much better to find out before you write the proposal.

3. Are there particular populations or geographic areas you are especially interested in reaching?

A funder may support education nationally but have a particular interest in rural schools. Or it may fund health programs broadly but currently be concentrating on seniors.

Those details can make a big difference when you are deciding whether your program fits.

4. Are there needs in the community that you think are not receiving enough attention?

This can be a really useful question because it allows the foundation to talk about what it is seeing. If your organization is working directly in that area, you now have a natural opportunity to share what you are seeing too.

Ask about the money

Yes, eventually we have to talk about money. Hopefully your research has already given you some idea of the foundation’s normal giving.

Grant Advance’s Search Engines can help you look at previous grant amounts, recipients and funding patterns before the call. But there may still be things you cannot tell from the numbers alone.

5. Do you regularly support first-time grantees?

Some foundations add new organizations every year. Others have a fairly established group of nonprofits they support over and over again.

Neither approach is wrong, but it is useful information for you. If the same organizations appear every year, you may need to think more about relationship-building before submitting anything.

6. What would be a realistic request for a first-time grantee?

This is a much better question than:

How much money can you give us?

Maybe the foundation regularly gives grants of $100,000, but new organizations usually start at $20,000. That is worth knowing. And if you are trying to decide how much to ask for more generally, look at the foundation’s historical grants as well as your own project budget. The biggest grant the foundation has ever made is not necessarily the amount you should request.

7. What kinds of costs are you most comfortable funding?

This one can save you quite a bit of time.

Does the foundation fund:

• Programs
• General operations
• Staff
• Equipment
• Capital projects
• Capacity building
• Research
• Scholarships

You may have a wonderful project, but if what you really need is operating support and the foundation only funds specific programs, you need to know that.

8. Do you offer multiyear grants or renewal funding?

If the answer is yes, find out how that normally works.

Does a successful one-year grant sometimes lead to renewed funding?

Do organizations need to reapply every year?

Are multiyear grants reserved for existing grantees?

This can help you think beyond the first cheque and start looking at the relationship more realistically.

Ask what actually happens during the application process

The website may tell you what documents to upload. It does not always tell you what happens behind the scenes.

9. Do you prefer an LOI before a full proposal?

Some foundations make this very clear. Others don’t. If they want an LOI, send an LOI.

Do not send a full 15-page proposal because you think more information must surely be better. It usually isn’t.

If you need help preparing one, we have a full guide on how to write a Letter of Inquiry for grant funding.

10. What does your review process look like?

Who actually makes the decision?

Foundation staff?

A board?

Trustees?

Members of the family?

A grant committee?

You do not need their internal organizational chart, but understanding the process can help you understand how your request will be reviewed.

11. What timeline should applicants expect between submission and a decision?

This matters more than people think. If your program is supposed to begin in March and the foundation will not make decisions until June, you have a problem. Ask before you build funding into your timeline.

It also gives you a reasonable idea of when to follow up instead of sending another email three days after submission.

12. Is there anything about our eligibility that we should clarify before applying?

This is especially helpful when your organization sits slightly outside the obvious criteria. Maybe your service area is just beyond the foundation’s normal geography. Maybe the program fits, but your organization type is unusual. Maybe you operate under a fiscal sponsor.

If there is a question mark, ask about it now.

13. Is there anything you find particularly useful when reviewing an application?

The foundation may require a program budget and financial statements.

Fine.

But perhaps its reviewers also find a short evaluation plan helpful.

Or partnership letters.

Or recent impact data.

Ask what helps them understand the request.

You do not need to send the foundation every document your nonprofit has ever created.

Give them what they need.

Find out what a good proposal looks like to them

Every foundation reads proposals a little differently. One may care deeply about measurable outcomes. Another may pay particular attention to the organization’s leadership. Another may want to see collaboration with other community organizations.

So ask.

14. What tends to stand out in a strong LOI or proposal?

This is one of the more useful questions on the list. Listen carefully to the answer.

Maybe they say:

We want to understand exactly who benefits and what will change.

That tells you something.

Maybe they talk about financial sustainability. Or collaboration. Or evidence that the program is actually needed.

Use their answer when you prepare the request.

15. What are some common reasons otherwise eligible requests are declined?

You may learn far more from this question than you expect. Perhaps applicants ask for too much. Maybe the programs are too broad. Maybe organizations submit a generic proposal that does not connect clearly with the foundation’s priorities. Maybe the foundation receives far more requests in one area than it can possibly fund.

Whatever the answer is, pay attention.

16. How much detail do you prefer in an initial request?

Some foundations want the basics first. Others want budgets, timelines, outcomes and organizational information right away.

Knowing this can stop you from either sending far too much or leaving out something important.

17. Do you have a preference for collaborative projects?

Some foundations love partnerships. Others are perfectly happy funding one organization to do the work.

If your project involves several nonprofits, schools, municipalities or community groups, it is useful to know whether that strengthens the request in the foundation’s eyes.

Talk about impact before you promise the wrong thing

Your nonprofit probably already measures impact in some way. But what you consider meaningful and what the funder wants to see may not always be exactly the same.

Ask early.

18. What outcomes are most important to your foundation?

Are they interested in how many people you reach?

Changes in behaviour?

Improved access?

Long-term community change?

Academic results?

Employment?

Health outcomes?

You are not asking so you can invent numbers that make the foundation happy.

You are trying to understand whether what you already measure lines up with what they care about.

19. How do you normally evaluate whether a grant has been successful?

Some foundations want numbers. Others also value stories, participant feedback, interviews, site visits or evidence of longer-term progress.

Knowing this early helps you decide whether your organization can reasonably collect the information they expect.

20. What reporting requirements should we expect if we receive funding?

Please ask this one before you accept a grant. Reporting can be simple. It can also become a project in itself.

Find out:

• How often reports are required
• What information they want
• Whether financial reporting is required
• Whether there are formal evaluation requirements
• Whether meetings or site visits are involved

You want to know what you are committing to.

21. If something changes during the project, how would you like us to communicate that?

Because something probably will change. Programs are run by humans. Budgets change. Timelines move. Staff leave. A community need changes.

It is much better to understand how the foundation wants those conversations handled before something goes wrong.

Don’t forget that you are talking to people

A grant relationship should not become:

Send application.

Receive cheque.

Send report.

Goodbye forever.

At least, it does not have to. Good relationships with foundations are built the same way most professional relationships are built: communication, trust and doing what you say you are going to do.

22. How do you prefer grantees to communicate with you?

Email? Scheduled calls? Short project updates? Formal reports only? Site visits?

Ask.

One funder may love receiving occasional success stories. Another may prefer that you leave them alone until the report is due. Neither is wrong. The trick is knowing which one you are dealing with.

23. What kinds of updates are useful to you between reports?

Maybe they would love to hear that your program reached a major milestone. Maybe they would enjoy an invitation to a community event. Maybe they do not want additional communication at all. Again, ask rather than assume.

24. What does a strong long-term relationship with a grantee look like to your foundation?

I really like this one.

You are not asking:

Will you fund us again next year?

You are asking what the foundation values in the organizations it continues working with.

That may be:

Transparency.

Good communication.

Strong reporting.

Responsiveness.

Impact.

Honesty when things go wrong.

A willingness to learn.

Those answers are useful whether you receive the grant or not.

25. Are there any organizations, people or resources you think we should know about?

Sometimes the foundation is not going to be the right funder. That does not mean the conversation was a waste.

Foundation staff often know other funders, community organizations, partnerships, events and resources in the same area.

You are not asking:

Can you introduce us to someone who will give us money?

You are simply asking whether there is anything else in the funding landscape that might be useful to know about. That can lead to some very helpful conversations.

How many of these questions should you actually ask?

Probably three to five. Maybe even two or three if it is a short introductory call. The list is here so you can choose the questions that matter most.

Do not print this article and work down it like a checklist while the funder sits there wondering when they can leave.

Listen.

Let the conversation move naturally.

Sometimes one answer will cover three of your questions. Sometimes the funder will mention something completely unexpected and the best question you ask will be the one you never wrote down.

A simple 20-minute conversation might look something like this:

• A few minutes introducing yourselves.
• A short explanation of your organization and why you thought there might be a fit.
• Three or four useful questions.
• A little discussion.
• Then confirm the next step.

That is plenty.

How do you ask questions without sounding rehearsed?

Start with what you already know.

Instead of:

Do you fund youth mental health?

try:

“We noticed that several of your recent grants have supported youth mental health programs, particularly in rural communities. Is that an area you expect to continue prioritizing?”

Now the foundation knows you did some research before the meeting.

Give your questions a little context too.

Instead of:

When will you decide?

try:

“For planning purposes, could you give us a sense of the timeline between submission and a decision?”

Same information.

Very different conversation. And listen to the answer. Do not spend the whole time waiting for your turn to ask the next prepared question.

Write down what you learn

You would be surprised how quickly the details of a funder conversation disappear.

Write down:

• Current priorities
• Preferred grant amount
• Programs they seemed interested in
• Communication preferences
• Application timing
• People involved
• Questions they asked you
• Next steps
• Follow-up dates

That information becomes very useful if the relationship continues.

Grant Advance’s platform tools can help teams keep foundation research, outreach and follow-up information together rather than scattered across someone’s inbox and three different spreadsheets.

A few questions we would avoid

There are no silly questions. There are, however, questions you probably should have researched before the meeting.

“What do you fund?”

Too broad. You should know the basics already.

“Will you fund us?”

They probably cannot answer that on an introductory call. Ask whether your work appears to align with their priorities instead.

“How much money can you give us?”

Try:

“What is a realistic funding range for a first-time grantee?”

Much nicer.

“What should we apply for?”

You should arrive knowing what your organization actually needs. The foundation can help you understand whether that request fits. It should not have to design your program for you.

“Can you review our proposal before we submit it?”

Some foundation staff may answer specific questions. That does not necessarily mean they have time to edit your proposal. Ask for clarification where you need it.

What should you ask after you submit an LOI?

Once the LOI is submitted, the conversation changes a little.

You do not need to email every week asking:

Any news?

If you do need to follow up, keep it useful.

You might ask:

• Is there any additional information you need from us?
• Has the expected review timeline changed?
• Would a brief conversation be helpful at this stage?
• Is there a preferred time for us to follow up?
• Will applicants be notified if they are not invited to submit a full proposal?

And then give them time to do their work.

If your nonprofit is trying to build a more consistent LOI strategy, our guide on how many LOIs a nonprofit should send each month may also help with planning.

How Grant Advance can help you prepare for the conversation

Good questions usually come from good research. If you know nothing about the foundation, you are going to ask very general questions. If you already know who it funds, what it typically gives, where the money goes and who sits on the board, you can have a much more useful conversation.

Grant Advance helps nonprofits research things such as:

• Previous grantees
• Historical grant amounts
• Average and median grants
• Funding interests
• Geographic giving
• Directors and trustees
• Contact information
• Repeat funding patterns

You can use the Grant Advance Search Engines to identify potential funders and then review the Foundation Profile Pages before reaching out.

You are basically trying to get as many of the easy questions answered before the meeting so you can use your actual time with the foundation for the things the database cannot tell you.

The meeting is not the finish line

Getting the meeting can feel like the goal.

It isn’t.

The goal is to come out of the conversation with a better understanding of what happens next.

Maybe you should apply.

Maybe you should send an LOI.

Maybe you need to build the relationship a little longer.

Maybe the foundation is not actually a fit.

All of those are useful things to learn.

So prepare your story.

Know your numbers.

Be ready to explain the work.

But leave some room to be curious too.

A good conversation with a foundation is not about saying everything perfectly.

It is about finding out whether there is enough common ground to keep the conversation going.

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