Upcoming Talks & Workshops

LevelUP: Getting Grant Ready

Grant readiness training for nonprofit founders and fundraisers

Before you apply for grants, funders are already evaluating your organization.

Not based on your writing.
Not based on your passion.
But based on your readiness.

LevelUP: Getting Grant Ready is a two-session training designed to help nonprofits understand what funders expect and how to prepare for grants before writing a single proposal.

This experience helps you stop guessing, stop scrambling, and start building a solid foundation for grant funding.

What Does It Mean to Be Grant Ready?

Grant ready does not mean perfect.

It means your organization is organized, documented, and able to answer the questions funders care about most.

Funders want to see:

• Clear leadership and governance

• Defined programs with real outcomes

• Basic financial and legal structure

• Evidence that grants are part of a larger funding plan

This LevelUP helps you understand what grant readiness actually looks like and how to build it step by step.

A Two-Session Grant Readiness Experience

This LevelUP includes two live 90-minute sessions, each with a clear focus and purpose.

Session 1: Grant Readiness Through the BUILD Framework

Led by Alesha Mathis

Session 1 focuses on preparation and organization.

You will learn how funders evaluate nonprofits before they read a proposal and what documents they expect to see as evidence of readiness.

Using the BUILD Framework, you will walk through the five areas funders review:

• Board

• Understanding Strategy

• Infrastructure

• Launch and Marketing

• Development Fundamentals

You will learn which documents matter, how they fit together, and how to begin organizing your Grant Readiness Folder.

This session is about clarity and structure, not writing.

Session 2: Turning Your Work Into Grant Answers

Led by Nancy Myers

Session 2 focuses on how funders think and how proposals are reviewed.

Nancy walks participants through the 10 common grant questions that appear in almost every application, using plain language and real-world perspective.

You will learn:

• Why funders ask each question

• What they are actually looking for

• How to pull answers directly from the work you completed in Session 1

Instead of starting from a blank page, you learn how to turn your existing materials into grant-ready responses.

What Funders Look for Before They Read Your Proposal

Most grant rejections happen before the writing is even considered.

Funders want to know:

• Is there a real, documented need?

• Is this program clearly defined?

• Can this organization manage money responsibly?

• Is there a plan beyond this one grant?

This LevelUP shows you how to answer those questions through readiness, not guesswork.

What You’ll Walk Away With

By the end of this LevelUP, you will have:

• A clear understanding of nonprofit grant readiness

• An organized set of core documents funders expect

• A completed or in-progress Program Template

• Confidence in answering common grant questions

• A realistic sense of when you are ready to apply for grants

• A clear list of what to hand a grant writer if you choose not to write grants yourself

This training gives you a foundation you can reuse year after year.

Who This Grant Readiness Training Is For

This LevelUP is designed for:

• Nonprofit founders and executive directors

• Small nonprofits and early-stage organizations

• One-person development shops

• Fundraisers supporting growing organizations

No prior grant experience is required.

What This Training Is Not

This LevelUP is not:

• A grant writing course

• A list of grants to apply for

• A promise of funding

It is a preparation and clarity experience designed to help nonprofits pursue grants responsibly.

Meet Your Guides

Ready to Get Grant Ready?

If you want to stop scrambling, stop guessing, and start building a strong foundation for grant funding, this LevelUP is your next step.

👉 Enroll in LevelUP: Getting Grant Ready