GROW Grants Step-by-Step Guide for Applying

From a group perspective, all you really need to do is decide with your group what you want to request a grant for and then complete an application. That said, you’ll be more likely to find success with a clear understanding of the process.

1. Discuss the grant with your group/groups you’ll be working with. As outlined in the requirements, grants should be projects that enhance multi-group collaboration and/or build your group’s capacity. Before applying, review the full application. Fill out a mock application with your group offline to make sure you, your group, and the other groups you’re working with are all aligned on how you want to use the grant.
2. Fill out the application. The application is designed to map to this scoring rubric so that we can collect all the necessary information to make an objective decision while also limiting the “paperwork” to apply.
   Important Note. You are not expected to be grant-writing experts! Answer the questions briefly and directly, as well as you can, in a language that is comfortable for you.
3. Wait a few weeks while the Indivisible GROW Grant team evaluates the applications. We’ll review all the applications received before the 3rd Tuesday of each month, at the same time, and score them relative to each other. We will use this rubric and, in some cases, may incorporate additional considerations into the final decisions—such as the equitable distribution of grants across the country—to evaluate applications and select final grant recipients based on available funds. If the GROW Grants team determines your application does not qualify for a higher level grant but does qualify for a lower level, it will be considered at the appropriate level.
4. Watch your email for a notification! We will notify all applicants 14 days/two weeks after the monthly application deadline. This will usually be the 1st Tuesday of the succeeding month, altered in the event that any federal holidays fall within the usual 2-week period.
   So, for example, if you apply prior to March 23rd, you will be notified if you are receiving the grant by April 6th. Please make sure to plan accordingly and apply with sufficient time before you intend to use the grant.
5. If you are not awarded a grant, we encourage you to reapply. We would be happy to re-send you your initial application so that you can copy from that rather than writing it all from scratch. The GROW Grants team also offers up to an hour-long meeting for groups that are re-applying. You can schedule a time by reaching out to growgrants@indivisible.org.
6. If you receive a “yes” and you have a Distributed Fundraising account, we’ll send the funds to your account shortly after you sign an agreement letter! Keep an eye on your account for the funds and let us know if you have any issues.
7. If you don’t have a Distributed Fundraising account, create one! All grant money is sent to groups through Distributed Fundraising accounts. This allows us to distribute the funds to you seamlessly and maintain 501(c)(4) compliance. It’s also a best practice for groups that are spending money! It may take an additional two weeks to receive the funds if your group is not already registered for distributing fundraising. You can expedite the process by following up promptly with paperwork. It will take 8-10 business days from setting up your distributed fundraising account to receiving your debit card.
8. Get to work! This is the best part…you get to use your GROW grant to strengthen your group!
9. Report back! Lots of Indivisible activists will be eager to learn about your project, so make sure to tag @Indivisibleteam in any social media content about your project that ends up on social media. You’ll also be asked to fill out a detailed debrief so others can learn from your experiences, and we can brag about you and what you’ve done to increase your collaborative and capacity-building work.

Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions about the program overall or about your application. You can reach the GROW Grants team at growgrants@indivisible.org.