Grant Eligibility Workbook: Foundation & Fit

Decide whether grants fit before you apply

Workbook 1: Foundation & Fit is a grant eligibility workbook for U.S. business owners and nonprofit leaders. It helps you decide whether grant money fits your work, for which projects, and on what terms, before you spend hours on an application.

Grants can pay for real work without debt or giving up ownership. They also come with a funder's priorities, rules, and timelines. This workbook helps you weigh both sides clearly, so the decision is yours, not a deadline's.

Who it's for

• Business owners of U.S.-based for-profit businesses, nonprofits, and fiscally sponsored projects, at any stage
• Anyone deciding whether to pursue grants now, later, or not at all
• Founders who need money for specific work and want to compare grants with loans, investors, and revenue
• Business owners who aren't sure which grants their type of organization can apply for

What you'll walk away with

• A clear statement of why you're considering grants, and what they'd make possible
• Your values and non-negotiables, written down before any funder asks you to band them
• Your needs turned into specific projects a funder could recognize
• A side-by-side comparison of grants, loans, investors, and revenue for your most important project
• A go/no-go decision for each project, plus the conditions that would change your mind

What's inside

Three sections and nine exercises.

Section 1: Your Foundation

• 1.1 Why Grants, Why Now
• 1.2 Values and Non-Negotiables
• 1.3 Who You Are as a Funded Organization

Section 2: Grant Fit

• 1.4 From Need to Fundable Project
• 1.5 Matching Money to the Need, a grant vs. loans worksheet that also weighs investors and revenue
• 1.6 Your Eligibility Map, by type of organization and type of funder
• 1.7 Timing and Cash Reality, including reimbursement and matching funds
• 1.8 The True Cost of Pursuit
  

Section 3: Decide

• 1.9 Your Go/No-Go Decision, a go/no-go worksheet you test in a guided conversation with an advisor or peer

Good to know

• Format: an interactive, fillable PDF. Use a PDF reader that supports forms, such as the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, since some browser viewers don't save what you type.
• Time: about 2.5 to 3.5 hours, plus one conversation, across two or three sittings.
• Save a blank copy first. You'll come back to this workbook at the start of each grant cycle.
• Honest about rules: grant rules change and vary by funder, so the workbook shows you what to check and who to ask. It isn't legal, tax, or financial advice, and it can't promise funding.

Part of the Grant Readiness Toolkit

Workbook 1 is the first step in the Grant Readiness Toolkit. Start Here shows you where to begin, and the Reference Guide explains key terms, where to verify rules, and how to spot scams. You can get all three together in The Starter Set.

Coming next: Workbook 2: Readiness & Pipeline, Workbook 3: The Application, Workbook 3S: The SBIR/STTR Path, and Workbook 4: Managing the Award. 

Questions business owners ask

Is this a list of grants? No. It's a decision tool. You'll work out whether grants fit your projects first, so any search that follows is aimed at funders worth your time.

Can a for-profit business use it? Yes. Exercise 1.6 maps which kinds of funders your type of organization can likely reach, whether you run a for-profit business, a nonprofit, or a fiscally sponsored project.

Can I try a quick version first? Yes. Our five-question go/no-go check gives you a fast first answer. The workbook takes the same questions further, project by project.

What if grants turn out not a fit? That's a useful answer too. The workbook ends with a decision for each project: now, later, or not a fit, with other kinds of money to consider instead.

Questions? Email us at hello@joinownerhood.com.