Why Foundation Relationships Matter More Than Ever
As the gulf between modest and major grants widens, you’ll want to spend your limited time acting in line with the award sizes you seek:
Modest grants rely on writing.
Major grants thrive on relationships.
The larger the proposed award, the more success hinges on rapport. Here’s why. When you get into mid-six figures and beyond, a set of unwritten rules applies. Relationships illuminate that murky path.
It reminds me of the most fabulous buffet I’ve ever seen—gorgeous displays of colorful, fresh food. If I had seen this spectacle from the sidewalk, I would have assumed it was an expensive, private event. Only through a connection did I learn the remarkable truth: Anyone was welcome to take part in this restaurant’s grand opening, at no cost. Without that insight, I would never have understood that I could walk in and join the party.
Restaurants and foundations each have something tempting to offer. Both are capable of memorable things, especially if you know the right people.
Regulars Get the Best Tables
Just as restaurants reserve their best tables for valued regulars, foundations direct their largest grants to organizations they know.
Three forces drive this relationship-centric approach:
There’s more to give. In 2024, foundations had record-high assets. They want their significant investments to go to partners they trust to steward the funds well.
The pace of giving is quickening. The Gates Foundation is among the nearly 40 percent of funders looking to sunset, and therefore get more out the door, faster. Philanthropies skew their spend-down funding toward organizations and people they know.
Application volume has exploded. Program officers can't possibly evaluate every submission thoroughly, so they are limiting opportunities to invitation-only affairs.
When grant makers adopt a "no unsolicited proposals" culture, it can feel like you’re pigeonholed as either on the A list or perpetually locked out. Relationships are the key.
Reservations Required
Even a casual connection can find you a restaurant table when the reservations app says there are none. You're more likely to build relationships at the neighborhood spots where you dine regularly.
In your work world, that translates to a focus on your most promising funders rather than a widespread network. Your rapport with select, priority foundations stands to bring “reservations” for exclusive opportunities:
The beneficiary of discretionary funds
One among a handful of applicants
The sole invitee for a nontraditional opportunity
An advantaged candidate for traditional grant rounds
It pays to be strategic about your network. Foundation relationships deepen through consistent, focused engagement. I’m seeing growing numbers of organizations that benefit when a major grant maker has a nonprofit’s name in mind and number in hand.
The Chef’s Table
I’ve known some devoted foodies. They aim to sit at the chef’s table, where they get to observe the kitchen and engage with the chef. What they love as much as the food are insights they gain about the swirl of behind-the-scenes activity.
The foundation world has its own insider scene. When your trusted connections bring you into their world, you get access to little-known wisdom. You can use those learnings to forge new grants, funder networks, and partnerships.
One client leveraged its strong relationship with a program officer to secure a role in a funders-only conference the foundation was planning. The result was a spot on a panel and a booth in the exhibit hall. Along the way, this client gained knowledge about how its priority funders operate, resulting in at least two grants directly attributable to the event.
Status Symbols
Dining at a neighborhood bistro is enjoyable, but dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant signals something different entirely. The prestigious venue elevates your reputation among fellow food enthusiasts who recognize the establishment's credibility.
The same dynamic applies when you move from lesser-known foundations to recognizable ones. As your connections with more prestigious funders deepen, your organization's name begins circulating among their peer networks, amplifying your reputation beyond what any single grant could achieve.
Like diners who trust a restaurant's quality based on its Michelin stars, funders see your foundation partnerships as shorthand for organizational credibility—making brand-name grants worth pursuing for reasons beyond the dollars alone.
The Urgency of Now
It takes advance planning to dine at a popular restaurant on Valentine’s Day. If you forget to make those coveted reservations, your best bet will be the outlet where you’ve shown consistent, deepening rapport. That kind of relationship doesn't blossom overnight.
Your organization's funding feast depends on the connections you cultivate today.