Background

Why change the CGA? The Common Grant Application (CGA) has not been revised since its inception 15 years ago. The world has changed considerably since then and the revised CGA has been changed to reflect current principles and practices in nonprofit management.

Is this something entirely new?  No, this Common Grant Application (CGA) builds upon the tried and trusted tool that has served Colorado (and many national) funders well for 15 years. Today’s version is an outgrowth of the older version.

Who created the revised CGA? The effort was led by an inclusive group of funders, nonprofit leaders, and technical assistance organizations that represented a wide array of large and grassroots organizations across many funding areas. See Acknowledgments for a complete list of participants.

What was the process for revising the CGA? The group spent over a year on the revision – using surveys, focus groups, beta-testing, and other tactics to make sure the tool would be as user-friendly and comprehensive as possible. It should be noted that the new CGA was crafted with the input of nonprofits and foundations who did not previously accept or use the CGA.

Have regulatory agencies “signed-off” on the CGA? Colorado's Secretary of State, Mike Coffman and Colorado's Attorney General, John Suthers endorsed the CGA because the CGA supports and encourages the effective operation of Colorado’s nonprofits.

When will the CGA be revised again? We anticipate that the CGA will be revised again when there is a need to do so. The last CGA served Colorado for 15 years and we hope that this document will have a similarly long shelf life.

Back to Top

What is New?

Overall, what are the significant changes to the CGA? Overall, the new CGA was revised to support best practices in the nonprofit sector. This change includes a greater emphasis on governance, planning, evaluation, and inclusiveness – dovetailing with the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s newly-published Principles and Practices for Nonprofit Excellence.

In addition to overall changes in content, what else is new ? There are two significant new features.

• Website: The first significant enhancement is the flexible, stand-alone website. This technology was not dreamed of when the original CGA was created and dovetails nicely with some foundations efforts to move to on-line application systems in the future. The website is a “one-stop shop” for foundations and grantseekers because it includes all of the accompanying documents and resources including the Common Grant Report.
• User’s Guide: The second significant enhancement is the carefully crafted User’s Guide. The User’s Guide adds clarity to the application process – and answers many of the questions that you and your staff may have regarding grant preparation. Our exhaustive beta-testing process revealed that most nonprofits found the User’s Guide extremely helpful in supporting the grant application process.

How does the enhanced CGA benefit me as a nonprofit? The new CGA has more structure and clarity than the former CGA, resulting in applications that are more succinct and relevant to what funders are looking for. Nonprofits will benefit in five ways:

• The CGA is cost effective: Nonprofits will be able to complete one application that can be submitted to multiple foundations, freeing up more of their time to work on mission, instead of spending their time complying with each foundation’s unique proposal requirements.
• The CGA incorporates new technology: The CGA is available on a stand alone website in an easy-to-use, fillable format. The link to the User’s Guide explains each question in detail to assist nonprofits of all sizes in creating a compelling document. 
• The CGA offers additional support and resources: The User’s Guide has been created to accompany the CGA. This comprehensive document provides clarity on the intention of each component of the CGA and offers resources to nonprofits for further exploration and education.
• The CGA is aligned with best practices: The CGA reinforces best practices in solid nonprofit management and dovetails with the Colorado Nonprofit Association’s recent release of Principles & Practices for Nonprofit Excellence in Colorado
• The CGA leads to better proposals: The new CGA has more structure and clarity than the former CGA, resulting in applications that are more compelling to grantmakers. In addition, the CGA allows the grantseeker to tell their story more fluidly and eliminates many of the redundancies that were challenging for funders and nonprofits.

The new CGA is asking for more information than the old CGA. Do I get more space ? Yes, you get more space to answer additional questions. In general, the questions contained in the CGA are designed to help with readability, logic, and flow. Recognizing that there are now more questions, the CGA page limit has increased. General operating requests can now tell their story in four pages and program requests can now tell their story in five pages.

Back to Top

Using the Common Grant Application

Do all grantmakers accept the CGA as it is? No. Just like the previous version of the CGA, many funders will use the CGA as a stand alone tool, while others will choose to adapt it to meet the needs of their foundation. This is why it is critical that each nonprofit research each grantmaker’s requirements.

Is it possible that grantmakers will accept both the CGA and use their own format? Yes. Some foundations will only accept the CGA (i.e. this is the only application they use). Other foundations give nonprofits the choice of submitting the CGA or an application format stipulated by the grantmaker.

Is this an online application? No. You are able to fill out the application online, save it to your computer, and then submit it to a particular grantmaker. If a grantmaker has an online application process, they will provide you with specific instructions regarding their process.

Will you help me find a grant? No. Nonprofit grant guides and many other grant-writing resources are available to you in the community. The CGA website is not staffed and as such it is unable to mail, e-mail, recommend, or distribute your CGA to other funders.

If I have questions about the CGA, who do I contact? Just like the last CGA, there is no single person to contact regarding questions about the CGA. Part of the reason for developing the User’s Guide is to help assist you with your questions and to offer resources should you need clarity on the questions asked. It is always appropriate to contact specific grantmaker’s with questions that arise regarding applying to their foundation.

How do I sign up to use the Common Grant Application? You do not need to sign up or register with any organization or person to use the CGA.

What types of funding can I seek using the Common Grant Application? This depends entirely on the interests of the grantmakers that accept the CGA. Types of grants that grantmakers may be interested in making include: general operating grants, program grants, capital grants, program related investments, etc.

How can I control access to my information? You are in control of your information. The CGA website does not store your information, nor does it distribute or forward your information on to others.

Back to Top