Uncover Hidden Connections: Unlocking New Grant Opportunities with Impala

When seeking your next grant, it's tempting to focus on well-known foundations like Gates, Ford, or Rockefeller. However, these large institutions may not always align with your organization's mission. Often, the smaller to medium-sized foundations, while less known, can offer more relevant and impactful support because they resonate better with your goals and values. Furthermore, it’s easier for you to reach decision-makers within these organizations, and they are often less inundated with applications.

Philanthropy runs on relationships. It's about knowing the right people who can open doors for you.

But how do you uncover these hidden gems? The answer is Impala.

Impala for Fundraisers is designed to help your team identify the perfect foundations that align with your mission, without the hassle of traditional prospect research. As a unified platform for the nonprofit sector, Impala empowers its users with the data, insights, and relationships you need to meet your fundraising goals. Think of it as your virtual fundraising assistant: you set your prospecting criteria and we deliver suggested funders that align to your mission and needs.

Here’s how it works:

1) Start by Answering Three Key Questions

• Location: Where is your organization based?
• Cause Areas: What issues do you address?
• Peers: Who does similar work to you?

For example, let's say you are part of the fundraising team at the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless: our office is in Chicago, IL, focusing on Shelter and Residential Care, Homeless Services, and Public Policy. Our peers include the National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Coalition for the Homeless, and Housing Action Illinois.

After completing these simple onboarding questions, Impala instantly matches you with potential funders that align with your mission, vision, and goals. The system not only identifies funders within your ecosystem but also those supporting your peers.

2) Discovering New Opportunities

Having identified over 20 suggested funders supporting similar work, Impala provides a match score based on three key criteria: alignment, capacity, and relationships. While some familiar names appear, new prospects such as The Oak Foundation USA, Campion Foundation, and Liferay Foundation offer fresh opportunities for collaboration.

Exploring funders of your peers reveals even more options, including the Reva and David Logan Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and Annie E. Casey Foundation Inc. These suggestions, evaluated based on Alignment, Capacity, and Relationships, can be added to your list for further research.

3) Informed Decision-Making

Impala’s Suggested Ask Calculator helps determine the appropriate funding request amounts, offering a suggested ask based on historical data and a match score to your organization. For example, while the Annie E. Casey Foundation hasn’t funded our peers, it shows a 55% match with our organization based on our prospecting criteria. 

Importantly, Impala also provides critical insight into the amount we should be asking for. This insight can guide us in crafting a compelling, targeted proposal.

4) Leveraging Relationships for Success

Philanthropy runs on relationships. It's about knowing the right people who can open doors for you. Impala's relationship mapping solution helps nonprofits uncover hidden connections within your existing network, making it easier to identify these relationships and facilitate warm introductions.

With over 1 billion relationships mapped across 3+ million organizations and 16+ million people, Impala reveals how you and your team are connected to decision-makers in the social impact sector. Whether they’ve served on relevant boards, worked with key contacts, or received grants from particular foundations, Impala provides the details you need to fast-track warm introductions.

A Real World Example

For instance, Deborah Harrington served on our board and has connections to the Annie E. Casey Foundation through Impact for Equity, an organization that received two grants from the foundation. Deborah's role on the board of Impact for Equity gives us a valuable connection, offering a potential "foot in the door."

Impala's relationship mapping solution is a game-changer for nonprofits, enabling them to uncover hidden connections and unlock new grant opportunities. By leveraging these insights, your organization can streamline outreach efforts, build meaningful relationships, and ultimately achieve greater fundraising success.

Impala's relationship mapping solution is a game-changer for nonprofits, enabling them to uncover hidden connections and unlock new grant opportunities.

Ready to discover the hidden connections in your network? Register for a demo and see how Impala can revolutionize your grant-seeking strategy and turn your connections into opportunities.