Additional Resources

F.A.Q.

Why should your organization retain Watauga?  Benefits to contracting the services of a specialized grant writer are immediately realized on your organization’s balance sheet.  Forgoing the high cost of a full-time grant writer and contracting as required could quickly save you thousands of dollars.  Finding professional writers with specialized experience with state and federal grant proposals specifically for development of arts and humanities, science and environment, and education-related non-profits, and small enterprise in the Tennessee Valley Region and Central, South Central & Southern Appalachia presents challenges to many organizations.  By contracting with Watauga, you are guaranteed individual attention and superior service.

What are the specific benefits of a contract grant writer?  Watauga’s superior service and expertise enables your organization to make the best impression on funding sources and ensure your special project is presented in the most professional way possible.

We relieve work overload on your staff and fill the need for hiring a full-time grant writer.  We eliminate last-minute deadline headaches and inadequate grant proposals by designing an annual plan to discipline the entire process.  This plan will mirror your organization’s strategic plan.

We enable administrative staff to concentrate on leadership and management issues, not on the time-consuming, tedious writing of a grant proposal or formatting progress reports.

You gain the same level of professional support and service through one-time grant proposal development services.

What types of grantors are there?  Foundations such as independent, community or private family foundations are strong candidates for local projects that directly impact development in a home geographic area.  The groups oftentimes support specifically- themed endeavors.  Corporate foundations also exist, but they seek to cross-promote their product of brand by generating positive press from a grant opportunity.  Government grants are also available, but depending on the structure of your organization, you should first understand specific municipal, state or federal guidelines and requirements before applying for these monies because of strict qualifications and a narrowly-defined scope.

What types of grants are there?  Grant types are generally categorized by the type of monies distributed by a particular grantor.  Some grants are for program support, special projects, general operating funds, or for endowments.  While other types are for restricted purposes, challenge funding (requiring a two-to-one or three-to-one match), or seed money for a specific enterprise.  Historically, the largest categories of grant projects are program support, capital projects. and general-operating support.

What is Watauga’s fee for service?  Our fee depends on the length of the engagement and scope of work for your special project.   There is no charge for the initial consultation.  We charge for total hours devoted to your project, any rush service and any specific services you request.  We do not charge based on a percentage of the grant award.    

What are typical time requirements for proposal development?  The total length of time devoted to proposal development depends on the type of grant.  We typically spend a minimum of three hours conducting our opening research to prepare for the concept review.  After the concept review, we generally have a sense of where the best fit opportunities are, given your organization’s special project, grantor submission deadlines and funding required for your special project.  Foundation grants take as few as five hours, while state and local grants could take twelve or more hours to complete.  Federal grants typically take forty or more hours to complete, while a specialized grant for a technical or research-oriented proposal usually takes 100 or more hours to complete.    

How does your organization stack up?  Generally grantors are looking to award funds to organizations with an established record of accomplishments, sound financial responsibility and stewardship, accurate audits and 990s and strong collaboration with the local community.  You should take the time to complete the necessary administrative housekeeping, volunteer training and board work required for demonstrating sound governance before seeking operating funds.  There are even grants for this type of technical assistance in stress testing your organization’s leadership and governance.   

What should your organization do before engaging Watauga?  Before you approach any grant writing service, you should already have a defined special project or program for which you seek funding.  The special project or program must meet your mission and support your organization’s strategic plan.  We will help you develop the details of your "Case for Support", but we recommend organizations know the vision or end state they seek to achieve.  We will assist in identifying prospective grant sources for special projects or programs, but we recommend you determine who will actually solicit the funds on behalf of your organization.  Foundations want to meet the organizational leaders who operate and are committed to an organization’s vision, not with a contracted grant writer with a temporary commitment. 

Make certain that you have reasonably determined in advance the scope, intent and value to the community your project will provide.   Those who lead your organization already have this knowledge and should intimately understand your organization’s strategic plan.  Clearly and precisely define each project or program for which you seek grants and also consider programmatic sustainability after the grant award has expired.  How you support the project or program in the future, if it is to last longer than the timeframe covered, is an essential component of award stewardship.

Is there some truth to the Urban Legends of grant writing?  Many inexperienced grant writers will attempt to charge a client based on commission paid from the grants themselves. Not only is this ineffective in building a strong case for support, it could potentially land your organization in legal trouble.

Other grant writers claim that they can write one magic proposal and submit it to hundreds of funding sources for a single fee. This shot-gun approach to grant writing has proved to be ineffective and is a waste of the client’s time and money. 

Every grantor has their own set of application guidelines and every grant must be originally and specifically written for that funding source, with few exceptions.

We believe that our clients use our services to avoid having to take the time to fill out extensive documents themselves. Our consultants can acquire the information they need to develop your grant proposal during a few web searches, phone calls and office visits, saving you valuable time to refocus on your core business functions.

What is the derivation of the name Watauga?  The Watauga Association (sometimes referred to as the Republic of Watauga) was a semi-autonomous government created in 1772 by frontier settlers along the Watauga River in what is now the Great State of Tennessee.  The government was formed by settlers along the Watauga River in present East Tennessee, and after the collapse of the Regulator Movement in North Carolina, citizens from that colony under James Robertson established homes farther west on the river.

For their mutual protection these settlements united in 1772 and drew up a written agreement, called the Watauga Association.  A five-man court constituted the government.  Other settlements along the Holston and Nolichucky rivers also adhered to the Watauga Association.  In 1772 the Wataugans secured a ten-year lease from the Cherokee for the land along the river.  Although it lasted less than a decade, the Association provided a basis for what later developed into the Cumberland Compact, the State of Franklin and eventually the State of Tennessee.  The influence of other frontier governments in the Trans-Appalachian region is certain. 

While there is no evidence that the Watauga Association ever claimed to be outside the domain of the British Crown, historians have often cited the Association as the earliest attempt by American-born colonists to form an independent democratic government. 

President Theodore Roosevelt later wrote that the Watauga settlers were the "first men of American birth to establish a free and independent community on the continent." 

In honor of the legacy of Southern Appalachian settlers who lead the way in forging the identity of a people and this unique place we call home and in this same spirit of pursuing future success in the name of personal and enterprise independence, we named ourselves Watauga.  We endeavor to instill this same pride and spirit in every engagement we undertake in the hope of making your organization and our region a better place for future generations.