Case for support template
A case for support is the master document that explains why your organization exists, what it achieves and why it needs money now. Grant writers draw on it for every proposal and fundraisers use it with individual donors. Write it once, update it each year and adapt pieces of it for each funder.
A case for support is mostly an internal document that your staff and board keep on hand rather than something you send to a funder as it stands. Most of its paragraphs end up reused in proposals, appeal letters, annual reports and the about page of your website.
Free to copy and adapt. Square brackets mark what you replace. Nothing here is tied to a particular funder. Read each funder's guidelines for required headings, page limits and attachments before you paste a finished draft into their application form.
The template
Mission and vision
Who you are. Two sentences should cover what your organization exists to do and the future it is working toward.
[Organization name] exists to [mission]. We work toward a [place or community] where [vision].
The need
Make it urgent. Use local evidence with named sources so a reader comes away knowing why the problem matters in your community this year.
In [place], [the problem]. According to [source and year], [figure]. Those most affected are [who].
What you do
Your programs. Describe the approach briefly and say what makes it work for the people you serve.
Through [program names], we [what you do] for [who]. Our approach is [what makes it work, in one line].
Results
Prove it. Pair a figure from your most recent year with a short story about one participant, shared with their permission.
In [year], we [result with a figure]. [Short story of one participant, with permission.]
Why now
Give a reason to act. A rising need, a matching gift or a new opportunity tells the reader why their support matters more this year than it did last year.
This year, [the opportunity or pressure, such as rising demand or a matching gift]. With $[amount], we can [what the money makes possible].
How to help
Be specific. Offer a few giving levels and tie each one to a concrete result a donor can picture.
$[amount] provides [concrete result].
$[amount] funds [concrete result].
$[amount] sustains [concrete result].
Skip the blank page
Upload your case for support to Quillify and the writer draws on it for any proposal you attach it to. Ask for a section in your own words and it revises that section alone.
Questions people ask
What is a case for support?
The core document explaining why your organization deserves funding. It covers the mission, the need, the programs, the results and what new money will do.
How long is a case for support?
Often two to ten pages for the full internal version. Shorter versions are cut from it for brochures, appeals and proposals.
How is it different from a grant proposal?
A proposal answers one funder's questions about one project. The case for support is the source material every proposal draws from.
Related guides: Reusing a proposal, properly. The mistakes that repeat in grant proposals. All free templates.
Let Quillify write the first draft.
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