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Federal Way launches first grant-writing workshop in 'From Idea to Impact' series
Summary
City of Federal Way and Collaborative Partners Initiative kicked off a three-part grant-writing and fundraising workshop series covering grant readiness, elevator pitches, SMART project planning and where to find funders for small businesses and nonprofits.
The City of Federal Way hosted the first session in a series of grant-writing and fundraising workshops on Thursday evening, with presenters outlining steps small businesses and nonprofits should take before applying for grants.
Ariana Garfalo, senior grant and RFP writer at Collaborative Partners Initiative, told attendees that basic preparation matters. "Before you even consider applying for a grant, it's good to do some prep work to think about what you're gonna need in order to apply for that grant," Garfalo said, describing paperwork, tax and registration numbers, and file organization as essential steps.
The workshop, sponsored by the City of Federal Way Economic Development Department, emphasized three practical areas: creating a concise needs statement or "elevator pitch," assembling grant-readiness documents and identifiers (EIN, UBI for Washington grants, UEI for federal grants), and designing a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, time-bound) — plus equitable — project plan. Garfalo demonstrated how a vague needs description can be rewritten to specify who benefits, where services are offered and what measurable outcomes are expected.
Angela, a workshop co-presenter, urged organizations to pair data with storytelling. "Data drives decisions, so please track, but storytelling also drives decisions," Angela said, recommending testimonials, short videos and local impact examples to make applications more compelling. Presenters recommended that organizations collect both absolute numbers (for example, total people served) and percentages to make impact claims clearer.
Presenters also reviewed common roles needed to prepare a grant — someone to write narrative text, a person to build the budget, data/monitoring support and a detail-oriented editor — and suggested keeping required documents (501(c)(3) letters for nonprofits, tax returns, boards lists, budgets, staff résumés) in one accessible folder to speed application work.
The workshop listed prospecting paths and funder types that attendees could pursue: hospital and insurer foundations (Virginia Mason, MultiCare, Kaiser were named), national programs and corporate grants (Comcast, Verizon), nonprofits and networks that offer grant opportunities (Hello Alice), and local/state technical assistance (WorkSource, PTAC, SCORE). Angela described Virginia Mason's typical awards and programs as examples: smaller sponsorships often around $5,000, an annual competition of $20,000–$100,000 that typically requires partnership with at least one other organization, and a bridge loan program described in the session as up to $1,000,000.
Business-focused resources emphasized included OMWBE registration for minority- and women-owned businesses, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA) for business assistance, and local PTAC offices and SCORE mentors to help navigate procurement and certification. Presenters recommended banks and institutional foundations as additional sources and noted many grant programs favor partnerships between nonprofits and small businesses.
The workshop concluded with logistical next steps: attendees were invited to bring a 150-word elevator pitch to the next session on grant prospecting (same time, next Thursday) for on-the-spot feedback and to use the presenters' contact information for follow-up questions. Presenters said the series includes additional sessions on grant prospecting and later sessions on broader fundraising techniques.
