Turn your idea into a reality
“An idea without funding is a hallucination.” Representative Hal Rogers
Get support developing grant proposals
Do you need help writing and submitting a grant proposal? SOAR is excited to announce the launch of a grant writing program in partnership with the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI). Together, we’ll provide hands-on guidance to help you locate relevant grants and increase your chances of winning funding for digital entrepreneurship projects and businesses.
If you want to submit a concept paper for review, email us at cori@soar-ky.org or fill out our contact form. We’ll reach out with next steps.
Types of funding for Eastern Kentucky
There are different types of funding opportunities you can use to get money for your project or program.
Current funding opportunities you can apply for
Browse an updated list of all the the types of funding opportunities available right now. Find the funding opportunity that’s the best fit for your idea or need. You can start with the two most applied for funding opportunities in our region.
The Grants 101 Playbook for
Eastern Kentucky
The Grants 101 Playbook is full of helpful checklists, expert tips and tricks, and practical information you can use to start your grant application process today.
Grants and loans
Incentives and tax credits
How to Apply for Funding Opportunities
Step 1: Get to know your funding organization
Seek grant organizations and funding opportunities that align with the goals, outcomes, and mission of the project you need funded. You can reach out to points of contact at grantors to further determine if they’re a good fit. Ask for tips or directions for applying for grants.
Step 2: Prepare for a successful application
Grants can help fund bright ideas and practical needs. Before applying for any type of funding, determine the specific outcomes you hope to achieve with your project.
- These should create a positive impact not just for your organization, but for a specific set of stakeholders in Eastern Kentucky.
- It’s also important to gather local community, business, and government support before applying for grants. For the best chance of winning funding, you’ll want to show you have supportive partners.
- Make sure you also have a team in place that can execute the plan with the funding, as well as far into the future.
Step 3: Process the funding application
- Read the grant application carefully.
- Follow directions and answer questions completely. Grantors specifically say doing this will give you the best chance of winning funding from them.
- Don’t overstate your goals or what you hope to accomplish. Present a realistic picture of what your team and partners will do with the funding in a practical timeframe.
- Provide hard data and anecdotal material that prove how you’ll use the money immediately. Also show how the funding will help you create a sustainable solution even once it’s dried up.
- If it’s a matching grant, decide how you’ll provide the trackable funds: through volunteer hours or cash.
Step 4: Review and submit
- Before submitting a grant application, have team members and partners read through it to make sure all questions were answered fully.
- Grantors also suggest having an unrelated third party read the grant application.This third party will be able to spot inconsistencies and anything that doesn’t make sense.
- The SOAR team provides free consultations to review grant applications on a first come, first serve basis. We’ll provide direct feedback and constructive criticism for the best chance of your application succeeding.
You can use this form to contact us to get on our grant review schedule.
"*" indicates required fields
Let’s make it official
Get email updates about events, news, and milestones in your county. Help us power a revolution, one Eastern Kentucky community at a time.
"*" indicates required fields