Robin Hood Opens Applications for Grant Readiness and Insights Training Program (GRIT)

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - June 19, 2017) - Robin Hood, New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, has opened the application period for the second year of its Grant Readiness and Insights Training program. GRIT, which is made possible by support from Bloomberg Philanthropies, provides training for talented nonprofit leaders who seek support from evidence-based funders. GRIT applications, which can be found at, www.rh.org/grit, are due on August 1, 2017. The program will run from October 4 to December 13, 2017.

GRIT teaches nonprofit leaders how to obtain support from results-driven funders like Robin Hood. The program is designed for executives of organizations that have a promising social service model, have been fully operational for at least three years, are in New York City and the metropolitan area, and oversee an annual budget of at least $500,000 but do not exceed $10 million in revenues.

The program includes trainings on a variety of topics, including:

• Program Model Evaluation: Participants will get a window into how to craft a logic model and how Robin Hood's system of metrics measures success, which has changed the way foundations approach grant-making.
• Governance and Leadership: Every year, Robin Hood's management assistance team places dozens of individuals on the boards of grantee organizations. Participating executives will learn how to effectively recruit for and manage a board of directors.
• Private Fundraising: In 29 years, Robin Hood has raised over $2 billion. The GRIT program will share best practices and help executives explore optimal approaches to individuals and foundations interested in their mission.

Organizations that have previously received funding from Robin Hood are not eligible to apply, nor are nonprofits that have applied for a Robin Hood grant in the past two years.

Robin Hood staff and external consultants -- including Hilda Polanco, founder and CEO of Fiscal Management Associates, Kara Berlin, founder of Harvest, and Rovika Rajkishun, development consultant -- will each lead sessions. Throughout the GRIT program, participating executives will be paired with Robin Hood program staff who will serve as advisors to the GRIT participants.

With inspiration and coaching from the GRIT program, Wild Earth, a 2016 participant, was able to secure a first-time donation of $50,000 and a follow-on donation of $65,000 (from a previous $10,000 donor) within weeks of the GRIT training. These two donations were the largest in the organization's history. "GRIT taught me how to communicate the impact of our programs in a concise and compelling way," said David Brownstein, Executive Director of Wild Earth. "The lessons from the Robin Hood staff and consultants greatly enhanced our fundraising success."

"Based on the momentum and enthusiasm of last year's GRIT cohort, we are pleased to be able to offer this opportunity to a new group," said Emary Aronson, interim chief program officer of Robin Hood. "By building the capacity of New York's social service sector, we can reach more people in need."

Applicants will be notified of a decision by September 12, 2017. For more information on GRIT, application instructions, and eligibility criteria, visit www.rh.org/grit.

About Robin Hood
Robin Hood, New York's largest poverty-fighting organization, finds, funds and creates over 200 of the most effective programs, to help 1.8 million New Yorkers learn and earn their way out of poverty. Because our board of directors underwrites all operating costs, 100 percent of your donation goes directly to organizations helping New Yorkers in need.

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