Unleashing the Power of Sustainability: Insights from Grant-Funded Projects
Daniel Ortiz, ICG Specialist Consultant - February 12, 2025
In the grant-writing world, the concept of sustainability can be used as a competitive advantage for organizations looking for funding. But, to use it, applicants must understand what it is, why donors care, and how to unleash its powers. In this post, I will try to answer those questions and show you the ICG method based on grant-funded projects.
What is sustainability?
The word “sustainability” has a broad meaning, and its use has increased and shifted during the last decades. Diving deep into its origins, sustainability comes from the Latin word sustinere (sus = “from below” and tenere = “hold”), reflecting the idea of supporting something. Unsurprisingly, this is the same root for the word “sustain” with a similar connotation. However, sustainability is not sustainability, so one may question the difference.
A simple and, in my opinion, great definition of sustainability was provided in 1987 by the United Nations Brundtland Commission, which defined it as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." This definition connects the present and future, providing us with a broad sense of accountability and continuity.
Sadly, the term has been used mostly to promote good practices in environmental/climate efforts, which sometimes can lead to biased thinking and miscommunication. One year ago, while creating a proposal for a small nonprofit from NJ, we were discussing a proposal that asked us for a sustainability plan. My client's first response was a plan on how to use less energy and paper in our program delivery. This misconception is not uncommon.
So, for the sake of this post, borrowing from the etymology and my favorite definition, we can define sustainability as the idea of supporting something over time in an accountable way.
Why do donors care?
Consider the following scenario: You wake up one day to find out that a stock you've held for the past 5 years has plummeted in value because the company couldn't stay afloat. As an investor, this is incredibly frustrating because you expect your investments to grow and provide a good return, not the opposite. This experience makes you realize the importance of thoroughly reviewing a company's current status and future plans before making investment decisions in the future.
On the other hand, for donors, the stakes are different. Instead of expecting a financial return on investment, they seek a social return through the impact of their donations, such as immigrants accessing healthcare, children attending school, or communities having access to clean water. When using public funds, the pressure to ensure a positive impact is even higher.
This analogy highlights the role of sustainability as a tool for demonstrating an organization's ability to continue doing good in the future and provide returns. However, due to the uncertainty and complexity of the future, it's essential to delve deeper into the concept of sustainability.
One way to do this is by examining the USAID’s NGO Sustainability Index, which identifies seven interlinking dimensions for sectoral sustainability: legal environment, organizational capacity, financial viability, advocacy, service provision, infrastructure, and public image. These dimensions are used to assess nonprofit organizations and countries. In practical terms, donors typically focus on three dimensions when inquiring about sustainability:
Financial Viability
Organizational Capacity
Service Provision
To understand what donors are looking for, it's crucial to familiarize ourselves with the language they use. This can be achieved by reviewing multiple Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) or Requests for Proposals (RFPs).
Here are some current examples of how donors may inquire about sustainability in these common dimensions.
Financial Viability – Private Foundation - McCarthy Foundation Grant 2024
“Sustainability plan - How will the organization and/or request activities be sustained? Describe the overall sustainability plan for your organization and/or your project/program in terms of staffing and finances. How would the proposed activities and/or your organization be affected if you do not receive the requested funding? [limit 600 words]”:
Organizational Capacity – Federal Funding - FY 2022 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program
“Continuity and Duplication of Program (5 Points)
The extent to which the applicant demonstrates:
- The sustainability of the sub-applicant’s work beyond the two-year performance period of this grant program”.
Service Provision – Federal Funding – NTIA Digital Equity Competitive Grant 2024
“Provide a description of strategies to be undertaken to ensure the project or activity will create a sustainable long-term impact on digital equity and inclusion or will lead to the permanent elimination of a barrier to digital equity. Applicants must upload their Sustainability Strategy including descriptions of near-and-long-term strategies for impact and infrastructure, as outlined in the NOFO Section IV.B(13)”.
The examples provided are all unique but each adds value to the review process from the donor. Based on my experience, sustainability sections can range from 5 to 25 points on a 100-point scale, so careful consideration in this area can be a game-changer for your funding. In the next section, I will propose methods to improve it.
How to improve it? (The ICG method)
Now that we have a clear definition of sustainability and are familiar with its dimensions, I will present a four-step method to enhance sustainability narratives in grant proposals.
Identify: Look for keywords such as "sustainability," "sustainability plan," "sustainability strategy," and "long-term strategy." Understand which dimension of sustainability the donor is seeking.
Review: After identifying the section, review it to understand its importance to the donor. This will guide how you approach the narrative.
Connect: Connect your experience with the narrative by providing relevant examples of how sustainability has been achieved in the past. Align these examples with the identified dimension.
Research: Assess current sustainability trends by dimension and incorporate those aligned with your organization or program to connect your proposal with the future.
By following these steps, you will be well-prepared to provide a comprehensive sustainability section that increases your chances of securing funding.
Have more questions on this topic? The ICG team specializes in understanding how funders operate, how to develop successful proposals, and how to build relationships. We work with and provide support to nonprofit leadership and development teams. You can schedule a consultation and make the move toward amplifying your organization’s impact any time: https://www.impactcurveglobal.com/get-started
