"Number one reason that people get denied and they didn't read the eligibility criteria. So yeah, very, very important …If you don't have the qualifications or something for something, you partner with somebody who does and you guys go after it together.… If you don't know something, that gives you a reason to call the vendor and start that conversation and get that personal relationship with them.…Relationships, relationships, relationships. It really is the key to grants. It's really not about what you write, it's about who you're speaking to ahead of time." Megan Pater on Electric Ladies Podcast

Nonprofits and mission focused small businesses are facing historic funding threats at the moment due mostly to massive cuts in federal funding under the Trump administration and Republican-led Congress and related political pressures. The good news is that this crisis is also an opportunity for these nonprofits and mission-focused businesses to think differently about how they fund their operations and their goals. How?

Listen to Megan Pater, CEO/Founder of Fund Nation and ECE Solutions on how to find and secure grants in this enlightening conversation with Electric Ladies Podcast host Joan Michelson. She also happens to be a member of the Native American Osage Nation.

You'll hear about:

● How you don't have to be a nonprofit -- even if the grant criteria requires one.

● How relationships, partnerships and creative strategic thinking are key.

● The magic of Megan's database to help small businesses and nonprofits secure grants

● Plus, career advice, such as:

"Relationships. If you are seeking to move even laterally in your career, just making some type of change, you need to know what you're getting into, speak to somebody who's been there, reach out for help.… There's so many programs that are government-funded or city- or county-funded that you can enter into and they will raise you up…There's no reason for you not to feel supported.…But there's so many resources out there that are free and available that we already pay for with our taxes, and if you're not utilizing them, you are hurting yourself….We've already paid for them when we pay our taxes and people don't utilize them enough."

Megan Pater on Electric Ladies Podcast

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Read Joan's Forbes articles here.

You'll also like:

· Creative Leverage for Good -- Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet

· You Can Make A Difference Where You Are -- Laur Hesse Fisher, MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative

· Scaling Women Climate Entrepreneurs -- Zainab Salbi, Daughters for Earth

· Connecting With Curiosity -- with Jennifer Hough, Author, TEDx Speaker, Advisor

· Corporate Philanthropy At America's Largest Bottler – with Ann Canela, Head of Corporate Giving at Niagara Water and Niagara Cares, It's Philanthropic Arm

· New Venture Capital Models For Women and CleanTech – with Cecile Blilious, Veteran Venture Capital investor and Co-Founder, Venture ESG

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Creativity & Relationships Help Secure Grants – Megan Pater, CEO/Founder of Fund Nation & ECE Solutions