When looking over NOFOs, one big question is: Does this grant require a match?  

Let’s take this apart.  When a grant has a matching requirement, that means in addition to grant funding, your municipality, organization, or partners need to contribute the required matching funds.  Not all projects are suited for matching grants.  If you are already struggling to scrape together funding to start a project, you may want to focus on grants with no matching requirement.  However, matching grants are great for when your organization, municipality, etc. has a project on hold due to budgetary shortfalls.  Matching grants bridge these funding gaps for projects already in the works for which funding is already allocated.

Some grants require an in-kind match wherein your organization’s match does not need to be monetary.  Other grants don’t require a match but give preference to applicants who offer a partial match.  In this case, see where you can find funding either internally, through fundraising, or from a project partner.