Worth folding the corner on
Dog-Eared
Plain-language answers to the questions that come up before, during, and after a grant search. What eligibility really means, how to tell a strong fit from a long shot, and how to plan your funding year instead of chasing deadlines.
Dog-eared: the pages you fold down so you can find them again. That's what we hope these become.
The articles
Plan Your 2027 Grant Year: Trade the Spring Scramble for a Calendar
How to look back at this year, map the funders you already know, watch federal forecasts, and set limits before the new year’s deadlines arrive.
How to Read a Grant Notice: What to Check Before You Read It All
Which parts of a grant notice can stop you before you start, where to find them in a federal NOFO, and a 15-minute first read to run before anyone drafts.
Matching Funds: What “Match Required” Really Means Before You Apply
What a match or cost share really asks of you, what counts as cash or in-kind, how the math works, and when a match makes a grant more trouble than it’s worth.
Tribal Grants: What Tribal Nations Should Know Before They Apply
How grants written for tribes differ from broader programs, why a council resolution can set your timeline, and the reporting that follows an award.
Are You Grant-Ready? What Funders Look for Before They Read Your Proposal
What funders check before they read a word of your proposal, the readiness gaps that take the longest to fix, and a short check you can run this week.
What Is Grant Fit? Why Finding a Grant Is Only the Beginning
Why being eligible for a grant isn't the same as being a strong match, what real fit looks like, and a quick check to run before your team commits the hours.
Meet Grant Hounds: The Story Behind the Name
How an adopted hound named Nola gave us our name, who the two brothers behind Grant Hounds are, and why the most valuable grant work happens before anyone writes a word.
Who writes these
Each article is written for the people who actually do this work: development directors, grants coordinators, finance officers, fire chiefs, clinic managers, and small business owners who wear every hat at once. No jargon without an explanation and no promises about winning, just the kind of clear thinking that saves you from spending thirty hours on the wrong application.
Dog-Eared comes from the team at Grant Hounds, a done-for-you grant research partner for nonprofits, schools, local governments, tribal nations, colleges, health centers, public safety agencies, and small businesses across the United States. Between us we've spent more than 25 years inside public health agencies, state government, and public school systems, on the side of the table that writes the plans and answers for the budgets.
These articles share how we think about grants. They don't replace the funder's own rules, so always confirm eligibility and deadlines with the funder before you apply.
See where you stand
Six questions, about two minutes, and you'll see how ready your organization is to apply, plus what to fix first.
Take the 2-minute readiness check Who we work with
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