CEO/CFO of Rural Area Nonprofits’ Experiences with Obtaining Grant Funding

For many NPOs, obtaining funding can be a challenge. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to explore CEO/CFO rural area nonprofits’ experiences with obtaining grant funding for their programs. The conceptual framework that guided this study was the critical rural theory. Participants were obtained using purposeful sampling and snowball sampling via flyers placed on social media outlets. Data were collected from open-ended, semi-structured interviews with nine CEO/CFOs of rural area nonprofits. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s six phases for thematic analysis. Seven themes were developed from the data analysis and placed in separate sections. The first section included the barriers to obtaining funding for NPOs that included themes related to (a) lack of paperwork accuracy may impede funding, (b) rural NPO leaders must stand out against other organizations in obtaining funding, (c) some grant requirements are unclear for NPOs, (d) female and minority grant applicants may experience discrimination in funding, and (e) grant funders may not provide feedback when declining a grant. The next section provided two themes related to possible solutions to reducing these barriers: (a) networking with other nonprofit agencies may reduce barriers to funding and (b) taking grant writing course may aid in organization’s ability to obtain funding. The findings of the study promote positive social change by providing a better understanding of the barriers faced by rural nonprofit leaders, which can improve the process of obtaining grant funding and lead to sustainably.