Think In-Kind Grants Aren’t Worth It? Think Again.

Before I ever dreamed up JAC or had a consulting website, I was already knee-deep in helping mission-driven orgs go after big, bold funding. One of my all-time favorite wins? A solar project that kicked off in 2020 and wrapped up in 2022 – and yes, it deserves a spot in my Top 10.

Here’s the backstory, minus the fluff:

The Arizona Humane Society had a shot at an in-kind grant for solar-covered parking structures. We didn’t know the dollar amount. It wasn’t listed, so there wasn’t a giant price tag flashing in our faces. Just: “solar panels + parking = potential win.” That’s it.

No one said, “This is a $250K opportunity.” We found that out after the project wrapped. But from the jump, I knew it could be big. Infrastructure upgrades like this don’t come around often. And yet, because it wasn’t a cash award, most folks would’ve walked right past it.

And let me be real: that’s a HUGE mistake. Too many orgs write off in-kind grants like they’re the knock-off version of the real thing. But this one? It gave Arizona Humane Society a quarter-million-dollar upgrade that’ll last YEARS. We're talking real impact, no invoice attached.

I was a one-person grants team at the time—no fancy setup, no big team behind me. Just me, a laptop, and way too much caffeine. But I treated that application like it was a six-figure cash award. Because honestly? It kinda was.

I didn’t cut corners just because it was in-kind. I still dug in, aligned the story with their mission, and wrote the hell out of it. Not from a “hope this lands” place, but from a “this is worth showing up for” place. 

And we won!

Now? Those solar structures are up, cranking out clean energy, keeping cars cool, and saving the org thousands of dollars annually. Dollars that can now go where they actually belong: toward saving vulnerable animals and making life better for pets and their people.

I mean… come on. Solar power and rescued animals? That’s peak good-deed overlap.

Why In-Kind Grants Matter (Especially Right Now)

With the economy doing what it’s doing—tight budgets, rising competition, more orgs chasing fewer dollars—in-kind support is becoming more valuable than ever. And yet, it’s still massively underutilized.

Let me say this louder for the folks in the back: if you’re not actively looking for in-kind support, you’re leaving resources on the table.

We’re talking things like:

• Solar panels and infrastructure upgrades (hello, long-term savings)

• Printing and marketing materials

• Event space and equipment

• Volunteer hours or technical assistance

• Software, tech, and capacity-building tools

Even something as seemingly small as donated printing services can make a real dent in your operating costs. It adds up! And more importantly, it frees up your cash for the things only cash can buy.

So, before there was JAC, there was this solar win. And if you're someone who's been sleeping on in-kind grants? Consider this your nudge to take another look. Sometimes the impact is worth way more than the sticker price!