What Scares You as a Grant Proposal Writer?

Ever get that feeling?  You know the one I’m talking about, XTZ Foundation’s deadline is next week, they’ve declined you once before and now you find yourself sitting there staring at a blank page. 

It seems you’re not alone. 

CharityChannel’s online forums, always a wonderful source of inspiration, ideas and practical thinking, are also a barometer of universal concerns within the nonprofit arena.  One recent thread that garnered widespread responses centered on fear, specifically “what scares you most” as a grant proposal writer. 

Respondents pointed to a variety of common fears, from fearing the initial contact with a new foundation to fear of rejection to fear of leaving out a key component.  However, the most basic fear cited was the one inherent in most writers, the fear of the blank page. 

“I can only say that it does not matter how long you work in the field, rather it is a new client, or a new proposal for a current client - a blank page is scary. The beginning of every new proposal is empty white space yet it is filled with so many opportunities to write the perfect proposal. “ 

How do you craft the perfect cover letter, create an opening, tell your agency’s story in a compelling way that makes the funder want to fund you?  How do you get past the blank page syndrome? 

Whether it stems from procrastination, frustration or just plain fear - here are a few tools that no grant proposal writer should ever be without. 

Testimonials

Testimonials are all around you. They are in the thank you cards your program receives, the messages on the machine in your office, in emails, conversations, and in speeches at recognition events. If your program isn’t in the habit of collecting testimonials, make it a top priority!  Actively seek them out by sending surveys to your clients and donors. Get in the habit of keeping a tape recorder handy, and set up a comment page on your website. 

Storytelling shows why your donors keep coming back, year after year, and why your staff is so dedicated to your mission. Telling the story of your program through testimonials lets you bring a diversity of voices to your proposal in a way that numbers can’t and helps your application stand apart from the rest, long after the numbers have been forgotten. 

Books 

There are a number of great books out there on grant proposal writing.  Any one of these would give you a little nudge in the right direction: 

How to Write Knockout Proposals: What You Must Know (And Say) to Win Funding Every Time by Joseph Barbato

A gem of a book – this one’s a precious jewel and just might be all that you need. 

Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising by Cheryl A. Clark

Teaches you the narrative aspect of the grant proposal.  Mine is dog-eared. 

Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Grantseeking (Kim Klein's Chardon Press)– by Andy Robinson

This one’s full of examples – and great for getting past that blank page. 

Five Days to Foundation Grants

Ok, this is my own book (smile) .  But it’s one that I turn to time and time again for a quick basic reflection on all the information covered in the aforementioned books – and then some.  The accompanying grant proposal toolkit – basically a book of templates of successfully funded proposals – always gets me past the hump. 

What else?  Sometimes music works for me.  I once based an entire annual appeal around a Sly and the Family Stone Song – Everybody is a Star! 

What’re you waiting for?  You’ve got nothing to fear but fear itself.

Your Grant Proposal's Been Rejected - Now What?

A few year’s back I did some work with a struggling educational nonprofit. During my initial review of their past foundation support, I discovered on their list a foundation whose mission I thought aligned perfectly with this organization’s, and also had a history of repeat funding.   Yet, year after year, the foundation had declined this organization’s proposals – even one year when they had specifically been invited to apply. Frankly I didn’t get it.  It was tempting to put them in the "they'll never fund us pile" but I picked up the phone to call their executive director.  Not knowing if I’d even reach a live person, I was delighted when he answered himself.  I asked him rather bluntly why his foundation had not funded us. One month, one letter, and one site visit later we were the recipients of a $15,000 grant - the first of many.

It's always frustrating to have your grant proposal rejected, but it's absolutely essential to stay optimistic and to persevere. The fact is that most grant proposals do get rejected, but learning from the experience--examining why your proposal was turned down--will benefit you by making future proposals stronger. And don’t give up on one foundation because they have declined your proposal. Unless you specifically don’t fall within their funding guidelines (in which case you probably shouldn’t have wasted your time applying in the first place), you’ll want to reapply as soon as you’re able.

If you feel like you've done a solid job describing your non-profit's mission, the population you serve, and how your proposed grant would help your clients, then take another look at the foundation's mission. Did your proposal help the foundation meet its goals? Was it really a good fit in the first place? Foundations routinely turn down the best conceived projects simply because the goals of the non-profit and the foundation aren't aligned. Explore the foundation's website, annual report and 990 form to see what kind of projects they've funded in the past, and compare those projects to your own. See what you can learn, and if this step wasn't part of your last round of proposal applications, make it part of your next.


If you're confident that the goals of your proposal met the goals of the foundation, then go back to the original Request for Proposals. Consider the following questions:

Next, evaluate the writing in your proposal.

Did you state your needs clearly and specifically, right up front?

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  Did you include information about your non-profit's other sources of funding to help show that you're a worthy cause?
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  Did you use testimonials to bring the needs of your clients to life, and did you use meaningful, accurate data to support your organization's needs?
• 
  Is your writing clear and compelling?
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  Does the proposal sound like it's been written by one person, or do several different voices make it choppy and scattered?
• 
  Is the formatting clean and consistent?
• 
  Did you use headings and subheadings to make your proposal easily navigable?

If you've reevaluated your proposal and still have questions, call the foundation and ask to speak with the program officer who reviewed your proposal. After you've thanked them for their thoughtful review, ask:

Is there anything we could have done differently in our proposal?
May we resubmit for your next funding cycle?
Are you aware of any other foundations that we might approach?

And in your next round of grant proposals, build upon what you've learned. Send your applications to a diverse group of foundations, and be sure to explain how your project can help each foundation meets its own goals, not only how the foundation can help you meet yours. Above all--be patient, be persistent, and be positive.

Check out my book, Five Days to Foundation Funding at www.writegrantproposals.com for more ideas!