6 Grant Writing Mistakes that are Costing you Funding

Grant writing can be a lucrative and rewarding process when done well. Unfortunately, many nonprofit organizations become discouraged after putting in the time and money into an application and not receiving funding. This post is assuming that your nonprofit has a solid funding foundation, is grant ready, and is applying for grants that are a good fit. 

Let's discuss some very common reasons you did not receive funding and how you can fix it for the next time and improve your odds of funding success. 

Poorly Written

Sadly, this is a very common reason for a grant being rejected. It is imperative that you review the grant guidelines (or RFP, or FOA) in depth and make sure you are following the directions exactly. I’ve seen well qualified organizations rejected for not following the guidelines. It is also important to get a second or even a third pair of eyes on your proposal to check for errors and typos.

Lack of Financial Sustainability

Financial capacity and sustainability are essential pieces of the “grant readiness” process. You need to clearly demonstrate this in your budgets and grant proposal. It is essential that the funder is able to look at your proposal and feel confident that if you are given funding you will be able to carry out the program and continue serving the community long after the funding is gone. A great way to show financial sustainability is by sharing your diverse streams of income and funding. Show that you are not dependent on this grant for success. 

Unclear Community Need

Showing a clear and urgent need is the most important and compelling piece of your grant proposal. The person (or persons) reviewing your proposal needs to see that there is an urgent need in the community and if your program does not address it there will be greater consequences. The community need that you are demonstrating should also match up with the needs that the foundation or grant maker have decided are priorities for them to address. This is where you are really selling your project and why it is so important. You are then using the grant proposal as a whole to support why you are the best choice for addressing the urgent need. Data is a very effective way to demonstrate need.

Lack of Impact

This is where new nonprofits often struggle with grant applications. Your organization should be established enough that you have data, stories, testimonials, etc… to show the impact you make in your community. You may have made it clear that there is an important need but now you have to prove that you are up to the task of meeting this need. You use past information about what you have done to help show this in your grant proposal.

Poor Project Planning

You may have done a great job in your proposal of establishing yourself as an impactful nonprofit that is addressing an urgent need. The grant maker also needs to see that you have a clear, detailed, realistic plan to address this need. Do you have all of the other resources you need to execute your plan? Is the staff capable of completing this project? Take the time to create a detailed project management plan describing how you will complete or implement your program or project. This can be used to effectively answer related questions on the grant proposal.

Lack of an Existing Relationship

It is very possible (and common) for a nonprofit to submit the perfect grant application and still be denied. A reason for this could be that the grant maker is unfamiliar with you. Sometimes you will need to submit a grant application for a year or two before the foundation will really take you seriously. A lot of foundations will also only fund nonprofits that they already have a relationship with. This is where a little research in the beginning can help you down the road. Feel free to reach out (unless they say not to), ask questions, and introduce yourself. It is imperative that when you do this you do NOT make any kind of ask. You are just trying to build a relationship so that when your application arrives they are already familiar with you.

If you take the time to address all of these potential reasons for a grant denial you will greatly increase your odds of receiving funding. Still need help getting funding and making sure you have a solid funding foundation? Let’s chat and see if a grant and funding audit is a good fit for your nonprofit.