The Brain Science of Grant Clients

Sometimes a grant writer is faced with an agency which has a Threshold Guardian beyond whom no man, woman, nor beast with an RFP shall pass. This can be explained by brain research about the left and right side of the brain.

The Threshold Guardians are usually Left Brainers. Left Brainers are hostile toward grants because they detest them more than an unbalanced checkbook. They may even experience a phobia about grant writers, because of their association with grants, causing them to dart furtively into maintenance closets.

I think of these grant-phobic-types as Left Brainers because the real reason they’re rankled by grants has nothing to do with the potential good a grant may do; they abhor grants because grants add uncertainty and complexity to their work lives in areas they need to control; that is, keeping the x’s and o’s in the right columns; and dotting all the I’s; crossing all of the T’s; and getting out the door promptly at quitting time. These functions give a Left Brainer pleasure and a reason to get out of bed; a way to maintain control; and the means to draw small boxes around their jobs or the missions of their organizations.

On the other side of the client brain types are grant champions, those charming and beautiful, grant loving people whom I lovingly refer to as Right Brainers. These are the big picture dreamer types who can accommodate the new ideas, change, and creativity that grants produce. Right Brainers express earnest intentions to willingly accept the extra drudge work that a grant entails; the accounting, the personnel functions, the labeling of equipment; and the cooperative planning. Right Brainers understand that extra work goes hand-in-hand with making things happen (as opposed to maintaining the status quo), which is what grant lovers are all about. The Right Brainers are entrepreneurial grant people.

To be fair, not all Left Brainers are entirely grant-phobic; but I believe a scientific study would reveal that grant phobia is in direct proportion to a person’s level of activity on the right side of their brain. I’ve never met a Right Brainer that didn’t love a good grant (although a few shouldn’t be running a carnival booth much less a grant program, but that’s another post entirely).

Left Brain grant misanthropes wear striped pajamas and block your path with crossed swords while Right Brainers welcome you in and offer you tea and shortbread (and contracts); so preferring Right Brainers is a No-Brainer for a working grant writer.

For further reference on the difference between Left and Right Brain functions, see below:

Description of the Left-Hemisphere Functions
• Constantly monitors our sequential, ongoing behavior
• Responsible for awareness of time, sequence, details, and order
• Responsible for auditory receptive and verbal expressive strengths
• Specializes in words, logic, analytical thinking, reading, and writing
• Responsible for boundaries and knowing right from wrong
• Knows and respects rules and deadlines

Description of the Right-Hemisphere Functions
• Alerts us to novelty; tells us when someone is lying or making a joke
• Specializes in understanding the whole picture
• Specializes in music, art, visual-spatial and/or visual-motor activities
• Helps us form mental images when we read and/or converse
• Responsible for intuitive and emotional responses.
• Helps us to form and maintain relationships

(Connell, Diane, Left Brain/Right Brain: Pathways To Reach Every Learner, accessed 1/24/12)

Silent Fraud in Federal Grant Evaluations Costs Billions

I’m stuck in a very difficult position with one of my evaluation clients right now. I have a report due very soon and there are some poor outcomes to report and some whistle blowing that needs to be done. This is the very reason why this particular program requires that all grantees hire independent external evaluators. Many federal programs have the same requirement. It’s an effort to ensure that grantees don’t fudge their evaluation results to make themselves look better and worthy of continued funding.

The problem is that most external evaluators are not independent. In fact, they are very dependent on the grantees for their livelihood. Sure, they aren’t employees of the grantees; they are usually independent contractors, but bias is inherently built into the relationship by the very people who want to ensure an unbiased evaluation – the funders.

The problem: Grantees have the freedom to fire evaluators who say things that they don’t want to hear and hire someone else who will be more amenable to telling the story the way the grantee wants it told. And in this time of economic hardship and massive budget cuts impacting almost every organization in the country, grantees have a powerful incentive to look good at all costs just to keep the dollars flowing.

Sure, you can say that an evaluator with integrity will tell the truth anyway, and I agree with you to some extent. Unfortunately, in today’s economy jobs are hard to come by and independent contractors have to do everything they can to get and keep jobs, so many are faced with this ethical conundrum at a time when they will pay a very high price for their integrity. They are faced with biting the hand that feeds them, and hoping that the hand doesn’t bite back.

And for every honest evaluator who stands her ground, there are 20 unscrupulous ones ready and willing to step in and say whatever the client wants to hear.

And it’s not just about the integrity of the evaluator in that situation or keeping that job. The grant world is a fairly small one and word spreads. No one wants the reputation of being someone who isn’t afraid to make their client look bad. It makes you a hero among evaluators and funders, but it also makes you untouchable to clients, and they are the folks who make the hiring decisions.

Here’s another problem: Many external evaluators write the federal performance reports for their clients. In many ways this makes sense because they are the ones most familiar with the data and in the best position to describe and report the outcomes. However, performance reports technically are the responsibility of the grantee and they are submitted by the grantee as their statement of progress. In a performance report, the grantee has every right to change what the evaluator writes to align it with their own perspective. So, even if the evaluator has the integrity to tell the ugly truth, the funder won’t see it, unless of course the grantee doesn’t read their own report before it is submitted which is an unfortunate, but very common, practice..

Unlike performance reports, evaluation reports cannot be tampered with by the grantee, but the evaluator has to deal with the first problem I described – biting the hand that feeds them.

So here I sit, staring at some data that tell a very unflattering story. I’ll write the performance report that tells the truth and the client will get very upset and change it before they submit it. Then we’ll have some tension in our professional relationship, which I’ll spend the next 5 months trying to repair before the decision about contracting with me next year has to be made.

Yes, my friends, these are your tax dollars at work. It’s a corrupt system. Because performance reports are used by the federal government to make decisions about continuation funding, lying in performance reports constitutes fraud, but everyone looks away. Looking away is the only way the corrupt system can continue.

In a time when banks and big businesses are being vilified for their fiscal practices, this fraud – which amounts to billions of dollars a year – goes unexamined and continues to thrive in every corner of the country.

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http://grantgoddess.com

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

The Link Between Creativity and Time

You may think that you “work best under a deadline,” but there is actually a negative correlation between time pressure and creativity.

This video illustrates it beautifully!

Just a little more time makes a big difference when it comes to creativity.

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After the Deadline

All you want to do after a deadline is collapse, think about nothing, and catch up on some of the sleep you lost over the previous week, but before you check out completely there are a few things you should do.

Take a few moments to reflect on what went well and what didn’t go so well. Is there anything you need to change for next time? Evaluate your own work and the overall process. Take notes so you can review your thoughts as you start the next project. As tempting as it is to wait and do this another day, don’t. You’ll forget some of the detail of what happened and you may end up repeating your mistakes.
Prepare a copy of the final document, as submitted, for your client or others in the organization. Someone is eager to see a copy of the final product. It will be easier to pull it together and transmit it now than it will be later. Prepare both final PDF copies and hard copies.
Gather up your notes and research materials. Ideally, you’ll organize and file them right away, but at least pull them all together in a pile that you can deal with later. Otherwise, you may lose some of the things you really want to save as they get shuffled aside randomly when you start the next project.
Prepare your next To Do list. Time is valuable. If you don’t leave your desk or office until you have developed a list of what you’ll be doing next, it will be easier for you to hit the ground running when you come back refreshed.

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Take a look at A Writer’s Journey, a blog about life as a writer.

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How NOT To Do It

I usually like to publish positive tips for improving your grant writing skills, but every now and then I come across such a great example of what not to do that I can’t help but share it.

21st Century Community Learning Center grants were due earlier this week. A little over two months ago, I approached one of my longstanding clients about writing one. The reply was a cool, “No, we’ve got people who can handle this one.” I replied as I always do to when a client declines my services. I wished them luck and reminded them that if they need any help or would just like me to do a quick read (free of charge, of course) and give some feedback before they submitted the grant, I would be glad to help. I was assured that they wouldn’t need my help.

Then I let it go.

I moved on with that grant with contracts I acquired with two other clients. Everything progressed as expected.

Then, at 3:00 p.m. on deadline day (proposals had to be received by the funding agency by 5:00 p.m.) I got a call from someone representing that client who wanted their login and password for the online system so they could upload their proposal.

First of all, I didn’t have their login and password for that particular system. If I’d had it, I would have provided it immediately. The other problem, though, is that this online system was a little strange. Applicants were required to complete a lot of forms online and submit them online. Then, they needed to print some of them for signatures, and then combine those forms with the grant narrative and attachments and submit the hard copy to the funding source. The whole package was not to be uploaded at all.

That meant that once these folks found a login and password, they would have to get those forms filled out, print some of them, gather more signatures, assemble their whole package, and hand deliver it to the funding source. It would take them 30-40 minutes to get there to deliver the package.

I don’t know how it turned out, but it’s pretty likely they missed the deadline.

What’s the big takeaway lesson here?

If you are submitting a grant through any electronic system, acquiring a login and password and checking out the system and submittal procedures is one of the first things you should be doing, not the last.

These folks fell into the trap of focusing on the preparation of the narrative, rather than seeing the entire process. It’s a mistake that may have cost them half a million dollars.

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Try reading A Writer’s Journey and Sexy Grant Writers for more tips, hints, and even laughs.

What to see some examples of successful grant proposals to help you improve your grant writing skills? Visit Grant Samples.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Setting Your Grant Writing Goals for 2012

“You must know for which harbor you are headed

if you are to catch the right wind to take you there…”

~ Seneca

I’m not really a fan of New Year’s resolutions (even though I have made a few), but I’m a big fan of goal setting. Why? Because setting a goal gives me a specific target to shoot for, rather than a general direction that is nebulous and probably impossible to achieve..

Here’s an example:

Go west this year.

Get to San Francisco by January 30, 2012.

Which of those two is more helpful for my day to day planning and more likely to actually get me to San Francisco?

Right. The more specific one. The goal.

So, what are your grant writing goals for 2012?

Here are a few suggestions:

Develop a realistic writing timeline for each project, and stick to it. This week, develop a sample that you can use as a template.
Read at least 2 grant samples each week to improve your skill by taking in the successful grant writing of others.
Acquire at least 5 new clients between today and June 30, 2012.
Reach out and develop professional relationships with at least 3 other grant writers this year.
Read The Grant Goddess Speaks… every day (or at least once a week), either on line or on your Kindle (Ok, that might be a little self serving on my part, but it really will help you be a better grant writer).

Once you have selected a goal or goals (no more than three), write them down. Write them down where you can see them every day. Yes, every day.

Next, develop a brief action plan for achieving each goal. What are the actions you plan to take each day, week, or month to make that goal a reality? Having the goal is critical, but having a plan to achieve it is just as important.

Using the example I gave above, I can look at my goal of getting to San Francisco by January 30, 2012 as often as I want, but I also need to make sure the care is in good working order. I need to get gas, plan a route, schedule the trip, etc. If I don’t do those things, I’ll be sitting at home later wondering why I never got to San Francisco.

So, what are your grant writing goals for this year?

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3 Grant Writing Resolutions You Shouldn’t Ignore

Top 10 Lessons I Learned from My Grant Writing Mentor

Grant Writing Commitments for the New Year

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

The Grant Goddess’ Favorite Posts

I always get reflective as we approach the end the calendar year. As part of that, I spent a little time looking back at some of the older posts on The Grant Goddess Speaks… and I found some pretty great tips and posts in the archives. Some of them are so good that they deserve another shot at the light of day. So I decided to pull some out for your enjoyment.

Some of these are on the list because they have great advice. Others are here because they are cute and funny. Regardless of why they made this list, they are among my favorites (in no particular order). Consider this list a special gift!

Enjoy!

If They Made a Movie About Grant Writing Consultants. . .

Are You the Bear or the Salmon?

14 Tips to Stay Off The Naughty List

Disadvantaged by Expectations

The 12 Days of Christmas for Grant Writers

Deadlines Are Like Burritos

The Detail Dilemma of Grant Writing

Grant Writer or Grant Valet?

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

The Difference Between a Gift and a Grant

Gifts and grants are completely different animals, yet they are often treated the same. Unfortunately, those who treat them the same usually end up in trouble.

A gift is just what you would expect it to be – a sum of money or a resource that is given to your organization with nothing expected in return or very little expected in return. Most cash donations from private individuals fall into this category. Sometimes a donor may request that a gift be earmarked for a particular purpose (i.e., building fund, youth programs, etc.), and sometimes a donor may request a certain type of recognition or publicity (i.e., naming rights, public recognition, etc.), but that’s about it.

A grant, on the other hand, comes with a contract and a set of expectations. A sum of money or a resource is given to you with the expectation that it will be used in a particular way, and appropriate performance is expected. If you don’t perform, the grantor (if it is a governmental agency) can take the money back. There are usually rules you are expected to follow as you implement the proposal that was funded.

Also, in most cases, a grantor expects that something measurable will change as a result of the money or resource you are given. Gift givers often don’t expect change, but they are support the organization as it currently is (operational support).

Of course, there are some exceptions to the distinction I’ve just made, but the general rule is pretty clear.

Many organizations write grant proposals without understanding the difference, and then they are shocked at all of the :”strings” that come with the grant, even when those expectations were clearly delineated in the instructions before they applied. Part of the decision about whether or not to apply for a grant requires that you look into the future when that grant is funded and determine if you are actually willing to perform as expected.

If not, the grant you’re looking at may not be the one for you.

The Worst Reasons for NOT Writing a Grant

5 Mistakes That Can Lose Millions of Dollars in Grant Applications

If you need some successful grant proposal samples to help you along, visit GrantSample.com

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Writing is My Fascination

Excellent writing fascinates me because it is so powerful. I believe that writers are born. But even born writers must be trained. I was a writer from a young age. I made comic books for my brother, and I told him stories at night about my stuffed animals to make him laugh.

My training has mostly been outside the classroom. I was educated in California where grammar wasn’t taught. It was considered an unnecessary encumbrance to the creative process. I drive my editors insane.

“Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.” Ernest Hemingway

I write a lot. I write almost all the time. I write on the bus. I write at the coffee shop. I write at home. I write for a living.

When I am not writing, I am usually reading. I read on a Kindle, a smart phone, and an HP Netbook. I also have shelves of books I haven’t time to read yet. But the collection grows because I can’t help collecting interesting titles.

“Read everything–trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out.” William Faulkner

The written word is no less magic for me within a grant proposal than it is within a fictional book about goblins and faeries. Description and beautiful arrangement of words, phrases, and sentences stands out when you read it no matter what it’s about. There is a flow to excellent writing that is simply wonderful. Achieving that flow is mastery. Every once in a while I’ll write something that comes close to achieving the flow. But it’s hard work and I don’t do achieve that level as often as I aspire to do.

“Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” Ray Bradbury

Writing a fine narrative is hard work that requires hours of revising, polishing, and editing. There’s no way around the work, there are no shortcuts.

“God sells us all things at the price of the labor.” Leonardo da Vinci

Related Posts:

The Accidental Grant Writer

Grant Writing Training at Taco Bell?

Bless His Cotton Socks

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Ten Tips for Grant Writing Success

Learning about grant writing in one blog post is a little like learning about an iceberg from seeing what’s above the water line. This article just shows you part of what’s above the surface, the rest is deeper and there’s a whole lot more to it. I encourage you to search our blog articles and look at our web site resources to learn more. I write whatever feels right at the moment, and this Friday afternoon, writing a simple post about ten tips feels perfect. Here goes:

Learn to write short, declarative sentences;
Correctly target your proposal to the right source;
Follow guidelines and restrictions scrupulously;
Create a writing outline;
Collaborate with your client on program design;
Write objectives that measurably impact the needs identified;
Keep formatting simple and uncluttered;
Use the services of an editor;
Budget line items should never surprise the reader;
Check the proposal for completeness against a checklist.

Veronica put 101 tips into her book and some of these are probably repeats because they’re each so fundamental to grant development.

Success in grant writing does not happen by accident. Grants are successful because someone can write well, follow directions, and translate a lot of discussion and data into an actionable plan.

If you want to learn more about grant writing, polish and perfect your skills, we can help you do that with our online courses. We also give grant writing seminars on site for groups and we’d love to work with your agency when you need to train staff to write proposals.