Grant Writing – A Romantic Misconception

By Derek Link, Non-Profit Consultant

The image of a warm fire crackling softly in the background, a golden retriever slumbering at his feet, perhaps even a hot cup of tea steaming beside the keyboard is the image of a grant writer’s days. No stress involved, just bucolic surroundings, creative narrative editing, just an aura of cerebral bliss, day-after-day.

Yeah, right. It’s more like a flue fire roaring, dog barking, cold forgotten teabag in a cup that was hot yesterday, piles of paper with scribbles and spotted with post-its, draft after red-edited draft scattered in loose piles on chairs and couches, and an impending deadline that is literally a deadline.

Grant writing, like most writing, can be romanticized beyond reality. Oh, there’s an art to it all right, but even art is mostly – as artists will tell you – about dogged determination and ongoing stubborn effort. Grant writing is all about striving with narrative to make it say what you want it to say in the way you want it to be said, and all within the confines of a page limit, a specific font size, and between margins of unbending width.

Grant writing is more akin to technical writing than to creative writing. Grant writing necessitates curbing your creative juices in order to stay on point and not stray off into irrelevant and space-stealing witticisms or flowery jibber-jabber. There is an element of creative writing to a grant because for the most part you’re writing about a program that does not exist yet, but effective grant narratives are mostly direct, expository copy in topic-specific, technical language.

I’ve had conversations with people about what I do and I tend to get this dreamy-eyed response from some of them. Their verbal response goes something like, “Oh, I’d LOVE to be a grant writer someday” as they mentally drift off to the study in fuzzy slippers. Their ignorance amuses me because I know the truth, but then I was there at one time myself.

Oh, don’t get me wrong. I am not masochistic and making a living writing grants as some form of monastic self-flagellation. I do enjoy it, but it is definitely a love-hate relationship. I love the challenge and hate the deadline. I love the research and hate the restrictions.I love the competition and hate losing. I love the fact that there is a financial reward for the client (and me). I do enjoy grant writing, but the romance was gone forever as soon as I got my first edit and response from my grant writing mentor.

In my pre-grant-writing-career fantasies I had imagined finishing a sparkling narrative, pulling the crisp paper from the typewriter with a flourish and placing it respectfully upon the finished stack, putting a match to my pipe and puffing happily whilst sipping my steaming Earl Gray as Skipper wagged in proper canine admiration.

Sadly, there’s always someone who’s going to inject reality and burst the bubble. In my case it was a short, slightly sarcastic, practical-joker who could brilliantly dissect my narratives and never apologize for the lack of anesthetic. Alas, most unrealistic romantic grant writing fantasies are bound to end that way.

Lessons Learned from Failure

Admitting failure is no fun.  Talking about it is even less fun. However, failure can be very valuable if it helps you avoid repeating it.

We have been fortunate to be very successful with grant writing, but there have been some failures.  Here are some of the most important lessons that we at Creative Resources & Research have learned from failure:

  • Attend the webinar. The Federal Register is the official word on grant requirements, but the RFP, and other forms of guidance (like the funder’s bidder’s conference or webinar) explain things that may not be clear.  We are currently in the process of helping a client appeal a negative funding decision in which guidance provided during the funder’s informational webinar conflicted with guidance in the Federal Register. While the law is clear on the issue and we may very well win the appeal, a lot of discomfort could have been avoided if we had just attended the webinar.  A representative from our client’s organization did participate in the webinar, but he didn’t know what to look for.  We should have participated.  Next time we will.
  • Do some research into previously funded grantees. Sometimes a funder provides a long list of eligible applicants, but that doesn’t mean those are all preferred applicants.  Take a look at previous grantees to get an idea of the types of organizations they like to fund. Recently, we participated in a mentoring grant competition that was open to schools and non-profit agencies.  Our clients were schools.  We were not successful.  After the fact, we realized that almost all (all but ONE) of the successful grantees in recent years had been non-profit agencies.  A little research would have saved a lot of effort.
  • It is essential that two people review the final document for submittal. People make mistakes.  they leave out appendices and required grant components by mistake, especially when they are under the pressure of a deadline.  It is much less likely that a mistake will make it out of your office if at least two people review the final application before it is submitted.
Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Lessons Learned from Failure

Admitting failure is no fun.  Talking about it is even less fun. However, failure can be very valuable if it helps you avoid repeating it.

We have been fortunate to be very successful with grant writing, but there have been some failures.  Here are some of the most important lessons that we at Creative Resources & Research have learned from failure:

  • Attend the webinar. The Federal Register is the official word on grant requirements, but the RFP, and other forms of guidance (like the funder’s bidder’s conference or webinar) explain things that may not be clear.  We are currently in the process of helping a client appeal a negative funding decision in which guidance provided during the funder’s informational webinar conflicted with guidance in the Federal Register. While the law is clear on the issue and we may very well win the appeal, a lot of discomfort could have been avoided if we had just attended the webinar.  A representative from our client’s organization did participate in the webinar, but he didn’t know what to look for.  We should have participated.  Next time we will.
  • Do some research into previously funded grantees. Sometimes a funder provides a long list of eligible applicants, but that doesn’t mean those are all preferred applicants.  Take a look at previous grantees to get an idea of the types of organizations they like to fund. Recently, we participated in a mentoring grant competition that was open to schools and non-profit agencies.  Our clients were schools.  We were not successful.  After the fact, we realized that almost all (all but ONE) of the successful grantees in recent years had been non-profit agencies.  A little research would have saved a lot of effort.
  • It is essential that two people review the final document for submittal. People make mistakes.  they leave out appendices and required grant components by mistake, especially when they are under the pressure of a deadline.  It is much less likely that a mistake will make it out of your office if at least two people review the final application before it is submitted.

Top 10 Lessons I Learned from My Grant Writing Mentor

I have had several mentors in my life.  They have all taught me many valuable lessons. My grant writing mentor taught me some great lessons about grant writing.  While he didn’t teach me everything I know about the work, he helped me understand the importance of many things that I might have overlooked or not taken as seriously as I should have.  To be honest, some of the things I learned from him were things NOT to do, but that’s ok. A lesson is a lesson, right? Here are the top 10 lessons I learned from him (in no particular order):


1- Whenever possible, add detail. For example, describing a plan for parenting classes is not complete unless you have provided as much detail as possible – the curriculum to be used, how often it will be offered, when it will be offered (days and times), how many will be served, how success will be assessed, etc.


2- Don’t write for free. People will often ask if we’ll write the grant for the right to the evaluation contract.  Not only is that unethical, but it doesn’t make sense.  Grant writing and evaluation, while related, are completely different disciplines. Also, the evaluation is a job in itself, so writing the grant for the evaluation contract is essentially writing the grant for free.  If I want to donate the service, that’s one thing, but doing it because a client has given me no choice is another.  Besides, what other professional works for free on a regular basis?

3-  It’s ok to turn away work.  If you’re good, there will always be a demand for your services. Never take on a project out of desperation. If the project doesn’t have a good chance of success, it’s ok to walk away.

4- Don’t be afraid of competition. If you’re good, you have nothing to be afraid of.  The only way to get better is to stretch yourself, challenge yourself, jump into the deep end of the pool with the big boys and swim. My mother expressed it by saying, “No guts, no glory!”

5- Listen.  The first thing to do when talking with a client about a new project is to listen.  Listen carefully.  Listen for what they are really saying.  Listen for their real motivation. Listen to what they really need.

6- Don’t let failure slow you down. If you don’t succeed with a project, reflect on the failure only long enough to figure out what went wrong and what you can learn from it.  That’s all.  Don’t let failure steal a moment of time from a current project.


7- Work better than everyone else.  For some, that may mean working longer hours (showing up early, staying late).  For others it means following a particular successful procedure or organizational structure.  Whatever it is, just remember that you can’t be better than everyone else in your field by doing things exactly like everyone else.  You have to set yourself apart, and once you do, don’t stop doing it.


8-Tell the truth.  The temptation to exaggerate in grant writing is strong.  Resist it. You will regret dishonesty. It always seems to come back to bite you.

9- Respect the people who help you do what you do. The very best grant writers are not loners. Whether you have a support staff that helps you or a support system of colleagues and friends who help, respect them and realize how important they are to your success. You need them, probably as much (or more!) as they need you.


10- Walk away from the work to keep your writing sharp. Don’t work all the time.  Take time for family, friends, reading, hobbies, and faith. Contrary to what you may think, more time at work doesn’t necessarily make your work better.  This is particularly true for writing. You have to keep your mind fresh by walking away from the work sometimes.  And never forget what really matters – faith, family, friends. Balance in your life not only makes you a better person, but it also makes you a better writer.

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

Top 10 Lessons I Learned from My Grant Writing Mentor

I have had several mentors in my life.  They have all taught me many valuable lessons. My grant writing mentor taught me some great lessons about grant writing.  While he didn’t teach me everything I know about the work, he helped me understand the importance of many things that I might have overlooked or not taken as seriously as I should have.  To be honest, some of the things I learned from him were things NOT to do, but that’s ok. A lesson is a lesson, right? Here are the top 10 lessons I learned from him (in no particular order):


1- Whenever possible, add detail. For example, describing a plan for parenting classes is not complete unless you have provided as much detail as possible – the curriculum to be used, how often it will be offered, when it will be offered (days and times), how many will be served, how success will be assessed, etc.


2- Don’t write for free. People will often ask if we’ll write the grant for the right to the evaluation contract.  Not only is that unethical, but it doesn’t make sense.  Grant writing and evaluation, while related, are completely different disciplines. Also, the evaluation is a job in itself, so writing the grant for the evaluation contract is essentially writing the grant for free.  If I want to donate the service, that’s one thing, but doing it because a client has given me no choice is another.  Besides, what other professional works for free on a regular basis?

3-  It’s ok to turn away work.  If you’re good, there will always be a demand for your services. Never take on a project out of desperation. If the project doesn’t have a good chance of success, it’s ok to walk away.

4- Don’t be afraid of competition. If you’re good, you have nothing to be afraid of.  The only way to get better is to stretch yourself, challenge yourself, jump into the deep end of the pool with the big boys and swim. My mother expressed it by saying, “No guts, no glory!”

5- Listen.  The first thing to do when talking with a client about a new project is to listen.  Listen carefully.  Listen for what they are really saying.  Listen for their real motivation. Listen to what they really need.

6- Don’t let failure slow you down. If you don’t succeed with a project, reflect on the failure only long enough to figure out what went wrong and what you can learn from it.  That’s all.  Don’t let failure steal a moment of time from a current project.


7- Work better than everyone else.  For some, that may mean working longer hours (showing up early, staying late).  For others it means following a particular successful procedure or organizational structure.  Whatever it is, just remember that you can’t be better than everyone else in your field by doing things exactly like everyone else.  You have to set yourself apart, and once you do, don’t stop doing it.


8-Tell the truth.  The temptation to exaggerate in grant writing is strong.  Resist it. You will regret dishonesty. It always seems to come back to bite you.

9- Respect the people who help you do what you do. The very best grant writers are not loners. Whether you have a support staff that helps you or a support system of colleagues and friends who help, respect them and realize how important they are to your success. You need them, probably as much (or more!) as they need you.


10- Walk away from the work to keep your writing sharp. Don’t work all the time.  Take time for family, friends, reading, hobbies, and faith. Contrary to what you may think, more time at work doesn’t necessarily make your work better.  This is particularly true for writing. You have to keep your mind fresh by walking away from the work sometimes.  And never forget what really matters – faith, family, friends. Balance in your life not only makes you a better person, but it also makes you a better writer.

Making Time for Grant Writing by Focusing on the Dream

I’m thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy today, and how our lives are so much different – and better – because of his courage and his focus on his dream. While there are many lessons we can all learn from his life, there is one that relates to grant writing that is on my mind today – finding the time.

I hear it from people all the time: “I’m just too busy for grant writing.” “I’m too busy doing my job to even think about going for money to give me even more work.” “There simply isn’t enough time.”

The next time you find yourself saying that you don’t have the time for grant writing, I’d like you to take a few minutes to stop and think about the children who attend your school or the people served by your non-profit organization. Visualize how their lives are now. Then visualize how their lives would be different if the innovative programs you have been dreaming about were a reality. See the present.  See the possibility.

Now understand that YOU are the bridge between those two realities.  You CAN find the time to make the dream real.

If MLK Jr’s legacy means anything to you, use it inspire you to do what he did – don’t let a little personal inconvenience stop you from making a difference for others.

You CAN find the time.

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

Making Time for Grant Writing by Focusing on the Dream

I’m thinking about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy today, and how our lives are so much different – and better – because of his courage and his focus on his dream. While there are many lessons we can all learn from his life, there is one that relates to grant writing that is on my mind today – finding the time.

I hear it from people all the time: “I’m just too busy for grant writing.” “I’m too busy doing my job to even think about going for money to give me even more work.” “There simply isn’t enough time.”

The next time you find yourself saying that you don’t have the time for grant writing, I’d like you to take a few minutes to stop and think about the children who attend your school or the people served by your non-profit organization. Visualize how their lives are now. Then visualize how their lives would be different if the innovative programs you have been dreaming about were a reality. See the present.  See the possibility.

Now understand that YOU are the bridge between those two realities.  You CAN find the time to make the dream real.

If MLK Jr’s legacy means anything to you, use it inspire you to do what he did – don’t let a little personal inconvenience stop you from making a difference for others.

You CAN find the time.

Are You the Bear or the Salmon?

I just came back from a trip to the east coast for an evaluation conference. On the plane, there were a variety of videos played before and after the main movie.  One of them was a nature film about salmon swimming upstream to spawn and the challenges they face.  I was particularly interested in the bears.

The salmon were swimming upstream, struggling to make progress against the strong current, following an instinctual ritual that had been followed by millions of other salmon before. They kept swimming, regardless of what happened to the other fish in front of them – some made it, some were eaten. They continued to leap out of the water, persisting upstream through the rocky river, in spite of the danger of being snatched out of the air into a bear’s mouth.

 Some even adjusted their fishing strategy and started stepping on salmon to trap them before going after them with their strong jaws.

Lots of salmon died.  All the bears were fed.

The salmon just kept doing the same thing that millions had done before them.  No change in approach or tactic regardless of the risk.  Some made it, but the cost was high for those who didn’t. The bears assessed the situation, applied a strategy, and modified the approach if it didn’t work.

As a non-profit or school administrator, which are you – a bear or a salmon?

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

Are You the Bear or the Salmon?

I just came back from a trip to the east coast for an evaluation conference. On the plane, there were a variety of videos played before and after the main movie.  One of them was a nature film about salmon swimming upstream to spawn and the challenges they face.  I was particularly interested in the bears.

The salmon were swimming upstream, struggling to make progress against the strong current, following an instinctual ritual that had been followed by millions of other salmon before. They kept swimming, regardless of what happened to the other fish in front of them – some made it, some were eaten. They continued to leap out of the water, persisting upstream through the rocky river, in spite of the danger of being snatched out of the air into a bear’s mouth.

 Some even adjusted their fishing strategy and started stepping on salmon to trap them before going after them with their strong jaws.

Lots of salmon died.  All the bears were fed.

The salmon just kept doing the same thing that millions had done before them.  No change in approach or tactic regardless of the risk.  Some made it, but the cost was high for those who didn’t. The bears assessed the situation, applied a strategy, and modified the approach if it didn’t work.

As a non-profit or school administrator, which are you – a bear or a salmon?

Using Social Math to Help Your Data Tell Your Story

I’ll admit it.  I’m the kind of person who gets goosebumps of excitement over a well-formatted data table. Pages of charts and graphs make me feel like something important has been communicated. But most people aren’t like me.  In fact, pages of charts and graphs make eyes start to roll back into most peoples’ heads.

This isn’t just an evaluator’s problem. Whether you are a school administrator or a non-profit executive director, if you have a story to tell, you need to find a compelling way to tell it. And you need to speak in a language that the people you want to hear your story will understand.

Social math can help you do that. Social math is a way of presenting data that connects it to something people can easily understand and links it to a broad social purpose.

I was at an evaluation meeting for the past couple of days, and one of the best sessions gave some great examples of social math that I’d like to share with you (thanks to Adrienne Dealy of the Communication and Social Marketing Center for these examples):

You could say, “Each year, over 91,000 infants under 1 year old are victims of child maltreatment.” That sounds like a big number, but is it?  What does it mean? Using social math approach, you would add, “If their cribs were placed end-to-end, they would stretch for 78 miles.” 

Wow. Now I get it.

Here are some more examples:

“Before passing legislation to regulate gun sales, there were as many gun stores in California as Burger King restaurants.”

“If every person in the U.S. were to change their page margins from the default 1.25″ to .75″, we would save a forest around the size of Rhode Island each year.”

“A gasoline refinery emits 6 tons of pollutants per day – enough to fill 25 balloons of toxic pollution for each child in a mid-size town.”

When you’re sharing your data, whether it is data documenting your need for assistance or data documenting your success, think about how you can make it meaningful for your intended audience. Remember, it’s about them, not you.

Now go change your page margins and save a few trees……

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