Last week, I was in a Zoom meeting with a long-time grant client. The Executive Director was introducing a new Program Manager. When she introduced me, she said, “We love our grant writer because she works independently and wins grants for programs we already have in place.”
I started thinking about the part about writing grants for programs that are already in place.
Adding something here and there can be tempting to increase the chances of winning a grant. But then what? If you are awarded the grant, you must make that addition happen.
Here’s how I keep things fresh without adding anything.
If you are short on grant opportunities or don’t quite qualify for a grant, it may be tempting to beef up your narrative by adding a few things here or there.
For example, if you are writing a grant for an extracurricular recreation program and the grant calls for an educational component, you may write that report cards will be monitored to ensure students’ improvement. But is that reasonable? Does your organization have the capacity to collect and review report cards?
Instead of adding to existing programs to qualify for grants, work with what you have.
My favorite strategy is to dissect demographics. Rather than write grants for the program as a whole, break programs down into smaller micro-programs.
Do you offer after-school services for school-aged children? Rather than write for the whole demographic, segment it into smaller, more focused demographics.
For example, do you serve kids with ADHD? Do you serve low-income kids? Do you serve a disproportionate number of kids from a specific cultural group? By creating these micro-programs, you will now qualify for more targeted grants without adding anything.
You already serve these groups, so the reporting will be the only change.
My client was referring to this when she said I write grants for programs they already have. Don’t let your grants unintentionally strain staff or exceed your current capacity.
Chances are, you have enough to work with by looking at programs a bit differently.
Related: Why I search for grants with specific programs in mind…
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
P.S. Are you new to Write Epic Grants? Don’t worry; all past emails are archived here. Head over there and don’t miss a thing.