I don’t fail, I learn.
I applied for a community foundation grant on behalf of my biggest client. I worked hard on the grant and thought it was a sure thing.
I was wrong.
My heart sank when I read the generic denial email. What went wrong? I reread my proposal again, desperately searching for any mistakes.
Finally, I emailed the VP of Grantmaking and asked if I could schedule a 10-minute call with her. She generously agreed.
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Include a sustainability plan explaining how the project will continue and how its impact will be sustained after the grant cycle ends.
On the call, she pulled up my proposal and the grant committee scoring sheets and told me I lost the grant by 4 points. She reassured me that the proposal was very well done. She meant it to be a consolation, but it wasn’t.
The proposal was 12 pages long, but this single response lost the grant. This response was docked 4 points because it didn’t specifically answer the question.
My response should have been, “The grant funding will be used to pay the salary and benefits for a new Assistant Program Director. Their responsibilities will be XYZ.”
That’s it. No fluff. No justification. There was plenty of room in the rest of the proposal for that. I failed to answer the question clearly and succinctly.
And it cost me a $50,000 grant. By 4 points.
It hurts. But I didn’t quit. I learned, and I will NOT make that mistake again.
The next grant cycle starts next week and I am ready to reclaim my 4 points and win this grant!
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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