This morning, I had a Zoom call with one of my client’s board members. He has worked in the non-profit space for decades and has served on my client’s non-profit board for a few years. He is always a wealth of knowledge, and I look forward to our conversations.
During our call, we began discussing how grant giving has changed over the past 5-10 years.
Specifically, grant applications have become more complex and detailed. Ten years ago, I could send a request letter with a heartfelt story and receive a check for $20,000. Today, the same foundation requires a 15-page online application with a logic model complete with outcomes and output, and citations demonstrating the community’s need for the program.
Everything is about IMPACT.
Grant Writing Tip of the Day
Make your case for funding support with compelling data and evidence to back up your mission and program focus.
After reading a grant proposal, the funder wants to know the level of impact each of their funding dollars will have.
If organization ABC can serve 100 children and achieve positive outcomes with $5,000 and XYZ organization can serve 20 with positive outcomes with the same amount, a funder is more likely to fund the first request. Just like in business, grant funding is about ROI (return on investment).
Of course, levels of impact matter, and your narrative will have to explain that part. If you can only serve 20 children with $5,000, grant committees want to know how long you will serve them, how the impact will affect the community, and how intensive your program is.
Gone are the days of writing grants for support groups unless you administer pre and post-surveys and can show that the support group has a demonstrable impact on the participants.
Narratives are still important but seem to come second to data-supported impact.
What does this mean for grant writers? It means that we need to work closely with the program staff administering the evaluation tools and analyzing results so that we can effectively communicate program impact to grant funders.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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