Today, I attended an informational webinar for a significant grant I am preparing on behalf of one of my clients.
It was more than an hour long, and there was a huge amount of information given. I honestly zoned out for part of it. I am grateful to have the slides to review.
But I picked up a very important piece of advice.
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Many times, funders ask for a detailed budget, budget narrative, or at least a description of how funds will be used.
The more detailed the better, right?
Wrong.
The webinar presenter advised us to “be detailed, but not too detailed.”
He then went on to give an example. If we use part of the funds to purchase a piece of equipment, we may be inclined to describe the equipment in detail. However, if we explain that funds will purchase an Ajax Model 234 and then it is discontinued, so we actually purchase an Ajax 456, we may have a problem.
He explained that if a make and model are provided, they must check the budget against the invoice receipt to ensure it matches.
If we simply say we are purchasing a piece of equipment to perform XYZ function, we are not tied to a make or model number.
It hasn’t occurred to me that grant writers could cause a possible issue with funding by being too specific.
I appreciated this advice, and it makes perfect sense.
Until next time,
Write Epic Grants
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