10 Most Common Grant Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
10 Most Common Grant Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
By CEO, Lindsay Jordan & Cara Thornton, Marketing Manager
Top 10 Most Common Grant Mistakes and How To Avoid Them
Lindsay Jordan and Cara Thornton
We’ve all been there. You put in the work; thought it was a great fit; followed the application guidelines… and were denied. Worse, there is no context for precisely why your grant application wasn’t a fit.
Recently, Write On Fundraising reached out to more than 50 private foundations to gather data around the most common reasons that grant applications are denied, and the results might surprise you!
#10 Proposal lacks outcomes (qualitative or quantitative)
In the grant application process, be sure to include what your main goals are and how your organization wants to achieve them. If possible, describe your outcomes in specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, time-sensitive, inclusive, and equitable (SMARTIE goals) terms, using both quantitative data and qualitative stories to describe your impact.
#9 Proposal or application lacks strong evaluation methods
Evaluation methods are the tools and resources you utilize to measure your outcomes. Many nonprofits utilize pre- and post-questionnaires, surveys, interviews, and focus groups. No matter your evaluation method, be sure to articulate in your grant application why the chosen method yields the best results for your organization and that your methodology is sound.
#8 Proposal or application is overly ambitious
Foundations want to see more ways to serve more clients. If you don't occasionally swing for the fences, how do you prove you are being innovative? However, foundations note here the difference between casting vision and “magical thinking.” Be realistic about the goals you want to reach. For example, if you want to serve 150% more people this year, you must prove to the donor that you have the resources and expertise to bring that vision to reality. Staffing needs, materials, investments, and other infrastructure needed to reach these goals should be listed in the application.
#7 Narrative assumes the reader already knows all about the nonprofit
It is hard to fully describe the scope and scale of a nonprofit organization in given word count. Many organizations lean on their relationships with funders in order to shorten specific pieces of narrative, and this is a major mistake. According to private foundations, you never know exactly who is going to be looking at your application, and foundation representatives review hundreds of applications every year. The chances of them remembering the exact nuance of your programs is low. Assume that the reader knows very little about your organization and proceed from there.
#6 Focus is on the nonprofit needs instead of the people served by the nonprofit
This is an issue of framing and overhead. When asking for a programmatic expense, foundations prefer that nonprofits focus on how the investment will impact the people served by the nonprofit instead of how the investment will impact the organization (people > organization). For example, “This new piece of equipment will cut down service delivery time from 10 minutes to five minutes and increase the number of people served by 50%” is a preferable statement to “This new piece of equipment will help staff more efficiently do their jobs.”
However, not every investment has an easily identifiable connection to the people served. Take, for example, a new printer. It’s an essential piece of office equipment that saves an organization both time and money. In order to connect overhead directly to service delivery, a nonprofit can reframe the printer ask as a larger part of the nonprofit’s careful stewardship of donor funds, emphasizing how the back-office staff empowers and propels direct services in the field.
#5 Overuse of industry jargon, buzzwords, and/or abbreviations
We nonprofits really love to abbreviate things - programs, organizations, partnerships! There are simply too many for foundation donors to keep up with. Research shows that reader comprehension falls drastically when using abbreviations in persuasive writing. For this reason, we recommend to our clients and staff to always spell things out, even if you’re working against a word count. Be careful, also, with buzzwords and jargon in your industry that may or may not be shared by foundation donors (see #7).
#4 Careless editing
Upon further questioning, “careless editing” translates for private foundations not to grammar and spelling errors, but to voice, syntax, incomplete sentences, “word salad,” and fluff. Platforms like Grammarly, WordTune, ProWritingAid, and Linguix are helpful tools in strengthening prose. We also suggest editing grant applications outside of submission portals to ensure that all edits are captured and having a second pair of eyes on each application.
#3 Answers to questions are incomplete or missing critical information
Beware the dropdown box! Many a seasoned grant writer has been hoodwinked by selecting the wrong option from a dropdown box and inadvertently missing automated application questions. Be careful, also, when transferring materials from the draft to the portal. Double-check that all sections have been completed and meet the instructions laid out in the initial question.
#2 Budget contains errors, unexplained items, or inflated costs
Budgets, simply put, must balance. It is also important to understand the type of budget information being requested - is the foundation asking for a program budget, operational budget summary, line-item budget, etc. Budgets are typically drafted by key financial administrators with input from programmatic staff, but this isn’t always the case - particularly if the program you are requesting funding for is new. Training is highly recommended for all team members involved in building budgets and financial narrative and is available through Write On Fundraising! Email Director of mission impact, Jonathan Weber-Mendez, at jonathan@writeonfundraising.com to learn more.
#1 Not following instructions
Yes, that's right. The #1 reason a grant application is denied is simply because the writer did not follow instructions. “Not following instructions” can refer to not thoroughly reading the application guidelines; failure to complete prospect research; uploading the wrong attachments; missing a critical step in the process (like an introductory training or phone call); or even submitting the application in the wrong format. Cut down on these frustrating mistakes by using Write On Fundraising’s prospecting scorecard to make sure the foundations you are interested in are the best fit for your organization!
Interested in learning how Write On Fundraising can increase grant funding for your organization? Schedule a free consultation with our team today by calling 1-888-308-0087 or email info@writeonfundraising.com.