A Grant Portal to Another Dimension

A Grant Portal to Another Dimension

By Monica Pearce- Relationship Manager

A few years ago, I was in charge of a local grants program that used state dollars to fund arts projects. Generally, it was fun and complex work that involved a lot of community interaction. One of the best aspects was seeing the grant-funded activities come to life, which included student film festivals, community theater productions, and art competitions across the region. 

The grant portal we used at the time was confusing, maze-like and incredibly challenging to navigate. Many people would start a grant application and then give up after trying to make sense of it. While this was a real headache, the silver lining was that prospective grantees would call us to try and figure out how to start and submit their proposals. This annoying barrier to applying meant I got to talk directly with applicants and, after going over the “scroll allllllll the way to the left side and check the tiny terms and conditions box...yes that one...yes, I agree it is very easy to miss,” we would often start talking about their programming.

Talking with a program officer about an opportunity is a great way to demystify the grant process. The world of grants can be incredibly intimidating: the complicated guidelines, the portals, and the deadlines can be a lot, especially for emerging organizations. While conversations might start with technical questions like, “Can we submit if we don’t have an audit?” they can quickly evolve into questions like “How can we show our organization's impact when we propose a new program?” 

Through those conversations, it became clear to me that funders and prospective grantees have way more in common than one might initially think. Prospective grantees are on the ground, executing programming, working with the community and trying to achieve excellence and impact through their work. Funders, generally, are trying the best way for their dollars to do the most good so that they can give momentum and resources to organizations that are making a difference. 

By talking with prospective grantees, I could offer encouragement and help organizations get through those initial hurdles to take a chance to apply. Applying for a grant takes hard work but also bravery. You have to be vulnerable to allow your work to be judged by others and to have the persistence to program solve when curveballs–new dropdown menus, required attachments that seemed optional, authenticated registration required in advance, the list goes on–are thrown your way.