The most common mistake in grant applications
Time and again, I’ve seen grant applications that are written beautifully, describing their mission and their work perfectly… and still not getting funded. Why? Because they’ve made a simple but catastrophic mistake — They didn’t answer the funders’ questions.
If a school assignment asked you to describe how Abraham Lincoln contributed to ending the Civil War, and you wrote a stirring, detailed account of Lincoln delivering the Gettysburg Address, you probably wouldn’t get an A+. Sure, you’re on topic and you’ve explained a key component, but that wasn’t the complete assignment. In the same way, your grant application should provide a lot of great information that completely addresses the assigned topic.
Grant writers often fail to provide the information that the funder wants. This mistake happens for two main reasons:
(1) The applicant is excited to talk about their project! Maybe they write too much about the project and then don’t have time or space to answer other questions. Or perhaps they focus on an element of the project that they have a passion for, but the funder wanted to know about another component.
(2) The applicant is writing — or worse, copy/pasting — the same information they’ve put everywhere else, and it isn’t tailored to answer the question(s) that the funder is asking.
This isn’t to say you shouldn’t be excited about your project or even that you shouldn’t re-use proposal text — Just do so wisely.
Before you write a single word, you should review the funder, the opportunity, and the application materials. Read through the following:
RFP (“Request for Proposals,” also know as RFA or “Request for Applications”)
Materials describing the funder and the work they do
Materials describing the grant opportunity and what they have funded in the past
Any guidelines the funder has released about the application process and/or grant management
Templates or samples of things like budget sheets and logic models
As you’re writing, be sure to check back regularly with the application questions and grant guidelines. Don’t just think about whether or not a sentence sounds good — Also consider if it’s supporting your response to a specific prompt.
During the review process, make sure your editor (who shouldn’t be you!) isn’t just proofreading but is also checking that your writing is on topic and following the guidelines from the RFP. (Pro tip: If you never gave the RFP to your editor, there’s no way they can be fully editing your proposal.)
And if for whatever reason you’re not sure what the funder is asking, it never hurts to ask. Grantors are people, too. Reach out to the funding organization well in advance of the due date, and see if they can shed any light onto the process for you. Just by asking, I once learned that a funder heavily weighed ROI data, so I revised our application to include cost per service numbers as well as an explanation for why some services cost more than others. We received a substantial increase in funding in the next grant cycle! In another instance, I learned that the funder just wasn’t interested in our project, so I saved myself a lot of time by not bothering to write and submit a proposal.
When it comes to grant applications, it’s important to follow the rules and check all the boxes. Don’t make the mistake of ignoring the guidelines or answering the wrong questions.
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