Grant Writer’s Blog

How to Inspire Grant Reviewers the Way a Filmmaker Inspires Audiences

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We were thrilled to be a part of the 2025 Nonprofit Storytelling Conference in San Diego this November! Not only did our President, Diane Leonard, present—but also, inspiration was wildly abundant. Lots of folks who travel to this annual conference come from what you might think of as “development” backgrounds such as annual giving or campaign communications—they are experienced in direct-mail marketing, digital appeals, and…

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2025 Top Grant Writing Podcasts and Blogs

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2025 Top Grant Writing Podcasts and Blogs

We’re so excited to announce the DH Leonard Consulting Grant Strategy Team’s 2025 Top Grant Writing Podcasts and Blogs to Follow.   Our goal is to help nonprofits create incredible change in their communities. We do this by assisting nonprofit organizations with competitively researching, applying for, and receiving grant funding to best serve our clients and have a significant impact in their communities, taking the…

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The Grants “Game” Has Changed, Are you playing with the right game pieces?

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The Grants Game Has Changed

Not long ago, DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services held a last-minute free webinar. Why? Significant events often require spontaneous responses. You don’t plan for ’em, but you have to take action.   If you missed the webinar, our reason for offering it was that over the course of this year, the very context for the world of grant seeking has changed. Grants professionals…

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3,500 reasons to give…

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Giving

I had you there, right? You were wondering if it was a well-intentioned Giving Tuesday blog posted a few days late… I promise, it’s not! Rather, it is the opening to a story of a grant professional who was handed the keys to a well-established grassroots community event called River Santa after being led by the same energetic community member for its first NINE years,…

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Gaining a Different Perspective about Storytelling in Fundraising

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Gaining a Different Perspective about Storytelling in Fundraising

When I speak at the Nonprofit Storytelling Conference, I am usually the only speaker talking about grants and storytelling (with the exception of the awesome Frank Velasquez), as the other speakers like Steven Screen, Tammy Zonker, and Cherian Koshy (plus many other fundraising rockstars) are focused on the more “traditional” types of storytelling nonprofits are thinking about for their fundraising—stories in appeal letters, on websites,…

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Storytelling in Your Grant Proposal Budget

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Storytelling in Your Grant Proposal Budget

If you have heard of this concept before, budgets telling a story, you might have wondered, “A budget is full of numbers. How can it even tell a story?”   Think of it like this. First: As you know, of course, your budget is an incredibly important element of your proposal.   Second: A detailed budget included in your grant application is not telling a…

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Five Words That Grant Reviewers (Might) Hope to Read Less

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Five Words That Grant Reviewers (Might) Hope to Read Less

When you saw this blog title, did possible words come to mind? Do you have a mental list of particular words that you are a little tired of using in grant writing? As we grant professionals include those not-so-fresh words in a narrative, sometimes we fleetingly wonder whether grantmakers are still inspired by them (as much).    Then we often soldier on and keep using…

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Helping You Create SMART Objectives

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Helping You Create SMART Objectives

At DH Leonard Consulting, we know that behind every successful grant proposal lies a clear and compelling plan. A cornerstone of that plan? Well-crafted SMART objectives. You must have them, we humbly recommend. We want that for you.   We believe so strongly in this approach that we shared the concept and its benefits with you in an earlier blog, Mastering SMART Objectives in Grant…

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Multi-Factor Systems Causing Inefficiencies Added Stress in Grant-Seeking Processes

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Multi-Factor Systems Causing Inefficiencies Added Stress in Grant-Seeking Processes

I have started to count… …Not how many awards we have won this year, or how many dollars have been secured (we already count those all the time). …Not how many days in advance of a formal deadline a grant is submitted (we already track that too). Rather, I have started to count how much time is collectively spent by our team, and the clients…

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Part 2: Advanced Tips for Stellar Grant Applications

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reviewers

In a previous post, Part 1: Behind the Curtain, we shared some fundamental lessons from our experience serving as volunteer reviewers for Unfunded List grant applications, focusing on storytelling, ensuring realistic accuracy, and leveraging reviews. Now, let’s dive deeper into more nuanced strategies that can truly set your application apart.   Clarify Your “Why” and “How” On occasion, applications are unclear about the core purpose…

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