Don't Let Grants Stress You Out
What do you think the “Grants Word of the Year” is for 2026? You thought I was going to say “AI,” didn’t you? Well, technically that would have been two words, but regardless, nope. AI is *not* our team’s “Grants Word of the Year” for 2026. Our word of the year for grants in 2026 is…. RELATIONSHIPS. Let’s rewind—I quickly learned,…
20 years. DH Leonard Consulting has been focused on taking the stress out of grants for nonprofit organizations for more than two decades. It is hard to believe. I guess time does fly when you’re having fun! As I reflected on the start of another year in business, I thought back on *all* the things I have learned over 20 years of running a…
Our awesome colleagues at The Better Fundraising Co. created “Thankuary” approximately seven years ago. As a grant recipient, you might already know of it and even practice its wise tenets annually. (No, it’s not about being thankful for football playoffs! Or is it…? No, no. Must focus.) The month of January can be a joyful time, however you look at it, whether for…
Everyone wants funder feedback…. We do too. BUT if you wait for funder feedback after a decision has been made about your proposal, it is too late. Nearly always, when grant professionals request funder feedback on a grant application, the proposal was already denied—because the vast majority of grantmakers have neither the capacity nor the desire to review and provide feedback on applications…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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,…
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…