Don't Let Grants Stress You Out
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…
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…
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…
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…
Ever wonder what goes on in the minds of grant reviewers? We tend to crave that kind of insight, right? Our team recently had the invaluable experience of serving as volunteer reviewers for grant applications for the “Unfunded List.” Our President, Diane, has been serving as a reviewer since 2016, and members of our team have been serving as reviewers as well since 2023. Yet…
In the world of nonprofits, a grant denial often triggers a familiar routine: a deep breath, a review of the application, and an email to the grantmaker requesting feedback. We’re taught to learn from our failures. But what if we’re missing a crucial piece of the puzzle? What if the key to unlocking future funding lies not just in dissecting our rejection, but in celebrating…
Work plans might be missing from your box o’ tools, and you might not even know it. They are, in fact, essential for organizing your tasks, tracking your progress, and achieving your program or project goals. A well-designed work plan keeps grant professionals and program staff on track from pre-award work through implementation and grant closeout. We want to be sure you can create your…
Clear, actionable objectives are essential to every successful grant proposal — and the most effective framework for writing them is SMART. Before diving in, a quick note: people often find the difference between objectives and outcomes confusing. For a full breakdown, see our post on grant objectives vs. outcomes. For our purposes here, objectives are the specific, measurable building blocks of a larger overarching goal…
As grant professionals, every day we draft thoughtful sentences to effectively engage reviewers. Sometimes our careful writing meets an obstacle in the form of a character limit or word count. You know how it is. Sometimes we use too many words… but sometimes we can easily eliminate certain filler words in our draft. Grammarians call expendable words “expletives”—not bad, as the word is commonly…
As grant professionals/grant writers, we strategize how to use powerful words. That skill is our superpower. This blog series allows us the joy of examining our favorite words and lamenting our not-so-favorite words. Join us in the fun! As you organize your day-to-day checklists, projects, and plans, do you ever curse the word “multitasking”? For grant writers, the word can represent a tormenting impossibility…