Is there a grant for this?

Isn’t there a grant for that? 

I’m *SURE* there are grants for this!

Let’s get a grant to pay for this!

Sound familiar?

As we have been talking about the different elements capacity related to grant professionals and grant seeking strategies the past few posts (check them out here if you missed any!), these frequent questions we are asked at meetings, by clients, by employers, at cocktail parties, and the like kept bubbling to the surface. But how do we best address the answer to these common questions and bold statements…

Then I was interviewed by Repair Driven News to discuss whether or not “mom and pop” collision and repair shops have the possibility to receive grant funding. The conversation that unfolded while I spoke with John. The line that John captured in “Grant money out there for small collision repairers — but make sure you plan accordingly” that I think can be applied to any nonprofit, for-profit or other grant seeking organization?

“The (your business/organization type here) just needs to make the necessary preparations both to win the grant and successfully integrate it into the business, a professional grant consultant said Thursday.”

Now the word just in the sentence was not a direct quote, but seeing it in the piece was perfect as there is no just about it. The just is the most weighted word in the sentence. It is the just part of the sentence that trips up the well-intentioned individuals who ask the questions above or make the declaratory statements above that are then disappointed that grant funding didn’t work out as they had envisioned.

Check out the full piece on Repair Driven News here.

Grant professionals in all fields and varying levels of experience understand the need to plan to be successful in their submissions. We are preaching to the choir if we talk about the need to plan with our grant professional colleagues. So how do we get the message out to the well-intentioned business owners, nonprofit founders, board members, and other interested individuals that success in grants “just” begins with planning? We keep talking about, in niche business communities like Repair Driven News, with local Small Business Development Center staff members, with nonprofit resource center staff, and to anyone else willing to have the dialogue.

How you spread the message to colleagues about how important the planning part of any grant seeking effort are? We’d love to hear! Share with us in the comments below or email Diane directly, diane @dhleonardconsulting.com.