Make This Simple Shift to Get More Grant Money
Imagine applying for a job by mailing your resume to a company that doesn’t know you exist. No networking. No referral. No conversation. Just a resume in an envelope and a prayer.
You’d never do that for a job, so why are you doing it for funding?
Most businesses and organizations treat grants like a slot machine. Drop in an application, pull the lever, hope for a match. The ones who keep winning are playing a completely different game.
What Funded Organizations Do Differently
- They research funders before writing a single word
- They build relationships months before an application opens
- They position their work so funders already understand the value
- They make the ask feel like a natural next step, not a cold pitch
The biggest mistake? Thinking grant writing is the skill you need. Writing is maybe 20% of the process. The other 80% is positioning, clarity, and relationship building.
Most grant-making foundations receive hundreds, sometimes thousands, of applications for a handful of awards. The reviewers spend minutes on each one. If they don’t already know who you are, your beautifully written proposal is competing against organizations that have spent months building trust.
Grants are awarded to organizations funders already believe in. The proposal is the receipt.
Your Next Step
Stop perfecting your proposal language. Start showing up where funders are. Share one result publicly this week. Comment on one funder’s post. Attend one event. The work you put in before the application opens is the work that actually gets you funded.
