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“Why didn’t my grant proposal get awarded?” It’s a question many nonprofit leaders ask themselves, and it’s easy to assume the answer has something to do with the writing. Maybe the language needed polishing? Maybe the tone wasn’t quite right? Maybe one more round of edits would have made the difference? In reality, funders don’t fund writing. They fund programs.

The end of the year brings a natural pause, a moment when nonprofit leaders look at everything they’ve accomplished, everything that still needs attention, and everything they hope to strengthen in the coming year. It’s also one of the most powerful times to reset your organization’s approach to seeking grant support.

Nonprofits across the country are facing one of the most volatile funding periods in years. Recent surveys show that one-third of community-serving nonprofits experienced government funding disruptions in early 2025, including delayed contracts, cancelled grants, and stop-work orders. At the same time, 87% of foundation leaders report that demand for funding has increased since January—many noting that organizations are seeking more flexible, unrestricted, or multi-year support.

Across the country, nonprofit leaders are feeling the squeeze. Budgets are stretched, community needs are rising, and the competition for grant funding has grown more intense. According to recent reports from the Urban Institute and Candid, nearly 60% of U.S. nonprofits are seeing flat or reduced government funding, while foundation giving is expected to increase only slightly in the coming year — mostly to organizations already known to funders.

If a self-proclaimed ‘expert’ wants to teach you ‘grantwriting,’ you might want to question whether they really know what they are doing. Could you be wasting your time and money? You want grant funding, right? You’re doing vital work in your community and you need more money to carry on. Somebody claims they’ll help you get a grant. Buyer beware if the ‘grantwriting expert’ is uninformed about these basics . . .

In a grant proposal, the Introduction to the Applicant Organization has two roles: · It highlights your organization’s qualifications to address the problem described in the proposal; and · It demonstates competence to implement the Methods, or program plan.

Just as it is important to define terminology in a proposal so the reader understands what it means at your local level, it's also important to define what I will call concepts. Concepts are often general phrases used to describe conditions or behaviors that are the foundation of a proposal.

Write This—Not That! Episode Two: Define Your terms What is a “food desert”? What does “environmentally unsustainable” mean; or “intolerable noise levels”? It is easy to assume that because we know what a term means in our agency, our neighborhood, our city or state, it has the same meaning to everyone, everywhere.

Write This—Not That! Episode One: How many is “most”? This is the first in a series of blogs that will examine some of the small details that can strengthen a proposal and make it more compelling. And the devil is absolutely in the details:

When you are writing a grant proposal, the goal of your writing should be easy comprehension on the first reading by someone not familiar with your subject. Here are some tips to help you accomplish that: