15 Ways to NOT Get a Grant

Grants

Jun 23

Back in March 2020 – which seems like a lifetime ago! – I presented a program at the Quad Cities Association of Fundraising Professional’s Success in Fundraising Conference on common grant application mistakes that causes funders to reject an application.

To prepare for the presentation, I asked local funders for their top reasons and got some great responses! In no particular order, the 15 reasons they provided:

Not following directions. Look at things like font size, page or character limits, geographic limitations, types of projects they will fund, and required attachments – and give them what they want or require.
Incomplete application. If you cannot answer a question, you have no reason to submit the application because you will not get funding. I reviewed an application once that skipped the question about collaborators. With no collaborators, they lost those points and funding.
Missing the deadline. Most funders will not extend the deadline even for extenuating circumstances. Get the grant in early and have contingency plans for an emergency. That is, who can submit in your absence? Double check to see if they want the grant postmarked or mailed by the deadline and by what time they want an online application submitted.
Not answering the question directly. You might want to talk about a particular aspect of your organization, but if they don’t ask, don’t tell. Their scoring rubric follows the application so if you add extraneous information, you will both lose points and confuse the reader, neither conducive to receiving funding.
Repeat an answer multiple times. This one I partially blame on funders because sometimes they ask the same question multiple times! Look at how seemingly similar questions have nuanced differences and focus on those differences, referring to previous answers if needed. Personally, I see this as a less critical error as reviewers can miss things in an application; repetition might have helped them remember key information.
Rambling on, and on, and on. I get this question a lot. When you run out of things to say, stop talking (or writing). If you have not used all your allotted characters, review the question to make sure you have adequately answered every part of it. If so, stop. Your reviewers will thank you for giving them less to read.
Spellin and mistakes with there basic grammer. I left this one as the funder wrote it. Poor grammar and lots of mistakes in your writing detracts from the message and leaves the reviewer wondering how carefully you will spend their money.
Not showing how the project fits the funder’s interest. This especially comes into play if the funder has a specific geographic interest. You may impact a larger geographic area than they do but talk about how you impact their geographic area. This also rings true for their funding interest. Parroting their words back to them can help you retain this focus.
Lack of compelling need. You live your need and mission every day; funders do not. Be sure to explain to them the extent of the problem in your community and why it deserves attention and funding. In these times of COVID-19, economic disruption, and civil unrest, a lot of needs have emerged and become magnified. Why should yours rise to the top?
Not clear what you will do. Clearly spell out how you will use their funds to help solve the identified need. Will you implement a program? How many people will you serve? Who? How will you serve them?
No specific ask or buried ask. Just like any solicitation, be sure to include a specific dollar ask. In online applications, often you have no choice, but in a letter or other written proposal, you can overlook it. Ask early and often. I usually put the dollar amount of the ask and the purpose of the funds in the first and last paragraphs.
Budget does not reflect the program or explain use of funds. The budget serves as an extension of the application; use it to help tell your story. Requested funds should clearly tie to your program (#10) and need (#9).
Asking for an unrealistic amount. Do your homework to learn how much they typically award and fit your ask within those parameters. Rarely if ever will a funder award their entire pot of money to one organization … or even half or a quarter.
No skin in the game. If this program critical to your mission, how does the organization support it? Show your investment through personnel, space, and money. Your skin can also come from soliciting others to support this program. Rarely will a funder provide 100% of the money for a given program or continue to fund it indefinitely.
Progress reports not turned in on time. Even if a funder does not require a progress report, report on your use of one grant before asking for another. Funders know who has communicated with them and who has not. Stay on the first list.