April 18, 2024
The Impact Issue #12: Expert Tips On How To Write Budgets That Win Grants
Discover expert tips on writing grant-winning budgets, funder red flags to avoid, and free tools for clearer grant writing in this edition of The Impact by Instrumentl.
Hey there,
How’s your week going? Any big wins? Better yet, any great learning opportunities?
No matter how your week has panned out so far, never fear – we’ve got what you need to finish it out with a bang.
In this edition of The Impact, we’ll cover a red flag to watch for in funders, an editing tool you should download ASAP, and how to write a budget that wins grants, plus opportunities, workshops, and other resources to make your job easier.
Let’s dive in!
Pitfalls and Pointers
Imagine this: You find the perfect grant for your nonprofit.
The Foundation’s mission aligns with yours. The grant’s purpose is perfectly matched to your program objectives. Even the amount is right!
But as you begin hatching a plan to apply, you run into a slight issue.
The requirements are a little… restrictive. Well, not a little – a lot restrictive.
⚠️ Pitfall: Applying to Grants with Overly Restrictive Requirements
A grant having requirements isn’t a red flag outright. Some federal grants are even legally required to have them!
But if the requirements or restrictions for a $5,000 grant are comparable to, say, a $100,000 grant, it’s safe to assume the opportunity isn’t as great as you originally thought.
💡 Pointer: Apply Only to Grants That Make Your Job Easier
Grants exist to support your organization and improve your nonprofit work.
Not only are hefty requirements time-consuming, but making you jump through so many hoops right away also doesn’t set a great foundation for a funding relationship.
Instead, look for funders who understand that your time is valuable and have requirements that reflect that.
🚩 Explore more red flags to look for in potential funders!
Tech You Should Know
There’s a delicate balance between writing enough for the reader to understand your nonprofit and writing so much that you’ve lost their attention entirely.
But when you’re in the middle of writing, it’s easy to err on the side of writing too much.
Luckily, there’s a handy little tool that can help you tighten things up.
What:
The Hemingway App is an editing tool that analyzes your pieces and identifies opportunities for clearer, stronger writing using simple color coding.
How Grant Writers Can Use It:
- Readability: The app gives you an overall readability score and highlights complex or confusing sentences in yellow or red to help you improve it.
- Stronger Writing: Adverbs, passive voice, and unnecessarily complex phrasing are highlighted to encourage more powerful word choices.
- Word Counting: Keep track of and stay under any word limits with a built-in word and character counter, plus estimated read time and other stats.
Keep in Mind:
- Paid Version: Although the free version may do everything you need it to, Hemingway Editor Plus can offer AI-powered suggestions along with recommendations on tone, length, formality, and persuasiveness.
- It’s Not Perfect: Like all editors – especially non-human ones – not every suggestion will be a winner. Always use your best judgment.
Looking to take your writing game even further?
📝 Discover more helpful resources for grant writers!
Expert Perspectives
🏆 Stephanie Paul Morrow, Ph.D., on grant budgets that win
A well-crafted budget can quite literally make or break your grant proposal.
In fact, it’s such an important aspect of your application that funders will often skip straight to it before reading the rest!
Stephanie Paul Morrow, Ph.D., is here today to break down tips for crafting a budget that can win over your readers and earn you that grant.
Here’s her expert advice:
- Meet the Funder’s Requirements: If your budget doesn’t fall in line with what the funder is asking or what they can provide, your bid could be up before it starts.
- Estimate Accurately: Significantly over- or underestimating your budget suggests you may not understand the scope of the work.
- Choose the Right Type: Use the type of budget that works best for your situation – whether that’s an operating budget, program and project budgets, capital budget, research budget, multi-year budget, or something else.
📊 Get more tips and templates to create budgets that win!
🎁 A Gift for You
To apply or not to apply? That is the question.
Knowing which grants are worth your time and which ones to stay away from is crucial to an efficient grant management process.
But if you’re stuck on an opportunity or just aren’t sure what to look for, we have a solution.
This simple RFP Evaluation Tool can make your evaluation process faster, easier, and more effective.
And as a thank you for being here, you’re getting it for free 👇
Networking Nook
The opportunities that were originally shared in this issue of The Impact have since passed. To check out more recent and upcoming live events, go here.
Opportunities Spotlight
🏞️ Community Self-Determination Grants
Who It’s For: Tribes, First Nations, Inuit, Metis and Indigenous-led nonprofit organizations
Next Deadline: May 3, 2024 (Letter of inquiry) (Predicted)
Grant Amount: Up to US $200,000
The Details:
- These grants are intended to support community-based and community-driven solutions to create a just, equitable, and sustainable world.
- Projects must fall into at least one of the following strategic priorities:
- Defend: Protect and reclaim land, air, and natural resources
- Develop: Community and economic development/resilience based on sustainable, regenerative principles and climate change solutions
- Decolonize: Intergenerational transmission and continuity of language, culture, ceremonial practices, traditional governance and decision-making structures, and lifeways
🍗 Kentucky Fried Wishes
Who It’s For: Nonprofit organizations of all kinds
Next Deadline: May 31, 2024
Grant Amount: US $10,000
The Details:
- Grants in this upcoming cycle will be awarded to projects aimed at improving health and wellbeing, including but not limited to:
- CPR training
- Playgrounds
- Parks
- Domestic violence awareness programs
- Bicycle training
- Accommodations for disabilities
- Other grant cycles throughout the year are for projects focused in:
- Empowering through education and training (February 1 - 29)
- Expanding access to food and shelter (July 1 - 31)
- Caring for animals and enhancing community spaces (September 1 - 30)
Looking for more potential grants for your project?
👉 Thousands of other grant opportunities await ✨
In Case You Missed It
📑 Article: How Grant Writing Transforms Communities
The stress of grant writing sometimes makes it easy to forget the impact your work has. This article tells the story of grants professional Kelsey Howard and how her hard work translated into real change for her community.
📼 Video: 10 Words You Should Know to Write 🌟Winning🌟Grants
What do funders look for when they read grant proposals? In this video from Grant Chatter, you’ll discover 10 words that will stand out to your readers, plus examples on how to use them like an expert.
🎙️ Podcast: Breaking Down Silos Between Grants and Development
Relationships matter – people want to give to people! So in this episode of Fundraising HayDay, Kara D. Mostowy, CFRE, GPC, Chief Development Officer of The Watson Institute, discusses how to break down the silos between fundraisers and grant professionals.
Easier Grant Writing Is Here (And Free for 14 days)
Finding grants. Researching grants. Writing grants. Tracking grants.
It’d be a lot for anyone. But stack on the pressure of nonprofit work, and it’s nothing short of a miracle.
That’s why we created Instrumentl – the simple, intuitive platform that takes the headache out of grant management.
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