Like a mid-aughts Christina Aguilera album, it is time to go back to basics. Grant writing does not need to be as intimidating as it is made out to be, but there are still a lot of bad grants being written and a lot of grant writers falling prey to careless mistakes. This past week, I was able to attend my first grants workshop with the Commission, which was an opportunity to hear the program directors discuss best practices for the grants they review specifically, but also to dispense advice which applies to grants more widely. One of the attendees at this workshop, a grantee from Cumberland County, Tennessee, mentioned that she had hosted her own grants workshop for organizations she works with. According to her, the most important grant writing advice is a quote from William Howard Taft: “Do not write so that you can be understood. Write so that you can’t be misunderstood.”

TAC Grants Workshop in Cookeville

Most of us go through life buying into the adage “fortune favors the bold,” and in many cases it holds true. It often requires a certain level of boldness and courage to pursue funding and dream of new and bigger projects. When it comes to actually writing grants, however, fortune favors those who are deliberate and meticulous. In being bold, we are often visionary, making sweeping generalizations and assuming that everybody is already with us. When we are bold, we open ourselves up to carelessness. In such an environment, it is easy to create opportunities for misunderstanding. Those who successfully write grants, however, avoid these visionary statements and bold generalizations in favor of building understanding through their applications. By clearly articulating their purpose and assuming initial ignorance on the part of the reader, the successful grant writer is more capable of painting a complete picture and removing barriers to understanding.

Conscientious grant writers apply this approach to every aspect of their application. All of the supporting materials, such as budgets and program documents, should align with the narrative of the application and reflect the same level of quality and careful preparation. At the end of the day, the grant reviewer is just another individual who is interested in connecting with the applicant and learning their story. The successful grant writer makes the reviewer’s job as easy as possible by creating a cohesive application that strives above all else to promote clarity and understanding.

For those of us who are uninitiated on the topic, grant writing can feel like a big scary nebulous thing. An insurmountable task, only to be taken on by the truly worthy and skilled among us. This is exacerbated by the way it is discussed by a random neighbor, parent’s friend from church, or fellow bagel shop customer. “Non-profits? You better get good at grants, and quick!” they’ll warn in ominous tones. It is unclear how well-founded these warnings are, as estimates of how many grants get funded range from 10% to 50% of all applicants (depending on where you apply). Thus, the grant writing process is comparable to the college application process. In both, it is important not only to possess the qualifications established by the organization to which you apply, but also to be able to express these qualifications clearly within the parameters of the application.

Before you set out to write a grant, you must have a clear idea of the reason you are applying. Define your goals and your organization’s mission and create an outline of the project for which you are seeking funding. This will bolster your chances at preparing a successful grant application by assisting you with best identifying granting organizations whose missions are aligned with the goals of your project. Once you have selected a grant to apply for, read through all of the guidelines for that grant carefully. Make note of the stated goals and priorities of the grantmaker. Compare these to the goals and activities you compiled for your program and organization. Are they compatible? Do you meet the requirements? Will you be able to complete the application with the information you have or will you be straining to produce responses for topics that are not wholly relevant to your work? If you do not meet these conditions, you may need to reevaluate the grant for which you are applying or adjust the goals of your project.

Once you have identified both your goals and those of the granting organization and ensured that they are aligned, you are ready to begin working on your grant application in earnest. Again, read through the guidelines and instructions for the grant. The most important thing you can do as a grant writer is ensure that you follow all of the instructions. Make sure that you write clearly and succinctly. Make the required portions clear to reviewers, especially if the application is not broken up into separate sections. Do not make reviewers search for your responses. Additionally, make sure to fully explain everything you discuss. This includes avoiding jargon, technical language, and acronyms. These may be unfamiliar to reviewers, and littering your application with them will likely result in your application being set aside due to a lack of understanding or the creation of an additional burden on reviewers. Compose a clear narrative that is easy to read–in both grammar and content–and focuses only on laying out the answers to the questions posed by the application and explaining your goals. Above all, you should be aiming for clarity. There is no special formula to writing a grant that is beyond any other form of writing. If you read the instructions, follow them carefully, and make sure that your purpose is aligned with that of the grantmaker, you have set yourself up to succeed.

For my Human & Organizational Development Capstone, I decided to pursue an internship in an organization with close ties to my intended field after graduation–arts management and administration. This semester, I am working with the Tennessee Arts Commission, a state arts agency which funds arts endeavors for residents of communities across the entire state. Whenever I mention my desire to work in the non-profit arts world, I am told that I ought to hone my grant writing abilities. This has made my time at the Arts Commission particularly interesting, as I am gaining some insight into the way an arts funder–specifically a public arts funder–thinks and operates, rather than entering the field with only my own biases and assumptions. Because of the necessity of grants in non-profit arts organizations as well as their core relevance at a grantmaking agency, I decided to focus on grant writing as my independent learning goal during my capstone semester.

Grants are the actual sums of money that are transferred to an organization in order to fund a project or initiative. The sum of money can range from a couple hundred dollars to many thousands. This project or initiative is detailed in a written grant proposal or grant application, which may also be referred to as a “grant.” Grants are funded by government agencies, corporations, and philanthropic foundations. Each funder will have their own individual goals and prerogatives in regard to their funding, and as such will place certain stipulations on what types of projects or organizations they will fund and even what the money can or should be used for. For instance, the Arts Commission typically funds non-profit organizations and government entities who demonstrate a community purpose in their work. Despite these stipulations or “strings” attached to the money, grants are a great way for organizations, especially non-profits, to raise the necessary money to operate and to complete particular projects and initiatives. If you are part of a group or organization that is in need of additional funding and you have a worthwhile cause, project, or goal that you are able to articulate in writing, you should learn how to write a grant.

Aside from the financial benefit associated with receiving a grant, there are additional perks to pursuing grants that should be considered. Most grantmakers have some level of power and status due to their wealth, their legacy, or their connections. When you receive a grant from an organization, you receive the support and legitimacy of that agency. In some cases, you may receive access to the organization’s networks or additional support resources which are often wider than your own and may in turn lead to opportunities for additional funding. In most cases, you also become publicly linked to the granting agency through the grant agreement, as the recipient organization is often required to publicize the grantmaker’s support. By publicly claiming a connection to a large or well-established grantmaker, the recipient gains additional recognition and legitimacy.

The benefits of grants are available to anyone who is willing to carefully follow the grantmaker’s guidelines. Anyone who is purpose-driven and wants to bolster support for their organization should begin pursuing relevant grants, as the practice in writing them will allow them to hone their skills in this area and eventually gain access to both the financial benefits of grant writing as well as the additional benefits discussed above. The skills involved in grantwriting–the writing itself, clearly articulating a mission and purpose, identifying and following evaluation criteria–as well as those associated with managing grants are all skills that benefit individuals working in non-profit organizations. Thus, grant writing is a beneficial opportunity for the individual as well as the organization.