ED Blog: Are You Making These Grant Writing Mistakes?

"Revenues and expenses in the budget should balance!"

Are you one of those individuals who has been "voluntold" to oversee the task of grant writing for your board or committee… but have never done it before? Well, as a grant adjudicator and administrator, I want to share three common mistakes to avoid the next time you are tasked with researching and applying for a grant:

Mistake #1: No Plan
Yep, you gotta put in the work first before you seek funding. Ask yourself, do you know what project is to be accomplished? Do you know what results your organization is trying to achieve and how you are going to get there? Having a solid plan in place will ensure the group is prepared and ready to seek funding!

Mistake #2: Lack of Detail and Clarity
Adjudicators often cannot assess grant proposals because they lack detail – if you don’t say it, they won’t assume it! I am not saying you need to write a novel but be precise! Find someone (like Aunt Barb) from outside your organization to review your application prior to submission; they should be able to give you feedback if your proposal reads clearly and logically

Mistake #3: Bad Budget
The budget is one of the most crucial areas of the grant application. Funders want to know how you will be spending their money. The budget is your translation of your story into numbers – make sure it matches the rest of your proposal content. Get quotes and estimates, be realistic, and triple check the math. The revenues and expenses should balance!

There you have it! Three common mistakes to avoid that will increase your chances of approval! I invite you to join me in my upcoming Intro to Grant Writing webinar on March 17! Enhance your grant writing skills, so you can feel more confident and know what is needed to make your proposal stand out from the rest! Pre-register on our events page at southeastdistrict.ca.