Emotional Arguments Seldom Win Grants

Credit for this article goes to Jim Abernathy and it was originally published March 2013 in Volume 6, Issue 3 of {Centered}, a publication of The Grantmanship Center.  The bullet points are an excellent reminder for seasoned grant writers and wonderful advice for those learning.

Cutbacks in government funding, reductions in foundation grants, and declines in individual giving - these have combined to put enormous pressure on organizations that provide social services. In "Writing Grant Proposals for Faith-Based Organizations" (CharityChannel, February 13, 2013), Ron Flavin says many grant requests from faith-based social service providers fail because they use emotional arguments. While such arguments may be a powerful way to attract individual donors, grantmakers generally base their funding decisions on more objective criteria.  Flavin's advice, on how to make a strong case in a grant request, is sound for both faith-based and secular organizations: In the needs section, use recent and relevant statistics from reliable sources. Don't mix goals with objectives.  Goals are broad statements. Objectives should be specific, measureable, attainable, reasonable, and time-specific. Draw a clear relationship between the activities of the project for which funds are requested and the goals and objectives of that project. Include a time line for the activities. Show that your organization has the capacity to manage the project. Provide examples of similar efforts you've managed in the past, and describe the background and experience of staff who will be doing the work. Explain how you plan to collect information on the progress of your project, use that information to evaluate your performance, and use the evaluation to improve your work.