5 Things NOT to Say When Applying for a Grant

When it comes to filling out a grant application, there’s lots of good advice out there about what you should say and the best way to say it. What’s not so easy to find out is what not to say —and you don’t want to have to learn it the hard way! Here are five things you shouldn’t mention when you’re applying for a grant from a foundation (i.e., asking for money).

1.     We’re not sure if we fit your criteria, but…

Most foundations make their criteria pretty clear, especially if they’re among the 10% of foundations that have a website on which to publish that information for all the world to see. The Bolger Foundation’s website includes a page spelling out grant guidelines plus a page of FAQs that essentially reiterate our guidelines. 

For example, The Bolger Foundation only considers applications from registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations. We also don’t fund operating expenses. Yet in every grant cycle, we get at least one application from an unregistered alleged nonprofit and/or at least one request for operating funds. 

Do your homework! Make sure that your proposed project aligns with the focus of the foundation you’re hoping will fund it.

2.     We hope to use this grant to…

How that sentence ends does not matter. When it comes to getting grant funds, it doesn’t pay to simply hope. If your organization is worthy of a grant, it’s not because you hope to accomplish something; you plan to and will accomplish whatever goal this grant is intended to help you achieve. You’re going to make an impact that will change the world, even if it’s only a very small change. 

This is key, because foundations don’t see themselves as mere grantmakers. They view themselves as change-makers. As Sonya Page of Page Consulting LLC puts it, “With the right investments in the right organizations at the right time, foundations seek to be the levers that move the world.”

If you don’t believe in your own organization’s ability to make an impact and change the world — even if it’s only a very small change — how do you expect grantmakers to believe in your ability to use their grant wisely and well?

3.     Also to be avoided: buzzwords, clichés, industry jargon, and acronyms!

Buzzwords and clichés weaken your narrative, while industry jargon and acronyms make it harder to read and understand. Leave out overused terms such as “innovative”, “cutting edge”, and “game-changer”. Instead, use meaningful language to tell your nonprofit’s story in your own unique voice. 

Above all, let your passion for your organization’s mission shine through your words. Put your heart and soul into giving grantmakers the facts they need in order to reach a decision —preferably in your favor. If you show how much you care, chances are whoever reads your application will care, too.

4.     Don’t make pie-in-the-sky promises.

It’s always better to under-promise and over-deliver. There’s no need to hide your light under a bushel, but do be realistic in describing the outcome of the project for which you’re apply for this grant.

Be specific, and quantify the expected results if you can, e.g., “By using this grant to expand our warehouse space, we will be able to serve X number more community members.”

5.     Remember: Words are important, but numbers count, too!

To foundation trustees and other people who are liable to read your grant application, the budget spreadsheet tells a tale narrated by numbers. In fact, they may even read it before they so much as glance at the verbal narrative. So it needs to be equally eloquent. 

Think of the budget as another opportunity to tell your story and demonstrate your organization’s credibility. Furthermore, make sure everything in that budget matches and reflects what’s in your verbiage. It should answer questions, not raise them.

As for what else you should say in a grant application, start with Candid.org’s excellent Top 5 Tips for Successful Proposals. It was originally published in October 2014, but it’s still on message.

In his autobiography, Groucho and Me, Groucho Marx tells a very funny story about a well-known director who only ever gave his actors one direction: “Go out there and sell ‘em a load of clams!”

This directive is actually a pretty good example of boiling down advice until it fits in a nutshell. Because whether you’re in the seafood business, the movie business, or the fundraising business, you’ve got to persuade your audience to buy what you’re offering. Now get out there and sell those grantmakers a load of clams!