You knew you had a feasible grant project. You believed that your grant project would provide positive change in your target community. You were so certain that the foundation would see your good intentions. But after a few weeks of waiting, you received a bad news: your grant application did not get the nod of the funding source. Why? Was it because of how you have written your grant request?
Causes of Applications Fail
A lot of people, like you, thought that disapproval of a “good” project was likely to have been caused by the way it was put in writing. Wrong! There are many reasons why grant pursuits fail. Remember, these are not mere alibis; but are results of evaluations made by critics or reviewers. Here are some good valid reasons for such failure.
1. You may be asking ‘too much.
Yes, there are grant programs that offer a million or even much more grant money. But, if your nonprofit group plans to offer an after-school program, why should you ask for one million dollars? If you are a 65-year-old man who wishes to make your home elderly-friendly, why ask for over a hundred thousand? Foundations can easily identify “need” from “greed.” Thus, you have to ask for funding that is just appropriate for your project.
2. Funding sources receive too many applications.
Foundations offer grants, but they may also run out of funds. Hence, they only approve requests that they can support. They rank applications based on reviewers’ scores. The ones that get the highest scores win the grants. Remember, when you submit a written request, you are in for a very stiff competition. You may think you have a good project, but other seekers may have projects better than yours.
3. You submitted your application with the wrong foundation.
If the focus of the foundation is healthcare, and you proposed youth programs, why ask why it was disapproved? Obviously, you have presented your proposal to a “wrong” foundation. Please read the grant guidelines very carefully. Your goals should match that of the funder’s.
4. Your program has a limited scope.
If your program will only help 10 homeless people in your area or 12 out-of-school youth in your town, why will an organization fund your endeavor? Funding organizations also look for projects that will provide benefits to a greater number of people in the community. This is, in fact, the reason they are very particular with the demographics of your target population.
5. Your project is just like the others it has funded or is currently funding.
So, you think you have a project that will benefit your state. Why it was not approved then? Your programs are only a duplication of what it has funded in the past or is currently funding. When thinking of social programs, try to innovate or attempt to become different. If you are way too sure that a lot of organizations have programs like yours, make a “twist” so they will not replicate the others.
Do not be disheartened if you received a disapproval notice from a certain funding institution. Do not even blame the one who has written your grant proposal. Remember, there are over a hundred foundations ready to receive your grant request. If you believe in your project that much, then do not hesitate to submit your proposal with other organizations. Do not lose hope. Sure you’ll soon win funding grants.
If you can’t make a good written request, seek expert grant writing services.
