Why We Can’t Afford to Sit Out
The Risk of Not Applying for Federal Grants
Lately, I’ve been hearing more and more organizations ask, “Should we even bother applying for federal grants right now?”
I’ve thought this myself.
I get it. It feels uncertain. Opportunities are disappearing from Grants.gov without warning. Grant writers are stretched. Budgets are tight. The idea of investing six to eight weeks of staff time into something that might get canceled or never reviewed is enough to make any leader pause.
But here’s what I keep coming back to:
When we don’t apply, it signals that we don’t need it. That the demand isn’t there. That the programs, services, and safety nets we’re running are somehow fine.
And that’s just not true.
We still need these funds. Our communities still need these programs. And if we stop applying, I worry the silence can be read as “they never needed this anyway.”
I know why people pull back. It’s not just that applying is expensive and time-consuming (it is). It’s the very real concern that your grant writer is already doing too much. That pulling them onto a six-to-eight-week federal application sprint means everything else comes to a halt. But here’s the thing I want you to consider:
If you’re trading six weeks of internal deadlines (or better, adding capacity) for the possibility of $300,000 in federal funding, is that really a loss?
Or is it a reallocation of energy toward something that can change your trajectory?
Yes, it requires planning. Yes, you’ll need to level up your systems.
Two bits of hope I’ve heard recently:
Organizations are still receiving new funding, even for activities that seem unlikely to be funded.
Program officers are quietly working to resist policies. Whether they are continuing to approve awards, asking awardees to remain quiet about awards (to remain under the radar), or sharing information through unofficial channels, there is resistance.
They know the work matters. The funding matters.
Your community work is worth the investment. Our communities are worth the paperwork. And showing up, even when it’s messy, is a form of advocacy.
Let’s not make ourselves invisible. Let’s not reinforce scarcity. Let’s show up in the data, in the award tables, in the impact.
Let’s stay in the game.
If you’ve ever dreamed about what you could do with federal funding, I want to invite you into the Federal Grants Accelerator.
This is where I teach you the tools, systems, and mindset shifts that actually make federal funding accessible. It’s not about chasing every opportunity—it’s about knowing when you’re ready and building the skills to show up strong when the timing is right.
Join the Accelerator Here — or if you aren’t already signed up for our newsletter, Quick Tips, join this free source for federal grants information.
We can do hard things. But we don’t have to do them alone.