Quick Tips
Three Common Language Traps in Grant Narratives
Part II of our series “The Power and Politics of Language in Grant Narratives” explores three common language traps in grant narratives and offers practical strategies to write more accurate, respectful, and grounded needs statements. It challenges grant writers to move beyond deficit-based and exaggerated language, and instead center community agency, context, and truth in their proposals.
Grant Writing. It’s Political. And Your Needs Statement Proves It.
Grant writing isn’t neutral. The language used in needs statements and project justifications shapes how communities are perceived—and funded. This blog explores how to write compelling narratives that tell the truth without reinforcing harmful deficit-based framing.
AI in 2026 Federal Grants
As AI becomes an unspoken signal of “innovation,” the real question for 2026 is not whether AI will appear in federal grants, but who gains power, who bears risk, and whose voice is included when technology enters work meant to serve the public.
Equitable Grantmaking: How Federal Grants Can Advance (or Hinder) Equity
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Equity in federal grantmaking is under siege. Language about underserved and marginalized communities is disappearing from federal RFPs, data requirements are softening, and equity-centered technical assistance is being cut. The result: well-resourced institutions are advantaged while rural, Black, Indigenous, immigrant, and other underfunded communities are pushed back to the margins.