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.
We Confused Scaling a Program With Delivering It at Scale
Many nonprofits have been told for years that if a program works, it should scale. But we’ve blurred an important distinction: scaling a program is not the same thing as delivering it at scale. The result is that many nonprofits feel trapped between staying small and under-serving, or growing until something breaks.
Preparing Now for the Earmark Window Ahead
Many organizations wrote off earmarks in 2025. That was a mistake. While headlines focused on partisan narratives, three appropriations minibus bills quietly moved through Congress — and they included Congressionally Directed Spending. Organizations that stayed engaged with their representatives and senators secured millions. Those who assumed earmarks were dead stopped paying attention and missed the window.
What to Do When You’re Told “You’re Not a Fit”
If you are in federal grants long enough, you will hear it: “You’re not a fit.” In this blog, we name what “no” really means (and doesn’t), unpack a practical debrief process you can use immediately, and offer insight for building a resilient posture for the long game of federal funding. Most importantly, I’ll invite you to share your story, because our field is stronger when we compare notes.
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.
From Heart to Head: Preparing Your Narrative for Federal Grants
Transitioning from foundation grants to federal grant writing requires more than minor adjustments—it demands a fundamental mindset shift. While foundation proposals often lean on compelling stories and flexible formats, federal grants require structured, evidence-based narratives rooted in data, measurable objectives, and strict compliance with RFP guidelines. This blog outlines key differences in tone, structure, and expectations, and offers practical exercises to help writers adapt—from reframing emotional appeals with data, to aligning narratives with federal evaluation criteria. Whether or not you pursue federal funding, these skills will elevate the rigor and credibility of all your grant proposals.
Seven Reasons Why AI Won’t Replace Grant Writers
I believe that grant writing is more than a deliverable. While AI may support parts of the process, it will never understand the call to serve, to advocate, and to lead through language.
Federal grants are not won by shortcuts or chance. They are won through clarity, alignment, storytelling, and trust. These are all things that begin and end with people. So if you’re wondering whether the rise of AI means the fall of professional grant writers, rest easy.
As long as grants are written for humans, by humans, the craft will remain in human hands.
F#ck AI and the Horse It Rode In On: 5 Ways AI Is Destructive to Grant Work
Guest blog by Melody Hernandez
We ultimately don't agree with the conclusion of this post, but we do agree that AI is being misused and that the misuse often hurts all of us. This blog includes many cautionary tales about AI being used as if it can think and make decisions independently.