Pursuing a career as a grant consultant can be an incredibly rewarding path, allowing you to leverage your skills in writing, research, and project management to secure vital funding for non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and other worthy causes....
Have you started your own business? Are you thinking about it? Whether you plan to be a grant consultant, start a fundraising empire, or want to freelance here and there, it is important to think about your plans for maintaining or growing your business. We are joined...
In the grant world, so many people focus on the award. There is a lot of emphasis on writing a successful proposal and winning the money, but the truth is, the award is just the beginning. The only way to keep the grant award, and find success in future applications,...
Grant management is a vital part of the grant life cycle. If you cannot keep the funding awarded to your agency, you are lessening the chance of future funding. Today we’re walking you through the five main components of post-award work. Whether you are new to the...
It was the best of responses; it was the worst of responses… A grant professional’s workload often centers around application deadlines. I have been tracking a funding opportunity for a client for over a month now. The 2023 application was released in early-April, and...
From small family foundations to large corporation foundations, many funders ask potential grantees to submit an LOI. Do they mean a Letter of Intent or Letter of Interest? Do they want one page or three? What topics do they expect you to cover? The simple answer: it...
I don’t know how you handle conflict, be it personal or professional, but my go-to modus operandi is avoidance. I’ve always been a peacemaker, and when things get uncomfortable for myself or anyone else, I will happily change the subject, crack a joke, or simply sweep...
Sure, your title may have “writer” in it, but we are more than grant writers. Grant professionals build capacity, develop programs, conduct research, work with clients, build budgets, and so much more. We also have a voice in philanthropy, because without nonprofits...
Grant funding is out there. In 2022, foundations gave $105.2 BILLION and corporations $29.5 BILLION. In Fiscal Year 2023, the federal government awarded $1.7 TRILLION in federal discretionary resources. So how do you wade through all those funding opportunities to...
Last week Kimberly and I led a workshop for area police chiefs and other command staff. We spent time talking about what grants can and cannot do and how to build a grants team without a grant professional on staff. We spent a lot of time explaining that competitive...
During the 2023 #GrantSummit hosted by the Grant Professionals Association, our cohosts interviewed a variety of leaders in the grant field. They shared their experiences, insights, and words of wisdom related to a number of themes ranging from giving back to the...
The grant world is split into two very distinctive halves: pre-award and post-award. Many organizations put pressure on their grant professionals to get the grant, causing the focus of our time to live on the pre-award side – conducting prospect research to find the...
So many people are focused on getting the grant. But then it’s awarded. Now what? Grant management is a key component to keeping your grant awards AND getting future grant awards. Join our conversation with Rachel Werner and Lucy Morgan of MyFedTrainer.Com about all...
Kimberly and I are currently going through the Dare to Lead training created by Brenè Brown. Our facilitator is Julie Boll, a fellow grant professional, whom we had the pleasure of interviewing on the Fundraising HayDay Podcast last year. If you want to learn more...
Grant writing, just like fundraising, is very relational. The truth is that people give to people. This is why we are talking to Kara D. Mostowy, CFRE, GPC, Chief Development Officer of The Watson Institute. We are working to break down the silos between fundraisers...
When I first started working in the grant profession, there was no such thing as grant management software. The phrase “there’s an app for that” didn’t exist, and no one was talking about tools or hacks to keep up with grant deadlines. (I suddenly feel like my father...
The first grant proposal I tackled on my own was a $2 million transportation request to the Atlanta Regional Commission – our area regional commission/council of government that administers federal funds to the 11 counties in Metropolitan Atlanta. To say I was in over...
With a combined 50+ years of grant writing experience, our cohosts know their way around a grant proposal. Today they are sharing writing tips based on lessons learned, sometimes the hard way. Whether you are new to the grant field or have been doing this a few...
I have a friend who is always first in line for the newest iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac Book. She refers to Apple Park (Apple’s headquarters) as the Mothership. She’s my go to when I have a question about these products. I jokingly refer to my son as HayDay...
Tech tools abound to make the lives and work of grant professionals easier. But some of the tools, including Artificial Intelligence (AI), can be scary and overwhelming. If you are not an early adopter of technology, then have we got the nerd who jumps in and figures...
In August, my husband and I moved our son into his first dorm room. And since that day, I’ve experienced a lot of firsts when it comes to your kiddo leaving home for college. The first week without him joining us at the dinner table. The first realization that I can...
The use of artificial Intelligence tools for writing is a hot topic of discussion in the grant and fundraising community these days. Questions abound about the efficacy, ethical boundaries, and inherent bias associated with AI. Join our discussion with Philip Deng,...
Everywhere I looked in 2023, people were talking about the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other large language models (LLM). The voices ran the gamut from telling us the sky was falling to these tools being the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have never...
The end of the year often brings with it the idea of new year's resolutions, goal setting, and a look over the past year to determine what worked and what didn’t. I’ll confess, I’m the person who always sets resolutions, but within months the best laid plans have...