Grant Writing

You probably already know that 501(c)3s are not the only organizations doing meaningful work in communities. But how often do we actually stop to map the full landscape? Amanda and I tackled a whirlwind overview of nonprofit-adjacent organizations in the latest...

HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant prospect research. Part 2: Private Funding When it comes to grant funding, you have two options: Private or Public. Today’s blog post focuses on private grants, which include...

Here's what I know from decades in this field: grant writers have been conditioned to see themselves as separate from the fundraising team. Back office. Siloed. Tapping away on their ancient keyboards while major gift officers get the glory. (If a little rant or two...

HayDay Services is bringing you a series of “how-to” articles related to successful grant prospect research. Part 1: Establish Funding Priorities Whenever a new employee or consultant shows up with the word “grant” in their title, they tend to become everyone’s new...

With a military dad, my family moved about every 3 years from my birth until I graduated from college. It’s all I knew – packing up, starting over, and making the best of every new location. I often wonder if I would have been more introverted if not forced to figure...

I cannot remember a time when I wasn’t reading or being read to.  As I grew, writing felt so familiar and right. But math? Not so much. Something warm and wonderful in the universe had helped me test out of even having to take a single math course as an...

It is unethical for a grant professional to charge a percentage of the grant award. FULL STOP. And I get it; so many people do not understand the world of grants. Clients ask all the time – can I just pay you a percentage of the grant? Many industries work that way –...

Both the Grant Professionals Association and Association of Fundraising Professionals dedicate an entire month to ethics. Not because we need a designated month to remind us to behave well, but because it gives us a moment to quasi-officially pause, reflect, and gird...

It’s been over a decade since I was employed as an organization’s in-house grant professional, and there are some aspects of that particular brand of work life that I really do miss. It should come as no surprise to our long-time subscribers that I LOVED interacting...

Just like eating a whole bag of salt & vinegar potato chips, I know good and well that doomscrolling for hours is not in my ultimate best interest. I’ve wrestled with this tendency off and on ever since the pandemic. Lately, I started back on a downswing of...