“That’s Your Secret Weapon!”: Going 007 to Get Ahead in Grant Writing

This is the beginning of a new year with new goals and challenges. What will make you stand out against your peers?

Recently, I have been creating a lot of personal goals related to achieving a healthy lifestyle. I bike, I do yoga, a eat an obnoxiously healthy diet and find time to de-stress, but I know I can always do more to feel my best. Last week, I was having a conversation with my practitioner and telling him about how much achieving a healthy lifestyle has focused my creativity and work. I feel sharper and less adapt to having a meltdown on my most stressful days. Without hesitation he said, “That’s your secret weapon. Being healthy and feeling centered".

I started thinking about what a secret weapon looks like to a grant writer. I thought I about dagger shoes, homing beacons, bowler hats, steel brief cases and microchip implants...nothing translated all that well to grant writing. However, it finally hit me, while James Bond may have the market covered when it comes to fancy gadgetry, we grant writers have secret weapons of our own. Secret weapons don't have to shoot lasers to be effective. They just need to work for you.

Let’s be honest, grant writing is competitive. Anyone who says otherwise has never written a grant, lost sleep over designing the perfect program evaluation or waited months to receive a reply (or rejection). Having the advantage that will make your work stand out is key to getting the award you are seeking. What will allow you to achieve your best result?

In previous posts, I’ve shared that the educated grant seeker has the advantage. Being educated is a secret weapon when others may be hastily creating proposals and throwing them out the door. Know the process, double check every submission and know what funders want to see. Leave the guessing to those who aren’t as serious about grant proposals. 

Another secret weapon is having a tickler file. Organization is unbelievably important to the success of any grant writer. Taking the time to organize your work by day, week and month helps you see the present and the future at the same time. When last minute projects come up, or a time-sensitive request lands on your desk, you’ll know how to weave them into your workload without missing any other submissions. 

Knowledge is fundamentally important when it comes to creating proposals that effectively and emotionally share your needs. Learn everything you can about your subject matter. Be the expert and teach others. If you work with environmental causes, know what other organizations are doing. How can you learn from them and create collaborative partnerships? What worked for them? What were their mistakes? If arts education is your field, pay attention to how other organizations are creatively engaging communities in artistic endeavors. How can you learn from their outcomes? How can you make your programs better?

I believe that everyone’s secret weapon is unique to their talents and work. Finding a secret weapon that focuses your grant writing efforts and keeps you headed in the right direction will buoy your spirits when you receive one too many rejection letters and it will help you soar past your goals when the checks start rolling in! In today’s grant market, going above and beyond will help you find the grant funding you need. So, start collecting your own bowler hats and laser keychains...you never know when they'll come in handy, but they always do!

"Learn everything you can, anytime you can--there will always be a time when you are grateful you did." 

~Sarah Caldwell

~Cheers!