Let’s Talk: Ways to Strengthen Your Next Grant Application
Your application doesn’t need to be perfect. But you do need to be clear, compelling, and confident in how you frame your story and budget.
Most people stop at the basics—what they do, who they serve, how much they need. But to stand out in a competitive grant pool, you need to make the reviewer’s job easy:
Help them believe that you’re aligned, organized, and fundable.
1. Tell Your Story, Not Just Your Services
Running a great business or program is not enough, for most grant that is the baseline qualification for applying. Your why helps funders connect emotionally and intellectually to your work.
📌 Key elements to include your “why story”:
Origin: What personal or community problem inspired you to start this business or project?
Challenge: What gaps did you face? Was it access? Representation? A resource you needed but couldn’t find?
Vision: What does success look like—not just for you, but for those you serve (community, clients, etc)?
Example:
“After my dad lost his job in retail and couldn’t access retraining programs, I launched a workforce agency focused on older adults re-entering the workforce. We’ve since supported 150+ workers across three cities.”
2. Align With Their Mission
Grants are often written like resumes when in fact they should be more like cover letters. You're not just showing what you do—you're showing why this funder should care.
📌 Do your research:
Read their mission statement and recent grantee lists.
Look for repeated phrases: “resilience,” “equity,” “economic mobility”—these are values you can reflect back in your narrative.
Follow them on social or review their press releases for current focus areas.
📌 Don’t force alignment, instead find the overlap.
Example:
“Our focus on financial literacy for women aligns with your commitment to building generational wealth in under-resourced communities.”
Pro Tip:
Save funder language into a doc as you research, then pull from that when you’re writing.
3. Be Specific With Your Ask
Reviewers want to know exactly how and when their money will move your work forward.
📌 What to include in a strong ask:
Clear amount requested
Timeline for use
Deliverables tied to the cost
Example:
“We’re requesting $7,500 to cover:
→ $4,500 for a part-time community engagement coordinator (3 months)
→ $2,000 for digital paid ads (projected reach: 10K)
→ $1,000 for design + printing of bilingual program flyers”
📌 Need help estimating costs? Start here:
Glassdoor for average salaries in your area
Upwork to browse current freelance rates for creative, admin, and tech roles
ProductHunt + FutureTools for finding potential software to move your business forward
Capterra to read reviews and compare costs of thousands of SaaS tools
Ask peers or mentors in similar roles for benchmark costs
4. Clean Up the Clutter
If your main point is buried in a long paragraph, it might not get seen.
📌 Key Recommendations:
Lead with your strongest stat or story
Avoid filler like: “impactful,” “solutions-focused,” “innovative” — and say what you mean instead
📎 Before vs. After:
Before: “We seek to engage community partners in transformative programming that reshapes the local landscape.”
After: “We’ve partnered with 12 local organizations to host monthly financial literacy workshops, reaching 300+ residents.”
Pro Tip:
Use the “CTRL+F” test: search your draft for common overused words and swap them for sharper phrasing.
5. Format for Ease (and Strategy)
Your app shouldn’t just be a data dump. It should tell a story with structure.
📌 Recommended flow for better responses:
The Hook: Start with a compelling stat, quote, or outcome
The Why: Connect the mission to the problem you solve
The What: Explain your program/service clearly
The How: Outline your timeline, strategy, and goals
The Ask: Detail how funds will be used + impact expected
If the grant allows attachments, include visuals (flyers, screenshots, media coverage) sparingly and only if they directly support the story.
6. Get an Outside Review
You know your work inside and out however the grant reviewers do not and sometimes that’s the problem. Have a non-expert read your app. If they’re confused, the reviewer might be too.
📌 What to ask your reviewer:
“Where did you lose interest or get confused?”
“What part of this felt unclear or repetitive?”
“If you were a funder, would you invest in this? Why or why not?”
Pro Tip:
Record yourself reading your app out loud. You’ll catch weird phrasing and clunky transitions immediately.
📌 TL;DR:
The strongest grant apps…
✅ Tell a clear, compelling story
✅ Align values with the funder
✅ Detail exactly how the money will be used
✅ Keep formatting clean and easy to read
✅ Get reviewed before submitting
Shareable IG Version HERE
Ready to Put This Into Action?
You’ve got the tools. Now it’s time to apply them.
We’ve curated a grant opportunity from Gran Coramino designed for entrepreneurs like you:
✨ $10,000 in funding
🎓 Mentorship & business development support
🤖 Tools to help you explore how AI can fuel your growth
If you’re a under-resourced founder building legacy with limited resources, this is your moment.
🔗 Apply now via lisc.org/grancoramino
📆 Deadline: April 23, 2025
Want More Support?
📥 Subscribe for our monthly grant lists
🗂️ Need help or peer review? Apply to join our Grant G.A.N.G. (Grants Accelerator Network Guild) — an accountability group for creatives, entrepreneurs, and artists on their grant discovery journey.
Let’s get you funded, on purpose and with a plan!