Every year, nonprofits, schools, and community programs submit grant proposals in hopes of receiving funding to support their mission-driven work. At the Defiance Area Foundation, we carefully review dozens of these requests each grant cycle, ending in March and September. Some proposals stand out immediately, well-written, aligned, and impactful, while others get turned away, despite having a worthy cause.
If you’re looking to improve your chances of being funded, understanding what separates the good grant requests is key. In this blog, we’re offering grant writing tips that come straight from our DAF grants committee. Whether you’re new to writing grants or looking to refine your approach, these insights can help ensure your grant request rises to the top.
What Good Grant Writing Looks Like
1. Clear Purpose and Mission Alignment
One of the most important grant writing tips is to ensure your proposal clearly states what you’re trying to achieve, and how that goal aligns with the our mission at the Defiance Area Foundation. Generic applications or copy-paste templates don’t cut it. Take time to understand the Foundation’s focus areas, and explain how your work supports similar goals.
Example:
“This project directly supports community health and well-being by providing nutrition classes to low-income families, aligning with the Defiance Area Foundation’s priority to strengthening local health initiatives.”
2. Compelling Storytelling With Measurable Outcomes
Effective grant writing blends emotion with data. While it’s important to tug at heartstrings with powerful stories, you also need to demonstrate measurable outcomes. Our DAF grants committee wants to see that your organization is both compassionate and capable.
Grant writing tip: Share a brief success story or quote that illustrates your impact, then follow it with stats, benchmarks, or goals. This helps your reader understand both the personal and systemic benefits of your work.
3. Detailed, Transparent Budget
A detailed budget is essential. We want to know how the grant dollars will be used. Vague line items like “program costs” or “miscellaneous expenses” raise red flags. Good proposals provide itemized budgets with explanations.
Grant writing tip: Break down your budget and, if applicable, show matching funds or in-kind support. This reflects planning, responsibility, and commitment.
4. Long-Term Sustainability
Our grants committee is looking to invest in your ability to make your project last. One of the most overlooked grant writing tips is to include a sustainability plan. What happens after the grant period ends? How will the work continue?
Showing that you’ve thought beyond the grant demonstrates vision and capacity.
5. Community Impact and Partnerships
Good proposals often show that the organization is part of a larger community network. Whether you collaborate with schools, local agencies, or volunteers, showing your community connections in Defiance County builds trust and demonstrates scalability.
Grant writing tip: If you have letters of support or testimonials, consider attaching them. They add credibility and show that others believe in your mission, too.
Common Mistakes in Bad Grant Writing
Even the most passionate missions can be buried under unclear, rushed, or incomplete proposals. Here are a few of the most common pitfalls we see and how to avoid them.
1. Lack of Focus or Clarity
Some proposals lack a clear objective or bounce between unrelated ideas. A strong application should answer three questions quickly:
What are you doing? Why does it matter? How will it work?
Grant writing tip: Keep your language simple and direct. Avoid overly technical or wordy explanations.
2. No Connection to Funder Priorities
We often receive grant requests that, while worthwhile, fall outside our funding scope. Applying to the right fund is just as important as how you apply.
Grant writing tip: Be sure to review our Grant Guidelines to ensure that your request falls within the scope of what we are able to provide grants for.
3. Incomplete Budgets or Missing Information
Skipping the budget section or failing to include required attachments (like IRS letters or board lists) can immediately disqualify an otherwise strong proposal.
Grant writing tip: Refer to the special notes section of the grant request to make sure your application is complete before you submit. Incomplete applications signal disorganization. This can be found after clicking APPLY on our Grant page.
4. Overuse of Jargon or Buzzwords
Your proposal shouldn’t sound like a business pitch or a research paper. Write like you’re speaking to a thoughtful, community-minded neighbor who wants to help, after all this is who makes up our grants selection committee.
Grant writing tip: Replace vague phrases like “innovative programming” with specific, concrete examples of what your program does.
5. Typos, Formatting Issues, or Lack of Polish
Spelling errors, inconsistent formatting, or large blocks of text make your proposal harder to read. These might seem minor, but they reflect on your organization’s attention to detail.
Grant writing tip: Always have someone else review your proposal before submitting. Fresh eyes catch errors you may overlook.
Let's Recap
Writing a successful grant proposal isn’t about perfection, it’s about preparation, clarity, and heart. When your application communicates a meaningful goal, a thoughtful plan, and a clear connection to the Foundation’s mission, you’re already ahead of the game.
Keep these grant writing tips in mind as you approach your next proposal. The more effort you put into crafting a strong application, the more confidence funders will have in your ability to carry out the work.
Need more insight? Visit our website or connect with us to learn about upcoming grant opportunities and application deadlines.
