Grant Writers as the Bridge to a New Funding Future

I say this with the utmost reverence: too many executive directors are chasing funding for programs that are not effective. Programs that need to evolve. Programs that do not show deep impact but are still being sold with flashy language and half truths to secure the next grant. That lack of accountability perpetuates an unhealthy system, and it drags the whole sector down.

It can be painful to write proposals for programs that are not meeting the level of impact this moment calls for. It places extra weight on foundations too. Every one of those grants still demands careful review, thoughtful consideration, and best efforts from funders, only for them to realize what the grant writers already knew from the beginning. There are gaps in effectiveness that no amount of good writing can cover up.

If we are serious about reimagining funding, we cannot keep giving passes to leaders who are stuck in models like this. We need to start holding executive directors accountable, not just for the money they raise but for the quality of outcomes their organizations deliver. Because until that happens, the cycle of frustration will keep repeating itself.

So where do we go from here?

We believe the path forward begins with grant writers facilitating honest conversations between their nonprofits and funders. This is the conversation. Something we need to face, not with anger but with clarity and compassion. Not to condemn, but to call into transformation. Out of these conversations can come new solutions where the nonprofit, the funder, and the grant writer can dream new solutions.