Why Last-Minute Projects Rarely Win
A common issue for a grant writer like me is that my clients are often not what I would term, “grant ready” when they want to apply for funding. Please understand that I love the work I do with my clients… but this is SO frustrating as it means neither of us end up producing the standard of work we’re both capable of.
Here’s how it often goes: It’s Monday afternoon, a grant programme opens, applications are due in three weeks, and my phone rings with a client enthusiastically saying, “We’ve found the perfect grant for our project. Can you write our application?”
Here’s what happens next. I ask about their project timeline, budget, and supporting documentation. The conversation usually goes something like:
“Well, we haven’t finalised the budget yet. We’re still waiting on quotes from contractors. And we might need council approval, but we haven’t started that process. Oh, and our community partner hasn’t confirmed their contribution. But the project itself is brilliant!”
This puts both of us in an impossible position.
What most people don’t understand about grant applications is that a grant application is not an exercise in good writing, it’s showing detailed project blueprints that funding bodies can use to assess risk, feasibility, and impact. Asking a grant writer to create a compelling application without complete project information is essentially like asking a builder to construct a building without accurate architectural plans.
Quality grant writing requires time for research, strategic positioning, and careful crafting of arguments. But this process becomes nearly impossible when we’re working with incomplete project information under compressed timeframes.
Look at the difference between these two scenarios:
Scenario A: Client provides a comprehensive project plan eight weeks before the deadline. I spend two weeks understanding their project deeply, three weeks researching and writing, and one week refining based on their feedback.
Scenario B: Client contacts me two weeks before the deadline with partial project information. I spend most of my time trying to extract missing details, leaving less time than to spend on the writing process, and then submitting the application with minimal review time, (whilst sending you multiple emails nagging you for more info throughout, which I hate doing!).
Which application do you think stands a better chance of success?
The Costs of Poor Preparation
When organisations approach grant applications unprepared, they create a cascade of problems that extend far beyond tight deadlines.
As an organisation, you end up paying for me to act as an emergency service, and I spend my time chasing information that should have been collated during project planning. As great as I am at my job, the rushed approach can never produce the same quality of work as when I get the time to fully flex my methodical, strategic writing muscles.
Rushing forces me to try and craft compelling narratives about projects I might not understand as fully. It often reduces me to making educated guesses about missing information, rather than allowing me to strengthen the project from a position of knowledge. This compromises the quality I can deliver and increases the likelihood of unsuccessful applications.
This common rush to throw together a project, often means that assessors receive applications that lack the depth and detail they need for proper project evaluation. Important questions remain unanswered, making it difficult for even worthy projects to score well against assessment criteria. I know… I used to be an assessor, and it was always obvious when people had skimmed over the planning process.
What Professional Grant Writers Actually Need
When you engage a professional grant writer, you’re hiring someone to translate your ideas into funding language. It’s a partnership with someone who understands how funding bodies think and know what they’re looking for.
We are experts in how to position your project strategically within a funding body’s priorities. But even the most skilled grant writer cannot create compelling arguments from incomplete information.
We need:
- Complete project scope: What exactly will you deliver, and how?
- Detailed budget: Based on actual quotes, not estimates
- Confirmed partnerships: Letters of support and financial commitments
- Realistic timeline: Including all approval processes and potential delays
- Evidence base: Supporting data, community consultation, or market research
Good grant writers understand that much of this information takes time to collect, but when it is prepared in advance, we can focus our expertise where it matters most: crafting persuasive arguments, strengthening your project’s positioning, and ensuring every word works toward securing your funding.
The Professional Advantage of Preparation
So many organisations don’t seem to realise that professional grant writers write fundamentally different applications when given the proper preparation time.
With adequate time and complete information, we can:
- Identify and address potential assessor concerns before they arise
- Strengthen weak elements of your project through clever repositioning
- Connect your project to broader policy objectives you might not have considered
- Ensure perfect alignment between your project outcomes and funding criteria
This strategic approach transforms your application from a project description into a compelling case for investment.
The most successful grant applicants understand that finding funding must – as much as possible – be a planned business activity, instead of an opportunistic scramble. They plan their projects thoroughly before seeking funding, identify appropriate grants well before application periods open, and see grant writers as skilled architects with words not emergency services.
The question isn’t whether you can afford to invest time in proper project planning. The question is whether you can afford not to, because when you approach grant applications as strategic business investments rather than last-minute opportunities, both you and I can deliver the quality of work that turns good projects into funded realities.
