When organisations need funding for a project, they often start by searching for grants and then they try to shape their plans to match the opportunities they find. In our highly experienced opinion, this approach significantly reduces the chances of funding success. We’ve worked with hundreds of grant recipients and know that a grant-first approach is not the best chance of winning funding for a project, proper project planning is.
Grant funding is designed specifically to support projects with clearly articulated goals and measurable outcomes. The existence of a well-defined project is the bedrock upon which successful grant applications are built. Projects that are written purely to win grant funding most always come across as rushed and weakly conceived.
Funders provide financial support for specific purposes that align with their missions, and crucially, fund only the projects that they think will succeed. That means creating the strongest project possible is always the key to success. A project with last minute changes of scope, budget, or objectives is relatively easy for an assessor to spot, and will always be weaker than a fully fleshed out, meticulously planned one.
Funders expect to see a project definition that demonstrates:
- A clear understanding of the problem being addressed
- Specific, achievable objectives
- A detailed methodology for implementation
- Measurable outcomes that demonstrate impact
Getting these correct takes time and effort, not a hastily thrown together plan put together as a cash grab when an organisation comes across what they see as “free money” from a grant. Without these elements in place before approaching funders, organisations find themselves trying to retrofit their needs into funding requirements which is an approach that rarely succeeds.
The Correct Order for Project Planning and Grant Funding:
- Plan Your Project: Decide on what you want to achieve, make sure it is needed by your community or industry, calculate how much money you have to spend, pick your project team, and decide how you will know when the project has succeeded.
- Finding Appropriate Funding: Once you have your well-defined project, precisely target grants that align with its objectives. When looking at funding objectives, remember to think widely on who or what will be impacted if your project works. For example, a restaurant expansion will impact jobs, local economies, and maybe even tourism.
- Determining Eligibility: The grant funding guidelines will tell you who is eligible for the grant funding. Here’s where you can play with budgets and scope a little, or tweak the project goals so they better align with the funding objectives, but make sure the core of your project stays as you planned – this is where its strength lies.
- Crafting a Compelling Narrative: This is where good grant writing skills come into play. A successful grant application weaves your solid project plans with grant funders objectives whilst skilfully showcasing how it also hits every single grant guidelines. The way you write about it can change your application from “meh” to “wow” with the correct words.
As you can see, a project-first approach lays the groundwork for grant funding success. Yes, it takes time upfront, but this investment helps you use your resources more wisely and create stronger applications that win funding to top up those same resources.
When you have a well-defined project that needs funding, professional grant writers like those at Whitney Consulting, can help you articulate your vision in ways that resonate with funders. Our expertise bridges the gap between your project goals and funder priorities, increasing your chances of securing the resources you need to create meaningful impact.
