Opportunities abound, but knowing how to seize them and use them to our maximum advantage is a skill that we must learn. Failure to learn these skills is why grant proposals are rejected.

Many times, we come up with programs and activities that we feel would massively contribute to the growth and development of our society. We draft out our plans and proposal and then source for support.

In sourcing for support, we lookout for organizations with similar programs who already have a funding opportunity and we crave their indulgence to allow us to collaborate with them. We also visit organizations that participate in corporate social responsibilities and seek their support.

Other times, we source for grant opportunities that suit our program and forward proposals to the organizations involved. After these proposals are reviewed, we either receive or are denied the grant.

Have you been unable to get grants? Have you ever wondered why your proposals were not selected? Do you yearn to know why so that you can make necessary improvements going forward? If yes, then this article is for you.

Here, we have outlined the top reasons why grant proposals are rejected.

Failure to submit before the given deadline:

Every grant opportunity has a given deadline for the submission of proposals. And every applicant must endeavor to submit their proposal on or before the given deadline. Failure to do so will make your grant invalid.

Grant proposals are rejected due to poor writing methodology:

Always try to find out the writing pattern of the organization that you are sending out a proposal to. This will help you to know the pattern with which to write.

Your inability to follow instructions/guidelines:

Try as much as possible to follow the specific instructions/guidelines given by the organization on how they want your proposal to look. These guidelines were presented for a reason and the grant agencies expect you to strictly adhere to them as this will enable you to meet all of their eligibility criteria.

Your failure to use current application formats:

Most times when writing proposals, endeavor to use the current general format. So that your proposal wouldn’t be disqualified at a glance.

Your inability to identify the focus areas of the organization that this giving out the grant:

Most organizations that give out grants usually specify their focus areas. If you as the applicant fail to take note of these focus areas, you might end up wasting your time as your proposal will not fit into their focus areas.

Your lack of expertise in writing grant applications:

It is very important that you hone your grant-writing ability. You need to expose yourself to the nitty-gritty of grant writing. There are several articles online that can help you with this.

Failure to submit your proposal to a grant writing expert for proper evaluation:

Try as much as possible to submit your grant proposals to individuals who have excellent grant writing skills. This will enable them to make necessary corrections that would, otherwise, have disqualified you from receiving the grant.

Your inability to convince the reviewers of the need for the proposed project or program:

While writing a grant proposal, you should try as much as possible to convince the people reviewing the proposal of the need for the program/project in the society.

Failure to include a shred of evidence that proofs that your environment is conducive for the overall successful completion of the work

It is very important that you include proofs that will convince the proposal reviewers that your environment is in need of the said program/project, and offering you the grant will support your environment in a meaningful way. This will appeal to their emotions to support your program or project.

Failure to use appropriate statistical considerations in your grant proposal:

When writing grants, it is very important that you ensure that the statistical analysis that you are using is appropriate and correct. Failure to do so will portray your proposal as inadequate and unfit.

Failure to consider prospective problems and suitable alternative strategies:

You should include prospective problems that may arise in the course of the program and suitable alternative strategies that you will use to handle them.

This will not only impress your reviewers but will demonstrate your foresight and also convey to them that you are skilled in running successful projects when supported with adequate funds.

Failure to make proposal ideas uncomplicated and easy to understand:

Make your proposal reader-friendly and easy to understand. This will encourage the reviewers to pay serious attention to it.

Writing a proposal with a proposed unrealistic  budget and lack of adequate budget justification

Try as much as possible to make sure that your grant proposal budget is realistic and properly justified. This you can achieve by breaking down the proposed budget into different categories and specifying its use.

Failure to cross-check/handle all agency review criteria:

One of the reasons why grant proposals are rejected is the inability of a proposal to clearly outline the features that the granting agency or foundation is looking for.

Failure of the applying startup to collaborate with a credible organization:

Most startups usually find it difficult to get grants because grant-awarding organizations believe they do not have a significant track record to lend them credibility and they fail to partner with any other already established and reputable organizations that can boost their reputation.

Most times, grantors want to ensure that their funds are distributed to trusted, credible, reliable, and worthy organizations that take their depositary responsibilities seriously and operate with a high level of rectitude.

They also want to ensure that the grantees have the necessary knowledge, experience, and skills to achieve the stipulated goals in the grant proposals.

In conclusion, grant agencies have their taste and preferences. Your ability to meet these gives you and your enterprise an added advantage which makes it easier for you to succeed.

We hope that applying these strategies will enable you to seize and get the funding/grant opportunities that you seek.

By Gracefield Maxcot


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