Overcoming Rejection Letters from Your Proposal

The tension was high and tempers were agitated. The clock was typically uncooperative as it warned us that the hands of time were waving good bye. Good bye to the opportunity to get $450,000 in grant funds to run our program. We knew that if we did not assemble our proposal package and send it off in the next few minutes that all of our efforts would have been wasted.

There had been three of us scrambling to complete our $450,000 document. Our newfound friend who convinced us to apply for the grant in the first place was working feverishly with my husband and me. I was determined that this grant proposal was going to arrive on time and in tact if I had to drive to the airport and personally book it on a FedX flight. I had not heard of doing that before, but I was desperate. My mind was swirling with frantic concoctions to ensure that our proposal was submitted on time.

My husband and I were busily making some order of the 45 page grant proposal document that required five copies with one original. We were not exactly sure what that meant so we simply made all of the copies alike. We decided that it would be safest for us to make each copy as complete as an original. That way the readers will not have to search for which one was the original.

We tried to make our proposal easy to read and preferable to receive an award. I had a table of contents with nice page numbers. I even included attractive tables and shaded headings to make each category stand out. Our friend, who used to work for the Department of Health and Human Services, helped us to develop our ideas for our first government grant proposal. She had given us many specifics to consider that I would not have included without her. I was so impressed with our proposal that I was already planning how to spend the money.

Finally after months of waiting, I had gotten the notice that we had been waiting to receive. But the contents did not read as I had expected. Everything else around me went fuzzy as I began reading, “Thank you for submitting your proposal. However”…blah blah blah and so forth.

I could hardly believe what I was reading. We had done all of that work for weeks only to get a “thanks, but no thanks” letter from the government. They must not have known how much work went into putting that entire document together. They could not possibly imagine how this whole ordeal sucked up weeks of our lives from our family and friends. Whoever signed the letter had to be totally oblivious to all of the research, office supplies, travel and postage that went into our efforts to submit a quality package.

Tears of disappointment formed in my eyes as I read and re-read the rejection letter. I even checked to see if the letter and envelope were really addressed to us. It could have been delivered to us by mistake. As I re-examined the entire document, I realized that there were comments from readers that actually explained why our proposal was rejected.

I later learned that the rejection letters would add to my foundation for learning how to develop a winning grant proposal. Many people are discouraged by the rejection letters. But once the injury to pride and disappointment melts, it is time to get down to business and scrutinize the comments and reasons given. Plan to turn that “No” into a “Yes” or at least a “Close, but Not Yet”

The Lesson here is to learn how to use rejection notices to make your proposals better. Remember that when you ask “why not”, to make sure that you understand the answers. You may be surprised to find that the donors actually want to give you the funds to help make the world a better place.

Problem Statements and Needs Statements in Grant Proposals

A Problem Statement is not the same as a Needs Statement. A Problem Statement clearly identifies the social, financial, economic, physical, community institutional problems that are in critical need of a solution. A problem is something that causes pain and suffering for others. A problem statement expresses what is wrong and how others are suffering because of what is wrong.

On the other hand, a need occurs due to the lack of resources and solutions that are required in order to solve a problem. A Needs Statement expresses what resources are essential for correcting the wrong that has been causing pain and suffering. For example: If substance abuse is the problem that is causing pain and suffering. The social isolation caused by substance abuse may produce a need for developing skills in socialization.

Therefore the problem statement answers the question, “What issue or situation is causing pain and suffering for others?” While the Needs Statement answers the question, “What action and resources are required in order to help those who suffer from the problem?”

Grants for Individuals

I received a call from someone looking for a grant to help pay bills. Before we were finished talking, she wanted a grant to start a business. She also mentioned that she would like money for school. The fact is that there are funds available for all of those, but most people (that I speak with) are not willing to take the time to prepare the proposal needed to compete for those funds.

Donor dollars are not endless wells of flowing funds. And whoever distributes those dollars has to account for how the money is spent. The first thing that I advise people to do is to focus on one need at a time. If you appear to be scattered all over the place, you are generally indicating how unaccountable you will be as a grant recipient.

This is one of the reasons that I do not write grant proposals for people that I do not know. Every person or organization that abuses grant dollars encourages even stiffer regulations in order to prevent this abuse from happening again. These increasing prevention ordinances make it so much more difficult for those who truly have the passion to help, but lack the adequate knowledge base and skills to submit competitive proposals.

I suggest that individuals who are interested in social and human services formally establish themselves as social entrepreneurs. Then they can position themselves in partnerships with organizations that get funded. Some of my clients have found that it is easier and often more lucrative to pursue partnerships or collaborative projects than to simply go after direct grant awards. This is also true for faith based organizations and startups that are seeking to get in the door of granting opportunities.

However, remember that you should be ready with a complete grant proposal that clearly explains what you have to offer. There may be an organization that is submitting a proposal who needs your service, but will not include you because it would take too much work to document your role and what you bring to the table.

How Onlinegrantforms.com works

The Onlinegrantforms.com site is designed to address the development and administrative needs of anyone developing a grant proposal. As a grant proposal writer I have been able to gain an understanding about what is needed to develop multiple grant proposals. Many people fail to understand that the “one proposal fits all” approach will keep them from sustaining.

As a federal grant reviewer for the Department of Health and Human Services, I also have a perspective about the review process and how to overcome the barriers that hinder applications from being competitive. Many people still think that the grant awards are strictly “about who you know.” I know from experience that this is just not the case. Those who are in charge of administering the grants have to inform organizations that they really want to support that their proposal was rejected. Their jobs are jeopardized if they award grants to organizations that do not submit good proposals or do not honor the terms of the grant award.