Getting Turned Down is Not Failure
If your proposal is not awarded, the Grants Office will let you know. If you receive word first of a turned-down proposal, notify the Grants Office and forward all original correspondence. Do not take a rejection personally. Most funders receive far more applications than they can possibly fund. The very best professional grant writers receive rejections. Even the best grant writers will receive only about 50% of the grants they apply for. Think of your grant application as an opportunity to market and advertise your school and your programs. Sometimes a failed application can result in funding at a later time when they do have funds.
Requesting reviewers’ comments. If a grant request is rejected, the Grants Office can request reviewers’ written comments and pass this information to you. It is highly recommended that the proposal development team reconvene at this point to go over the reviewers’ comments and plan to revise the proposal for another submission. Often it takes two to three submissions before a project gets funded, and after the initial investment of time, it’s worth it to try again. That grant application you wrote becomes a template for future grant requests.
Remember: Before you applied they didn’t know about your kids, your program or your school.
Successful Grant Funder Relationships can have outcomes that extend beyond the single grant.
- Multi Year Funding: A funder that feels a strong connection to a grant project may make an annual donation or award without a request from you at a later date.
- A RFP (Request for Proposal) may be sent to the program asking you to write a grant application to receive funds without you asking first.
- Funders talk among themselves. They may suggest your “need” to other funders.
Always say Thank You for the opportunity to apply – especially when you are not funded. The thank you note is important.