Demonstrating Impact in Grant Applications

As a donor, 90% of the grant proposals I read fail to include strong, measurable goals. If a proposal lacks strong goals, why should a donor approve it? Many organizations focus on their activities such as how many papers they’ll write, how many events they’ll host, or how many social media posts they'll create. But while important, these numbers alone don't create impact. Activities only create impact when they contribute to a clear and measurable goal. Foundations may call them outcomes, deliverables, or something else, but the real question is: Are your goals focused on the impact of your work, and are they both measurable and meaningful to your mission? Your goals should reflect what you hope to accomplish because of your work, not just the work itself, and they may vary depending on what you're trying to accomplish. For example, if your project involves writing research reports, the goal isn’t just to produce a certain number of reports. The real question is what impact will those reports have? Are you hoping to educate the public? Then tracking reads or media mentions might be the right measure. A goal here might be 10 media mentions in the next 6 months. Are you aiming for policy change? Then citations in legislative or academic discussions might be more relevant than raw readership numbers. In this case, a better goal might be 6 citations in the 3 months following the report's release. In your personal life, you might set a goal to go to the gym 3 times a week (an activity), but that doesn't tell you how long to go, what exercises to do, or why 3 times a week is effective. But if your goal is to gain 5 lbs of muscle in 6 months (the impact), you can start answering those questions with clarity. Start with your big-picture goal, then ask yourself: What would need to happen for this to become a reality? 🤔 How can we track progress toward that outcome? 📈 Don’t just set goals to satisfy a donor’s requirements. Make them meaningful to your mission. When your goals align with the change you want to see, measuring progress becomes not just a reporting requirement, but a powerful tool for driving impact.

Last week, I talked about the constant balancing act nonprofits face—securing funding while staying true to their mission. But what if I told you some organizations have flipped the script? Instead of constantly shifting to fit funders' priorities, they’ve positioned themselves so that funders align with 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. Sounds idealistic? It’s not. Organizations like Twaweza East Africa have done this successfully. So, how do you attract the right funders—those who believe in your vision? 1️⃣ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 Funders don’t just want to hope their money is making a difference. They need proof. But here’s the thing: It’s not enough to say, “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬.” You have to 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 effectively. 🔹 What change are you driving? 🔹 What evidence shows your approach works? 🔹 How are you learning and improving over time? When you have data-backed results and a learning mindset, funders trust your expertise instead of dictating how you should work. 2️⃣ 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆, 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝘀 A lot of nonprofits chase project-specific grants, which can lead to a cycle of short-term funding and shifting priorities to match funders’ requirements. Twaweza took a different approach: 🚀 They created 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 with an overarching budget. 💡 Instead of writing separate proposals for every grant, they asked funders to contribute to their strategic fund. 🤝 They built relationships with funders who trusted them to allocate funds where they were most needed. This “basket funding” model gave them the flexibility to stay mission-driven and sustainable. 3️⃣ 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵 Many funders are used to project-based funding with strict reporting requirements. But Twaweza challenged that thinking with a simple question: 👉 “𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘐 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵?” By clearly communicating these tradeoffs, they helped funders see why flexible funding leads to better long-term results. 4️⃣ 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗳𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗢𝘂𝘁𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗜𝗻𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 Most nonprofits rely on outbound fundraising—constantly applying for RFPs and open grants. But the most successful ones attract aligned funders by: 📢 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 🤝 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 🚀 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 None of this happens overnight. It takes time, persistence, and a willingness to challenge the status quo. But the long-term impact on your organization’s sustainability and effectiveness is worth it. 💡 Are you working toward a more mission-aligned funding model? What challenges are you facing? #fundingafrica #fundraising #nonprofits #philanthropy #impact Rakesh Rajani

🔹 Why do some grant proposals win, while others fail? Over the years, I’ve reviewed, written, and secured funding for organizations across Africa seeking non-equity financing or grants. I’ve seen what works, what doesn’t, and where most applicants go wrong. If you’re struggling with grants, here’s a simple framework I use for winning proposals: ✅ 1. A Problem That Keeps Funders Up at Night Most proposals get tossed aside because they are organization-centered, not problem-centered. A great proposal starts with a compelling, data-backed problem statement that aligns with what funders care about. ✅ 2. A Game-Changing Solution, Not Business as Usual Funders are not looking for routine projects. They want innovation, sustainability, and impact. Answer these questions clearly: What makes your solution different or scalable? How will it continue beyond the grant period? ✅ 3. A Budget That Makes Sense Many proposals lose credibility with budgets that either lack justification or seem unrealistic. A winning budget: Is cost-effective but not underestimated Clearly links every expense to the intended impact Shows co-funding or sustainability plans ✅ 4. A Story That Moves, Not Just Data Facts and figures are critical, but funders connect with stories of impact. Your proposal should bring the problem to life with real-world examples. If it doesn’t inspire, it won’t get funded. Working on a proposal? Drop a comment if you have questions! 🚀

You can spend weeks writing a grant proposal—but if it doesn’t align with the funder’s priorities, the chances of it being approved are very slim! I see this mistake over and over again. 🚨 Organizations pour hours, even months into writing grant proposals, only to get rejected—not because their project wasn’t important, but because they never researched what the funder actually wanted to fund.  So, before you sit down to write your next grant, here’s what you need to know:  → Funders don’t fund what YOU need. They fund YOUR impact.They fund what aligns with THEIR mission. Many people approach grants thinking, "I need money for my project—who can give it to me?"  But successful grant seekers flip the script. They look for alignment first. ✅ Research past grantees. What kind of projects has this funder supported before? Do you fit into that pattern?  ✅ Read their funding priorities. If they say they fund education initiatives, do they mean general education, STEM programs, early childhood learning? Dig deeper. ✅ Mirror their language. If they emphasize “economic mobility,” don’t just say your program helps job seekers—show how it advances economic mobility. → Vague proposals don’t get funded. Specificity wins. I see a lot of proposals that say things like: We aim to reduce food insecurity in our community.  That sounds nice, but it’s not compelling. A funder is going to ask: How many people will you serve? What’s your timeline for achieving results? What metrics will you track? Instead, try something like: ✅ We will support 150 families by providing bi-weekly meal kits containing fresh, nutritious produce. Over the course of 12 months, we will track participants' progress through annual surveys to measure the impact of this program. We anticipate achieving a 20% reduction in food insecurity among participants, demonstrating the program's effectiveness in promoting health in the community. See the difference? The more specific you are, the easier it is for funders to see your impact. When you write a proposal, don’t just explain why you need the money. Show them the transformation their funding will create. 🛑 Instead of: We need $50,000 to expand our mentoring program. ✅ Try this: With $50,000, we will expand our mentoring program to serve 300 additional students, increasing graduation rates by 25% over the next two years. The more you frame your proposal around the funder’s impact, the better your chances of winning. Have you ever spent weeks on a proposal only to get rejected? What did you learn from the experience? Let’s talk in the comments.  #GrantWriting #NonprofitFunding #FundingOpportunities

Heads up, nonprofits! 🚨 Are you recycling old evaluation plans in your grant proposals? Time to level up. I get it - evaluation can be tricky. But here's the thing: a strong evaluation plan isn't just an add-on. It's your secret weapon for showcasing your impact and getting more money. Your evaluation plan isn't just a box to check. It's a powerful tool that can make or break your proposal. The secret? Leveraging the other sections you've already crafted. Here's how to level up your evaluation game: 1. Mission alignment: Tie your metrics directly to your org's mission and vision. Show funders you're not just counting outputs, but driving real impact. 2. Program objectives: Use your program goals as a blueprint for what to measure. If it's in your objectives, it should be in your evaluation. 3. Budget breakdown: Look at where you're allocating resources. Those big-ticket items? They deserve extra attention in your evaluation plan. 4. Sustainability strategy: How will you track long-term impact? Your evaluation should extend beyond the grant period. Remember, funders want to see that you're serious about measuring impact. A thoughtful evaluation plan tells them you're not just doing the work - you're committed to doing it well. Need help crafting an evaluation plan that wows funders? Let's chat. Drop a comment or DM me - I'm here to help you secure that funding. #GrantWriting #Nonprofits #SocialImpact #Evaluation

🔹Tips for writing a winning GRANT PROPOSAL 🎯 Grant writing can feel overwhelming, but it is one of the most valuable skills you can develop. Phenny A. Omondi, MSc, and I began writing grant proposals during our undergraduate days at Universidad EARTH. Over the years, we’ve secured funding from organizations like the Mastercard Foundation, Wege Foundation, Clinton Foundation, Changes for Humanity, etc. to support the operations of a community-based organization we founded in Kenya (Kilimo Jijini). When I started graduate school, I further polished my grant writing skills by enrolling in a transformative 3-credit Grant Writing course taught by Dr. Jaret Daniels, and since then together with my advisor, we have submitted small and huge grant proposals worth millions of dollars to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS), the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), etc. Here are some key lessons I’ve learned along the way: 1. Start early Give yourself time to brainstorm, draft, and revise. Rushed proposals often lack polish and clarity. 2. Know your audience Research the funding agency’s mission, priorities, and target outcomes. Align your goals with their vision. 3. Focus on impact Clearly state how your research will address a problem and make a meaningful difference. Highlight real-world applications. 4. Tell a compelling story Proposals aren’t just data - they’re narratives. Make your introduction engaging and persuasive. Show passion for your work. 5. Define clear objectives Be specific about what you want to achieve and how you’ll measure success. Funders want results, not vague ideas. 6. Plan a realistic budget Outline costs with transparency and accuracy. Avoid overestimating but don’t undersell what you need to succeed. 7. Highlight your team’s expertise Funders invest in people as much as ideas. Showcase your team’s qualifications and past successes. And how that adds value to your idea. 8. Provide a timeline Break down your project into phases with deadlines. A clear timeline shows you’ve thought through the process 9. Proofread and seek feedback Ask mentors or colleagues to review your draft. They can spot weaknesses and suggest improvements you may have missed. 10. Follow instructions Carefully read and follow the funding agency’s guidelines. Missing a formatting detail or word limit can disqualify your proposal. 👉 What’s your experience with grant writing? Repost ♻️ to help someone else! #GrantWritingTips #ResearchFunding #AcademicSuccess #Mentorship #STEMResearch #WomenInSTEM #ResearchProposals University of Florida