Why Do Grants Get Rejected?

You’ve been rejected.  Will the funder give you a second chance on your proposal?  Is the reason behind your rejection a poorly written proposal, or a poorly developed project? 

Sometimes it may feel like your proposal is being rejected for the most mundane reasons – a missing attachment, or inconsistent numbers, or even lack of page numbering.  In the case of federal grants, it’s true that mundane mistakes like these will cost you everything.  However, this is often not the case in private grants.

Reviewers for private foundations spend a lot of time reviewing proposals that are clearly not ready for funding.  However, if a project lines up well with the mission of the funder, reviewers should be and are inclined to make recommendations and ask for resubmission.  This is not to be mistaken as a courtesy - if it’s the case that if a proposal were better written it would be of interest to the funder, then it follows that these reviewers would be more lenient.  Funders are not looking for just any reason to reject a proposal; they are looking for good projects. 

This is not a recommendation to start slipping on presentation; it is a recommendation to consider past rejections and what they might say about your projects.  It’s true that a poorly written proposal may not convey the details of your project, but you might want to keep an open mind – you may not have a project that is as well thought-out as you believe it to be. 

If you’re thinking about approaching a private foundation for support, try reaching out to the grants administrator first to discuss your project and try to gauge how your project is received.  

Do you have a helpful story of how you handled rejection from a grant? Weigh in in the comments, or share it with us on social media.

And, if you’re not sure if your proposal is up to scratch, contact us! Our team of consultants can help you pinpoint problems both in the proposal and in the project.