240 Grant Proposal Review Later—Here’s the Brutal Truth Nonprofits Need to Hear

Over the last 7 years, I have sat on a grant review committee, and reviewed about 240 proposals from different organizations, particularly non-profits. This year already, I’ve just reviewed 13 grant proposals for social projects. While I’m impressed by the passion and effort behind them, there are clear trends that nonprofits need to fix if they’re serious about securing funding. If you’re applying for grants, read on—this might sting, but it’s exactly what you need to hear:

1. Innovation: Stop Recycling the Same Old Ideas Using tech? Great. Talking about community engagement? Awesome. But here’s the deal: everyone else is doing that too. Energy calculators, peer mentoring, vocational training—they’re solid ideas but far from innovative. Want to stand out? Think next-level: AI-powered solutions, gamification that truly engages, or cutting-edge uses for mobile apps and GIS. If your solution doesn’t feel groundbreaking, funders won’t bite.
2. Sustainability: Show Me the Exit Strategy Many proposals are entirely dependent on donor funding with vague “we’ll figure it out later” sustainability plans. That’s a hard no. Funders need to see your roadmap for thriving after the grant runs out. Revenue streams, local partnerships, business buy-in—bring concrete ideas to the table or risk losing credibility.
3. Risk Management: Go Beyond Generic Sure, you listed risks like “financial constraints” or “community resistance.” Congrats, you’ve stated the obvious. But where are the real mitigation strategies? What’s your Plan B when things go wrong? If your risk management plan isn’t specific, funders will assume you’re winging it.
4. Impact: Talk Data, Not Dreams “30% increase in engagement,” “50% more awareness”—sounds amazing. But how are you measuring this? Where’s your baseline? Ambition without data is fluff. Use SMART goals, concrete KPIs, and frameworks to track results. Funders want to see exactly how you’ll deliver measurable outcomes.
5. Leadership: Prepare for Change Your team is experienced—that’s great. But what happens when your project lead leaves? Proposals that don’t account for leadership transitions feel risky. Show your team is diverse, adaptable, and ready for change. Bonus points for including success stories or recommendations from past funders.
6. Community Engagement: Go Deeper Don’t just “say” you’ll engage the community—prove it. Tailor your approach to local needs. Use local languages. Address cultural barriers. Funders need to see that your project will resonate with the people it’s meant to help. Cookie-cutter solutions don’t work here.
7. Timelines: Be Specific A timeline without milestones is like a roadmap with no landmarks—useless. Break it down. Highlight measurable milestones and build mechanisms to course-correct. A vague timeline screams, “We’ll figure it out later,” and that’s a deal breaker.

The Bottom Line: Funders are investing in trust as much as they’re investing in projects. Don’t squander that with half-baked plans or generic solutions. If you’re serious about making a difference, step up: show innovation, sustainability, measurable impact, and strong leadership. Anything less won’t make the cut.

The world deserves bold, lasting solutions. Africa, let’s raise the bar.

What’s your biggest challenge when writing grant proposals? Let’s talk about it in the comments!

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