There’s nothing more maddening than trying to write a winning grant for a program that isn’t even nailed down yet. One day it’s a youth mentorship initiative, the next it’s a workforce development project—and nobody seems sure which population they’re serving or what the heck the budget looks like.
Sound familiar? Yeah, it’s the worst.
Trying to write while the program is still being invented is like building a house on quicksand. The more you write, the deeper you sink—and the more rewrites you’re guaranteed to suffer through.
Smart grant writers don’t play that game. Instead, they flip the script, take control of the process, and force clarity before they type a single word. Here’s how:
🛡️ 1. Demand a Program Brief Before You Write a Single Sentence
No brief, no draft. Period.
Ask the program lead—or whoever’s “great idea” this is—to fill out a Program Intake Form that covers:
- Objectives & measurable outcomes
- Target population (be specific!)
- Core activities and delivery methods
- Staffing and key roles
- Timeline and location(s)
- Budget—even a napkin sketch is better than nothing
You are not a mind reader. And you’re not in the business of guesswork. Get the facts in writing and save yourself hours of rewrites and headaches.
🛡️ 2. Use a “No Brief, No Draft” Policy
Make it official: If you don’t know what you’re doing, I’m not writing about it.
You’re not being difficult—you’re protecting the organization’s reputation. Funders can smell a vague, incoherent proposal from a mile away. And they don’t fund confusion.
Frame this boundary as a way to protect their credibility: “We don’t want to submit anything half-baked. Let’s get this clear before we go live.”
🛡️ 3. Facilitate a Program Design Session—Yes, You Can Be the Boss
If the program is still fuzzy, step up and lead a one-hour strategy session with key stakeholders. Don’t wait for clarity to fall from the sky—make it happen.
Use a simple logic model to guide the conversation:
- Inputs: What resources do we already have?
- Activities: What exactly are we doing?
- Outputs: How many people are served? What gets delivered?
- Outcomes: What real-world change are we promising?
Put it on a whiteboard, shared doc, napkin—whatever. The point is: get agreement. Get it in writing.
🛡️ 4. Lock the Plan with a Written Sign-Off
Once everyone nods along, write up a quick program summary and send it out for approval. Email is fine. Slack works. The key is to get written confirmation.
Why? Because programs mutate. People change their minds. And suddenly you’re rewriting 20 hours of work because someone “just had a thought.”
Written sign-off locks the plan—and protects your time.
Final Word: Do It Yourself If You Must
You are a magician. You do pull proposals out of a hat. You have no excuses. You can create clarity, commitment, and cooperation no matter what. Why? Because great writing starts with you setting the rules.