What Do Nonprofits Do With An Unfunded Grant Proposal?
A rejected grant proposal is a real bummer, but it happens. Competition is steep and even great proposals can be rejected. You did all that work: the planning, the budget, the research, and your entire board is onboard for the new project. So what do you do?
Well, you have two options, and you can do both:
1. Think crowdfunding.
There are thousands of free crowdfunding websites available. Furthermore, it is quick and easy to put up a campaign – takes about 5 minutes, and you have a fundraiser page. You already have the passion, program, and budget – so it will be easy for you to explain the need for funds.
Personalize your page by adding a video or pictures regarding your project or nonprofit, and don’t forget to add all your social media pages, so that all your friends, family, and potential funders can see all the excellent work you are doing.
Setting up your page is easy, the harder part is getting the word out about your fundraiser. Here’s where your social media network will come into play. From your fundraising page, you can actually share it on all your social media profiles. So share it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ for maximum exposure. Make sure to also personally reach out to potential funders about your project, because sometimes people who are not very active on social media may be interested in helping you with funding.
2. Now, onto the second option for your grant proposal.
Since your grant writer did such a good job writing the proposal, this writing may be able to be recycled. And since you are already a GrantWatch MemberPlus+ you have access to thousands of other grants that you may be eligible for. So here’s what you can do: search for grants that have similar criteria to the one you already applied to, and then tweak your proposal to fit the new grant application into an award winning proposal. GrantWatch has more than 50 grant categories, and your project may fall into multiple categories, so keep searching! And if you have any issues while looking around the site, you can always reach out to the GrantWatch customer service team!
So, don’t be discouraged if you didn’t get the grant funding this time, there are still resources to utilize. Happy Funding!
About the Author: Lianne Hikind is a staff writer for GrantWatch and a Copywriter at ABC Purple.
About GrantWatch
A trusted resource since 2010. For more than 16 years, GrantWatch has helped nonprofits, small businesses, schools, government agencies, and individuals discover funding opportunities and navigate the grant process with confidence. Thousands of organizations rely on GrantWatch's extensive database of verified grants and funding resources to identify opportunities and secure support for meaningful projects.
Today, GrantWatch supports organizations across the full grant lifecycle through a single, streamlined platform. In addition to access to more than 11,000 active, verified, and human-curated grant opportunities, the platform includes a centralized Dashboard that serves as the command center for the GrantWatch Full Grant Lifecycle Platform, giving users a centralized view of opportunities, deadlines, research, and workflow activity across the 12-stage Grant Pipeline. Users also benefit from integrated tools including the AI Grant Finder, AI Grant Writing Tool, My Grant Calendar, Grant Alerts, Foundation Search, and Awarded Grant Search, helping move funding efforts from discovery to award and measurable impact.
GrantWatch, founded by Libby Hikind, is the author of The Queen of Grants series, including The Queen of Grants series: The Queen of Grants: From Teacher to Grant Writer to CEO and The Queen of Grants 2: GrantTalk Secrets for the New Era of Writing. Drawing on decades of experience in the grants industry, GrantWatch was created to simplify how organizations discover, evaluate, and pursue funding opportunities.
