I had another post planned for today, and it's going to have to wait.

Because there's a lot going on with grants right now.

Specifically in the United States. Federal grants are on pause, and of course the impacts are making their way down to state, local, and personal levels.

I want to acknowledge the shake-up and feelings of anxiety among our grant community. What does everything mean? Will this change our lives and work as we know it? What will we do in 2025?

We will do what we have always done.

Complete Grant System's steps to finding and writing successful grants remain the same. As you reconsider each of these steps, you can figure out what's changing vs. what's staying the same in your situation:

1. Identify your strategic PRIORITIES - what you and your organization need most, what you can negotiate, and what you can’t.

2. Find people and organizations with money who care about the SAME STUFF you care about.

3. READ their requests for proposals (RFPs) and RESPOND with "magic words."

4. Build in strong evaluations to ensure accountability and efficiency - this is a good thing! And it will become MORE IMPORTANT than ever.

Maybe nothing changes for you and your grant projects. Or you may encounter a hard transition period with your processes, partners, or funding agencies. But this remains:

Grants support good people doing good work for great communities.

Whatever happens next, let's keep hold of that!

Photo by Will Porada on Unsplash