I’ll be the first to admit that setting and keeping boundaries are two distinct skills that might take practice to use well. Unfortunately, both are skills that I have struggled with in my 20, and counting, years in business.

The harsh reality I had to learn first is that if you don’t first set boundaries, you will have no boundaries to worry about keeping. Without boundaries, some time might pass before you realize that setting boundaries will benefit you as a person, a professional, and a business owner or organizational leader.

I say this as a means of reflection, because I am still fine-tuning which boundaries I want to establish as firm and which are loose guidelines.

I learned about the importance of setting boundaries the hard way early in my years in business, when I was too focused on pleasing clients because I did not want to disappoint them in any way. My desire to please the clients was driven by the goal of renewing contracts. This was a good goal for building a sustainable business, but a shifting focus given that leaders change in Development departments and overall organizations, influencing contract renewal decisions more than a particular interaction.

Ultimately, my colleague, and now dear friend, Bethany Planton, GPC, RSM, RPO of bmp consulting, by demonstrating firm boundaries in her consulting work, caused me to ask a lot of questions of her and of myself. For as long as I have known her, she has had very firm working hours for consulting, and she also follows very clear boundaries about not checking email or doing work when scheduled for time off from her business. I asked her lots of questions about how her boundaries worked for time away and working hours, because I could envision many reasons for exceptions to the boundaries, given the way I once approached them.

Boundaries are, of course, needed for far more than working hours and unplugging when taking time off. Boundaries are needed related to conversations and discourse within a team. Boundaries are needed related to the speed of answering emails or team chat messages during the workday and in non-working hours.

My intention wasn’t so much that I wanted to exactly follow Bethany’s boundaries, but rather that I admired and wanted to emulate setting boundaries that closely aligned with my own “why” for owning and running DH Leonard Consulting. To do so, I needed to return to thinking about my “why” (so of course, I reread Start with Why by Simon Sinek); and I needed to think about the values that I wanted to support for myself as a business owner, and also for my team, which was starting to grow. So I set some additional boundaries as tests and have been revisiting and modifying them as needed in the years since.

Along the way, I did realize that I had been good at one boundary for years as I operated the business…that I would not miss school events, volunteer opportunities, dance showcases, or the like for our family in favor of work. That boundary has evolved as our family has grown older, but it has always been a non-negotiable for me.

A few of my other favorites that have proven to be useful for a long period of time:

• No late-night application submissions (I define anything after 6:30 p.m. ET as “late night,” but especially anything after 8 p.m. ET), and never weekends or holidays
• Honoring the auto-responder on my email when it says I am away, by not responding to emails, even if I happen to read some—because if I don’t honor the OOO message, my example sets the stage for my team to not honor their own
• Not taking one-time large government projects for brand-new clients unless they were working with us on pre-planning before the application opened

What boundaries have you found are helpful for you in your work now, or over a longer period of time? I’d love to hear! Let me know in the comments below or reach out on LinkedIn to let me know.

The post Set Boundaries appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Grantmaker relationship management moves your organization away from “chasing the money” toward building a mutual partnership based on shared goals. Many organizations treat grants as simple financial transactions, but high-performing nonprofits view grantmakers as investors in their mission.

This shift requires consistent communication that isn’t always tied to a request for funding. By focusing on shared impact, you ensure that your organization stays top of mind when new opportunities arise. Active engagement transforms a one-time grant into a sustainable, long-term partnership.

Building an Engagement Strategy

To effectively manage funder relationships, you must categorize your prospects and tailor your outreach based on their specific interests and “warmth” toward your organization. Start by identifying the decision-makers within the foundation. Determine who in your organization—whether a board member, Executive Director, or Program Manager—is best positioned to make the initial connection.

A robust strategy includes these essential elements:

• Researching Interests: Align your outreach with the specific focus areas the funder has prioritized in their 990s or annual reports.
• Consistent Touchpoints: Schedule regular updates, such as newsletters or impact snapshots, that do not include a request for money.
• Internal Coordination: Use a tracking system to ensure that multiple team members do not contact the same Program Officer with conflicting messages.

The Power of the “Soft Ask”

The most effective way to engage a new funder is through a “soft ask”—an invitation to learn more about your work without the immediate pressure of a formal proposal. This could be an invitation to a site visit or a request for a brief introductory call to discuss program alignment. You might also share a recent white paper your organization produced.

These interactions build the trust and familiarity necessary for a successful formal application later in the cycle. By providing value before asking for funds, you demonstrate professional expertise and respect for the funder’s time.

Download our free Grantmaker Relationship Guide here!

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize Engagement: Focus on building trust-based relationships rather than just submitting cold applications.
• Map Your Connections: Identify “warm” leads by checking board and staff connections to potential funding organizations.
• Maintain Regular Contact: Provide value to the funder through impact updates and success stories throughout the year.
• Use the “Soft Ask”: Create low-pressure opportunities for funders to see your work in action before asking for a large investment.

Strengthen Your Strategy

Ready to turn prospects into partners? [Download our free Grantmaker Relationship Guide here!] to start building your internal tracking system today.

To further refine your skills, purchase a copy of our recorded webinar(s) How to Build Authentic Relationships with Your Funders, Don’t Treat Your Grantmaker Like an ATM, and/or Don’t Surprise Your Grantmaker: How to Be a Fantastic Grantee!

FAQ

How often should I contact a grantmaker? To keep the relationship active, you should aim for 2-4 meaningful touchpoints per year outside the standard application and reporting cycle.

What if a funder says they don’t accept unsolicited proposals? Focus entirely on relationship building by using mutual connections to secure an introduction or by sharing relevant impact data to demonstrate your organization’s expertise.

Who should be responsible for funder relationships? Relationship management is a “team sport” that should involve leadership, board members, and program staff, though the development team typically coordinates the effort.

The post Beyond the Application: How to Build Lasting Grantmaker Relationships appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Defining Your Strategic Funding Priorities

Strategic priorities act as the ultimate filter for narrowing down potential funders to those that truly match your organization’s needs. To begin, you should outline your organization’s top resource needs and strategic goals for the next six to twelve months. Limit this focus to no more than five key priorities, ranked from most to least important, to ensure that your efforts remain concentrated and effective.

Evaluating Fit: When to Say “Yes” or “No”

Knowing when to say “no” to a grant opportunity is a key indicator that you are being proactive and focusing on strategy rather than just reacting to funding. You should objectively compare opportunities using a framework of key research points, such as geographic focus, average grant size, and the complexity of the application relative to the award amount. Even when you pass on a funder, document the reason why, so that you build institutional memory for future research cycles.

Building Your Annual Grant Calendar

A successful grant calendar reflects the total team effort required for a sustainable strategy and should be approved by your entire grant team. Start by adding your “must-do” deadlines, such as renewal requests and required reports for current grants. After those are set, layer in “rolling” deadlines during months where your team has available capacity, and always re-evaluate the calendar if unexpected opportunities arise.

Ready to transform your funding search? Download our free Grant Research Guidebook here or purchase a copy of our recorded webinar, “How to Make a Go/No Go Strategic Decision For Grant Opportunities.”

Key Takeaways

• Prioritize Your Needs: Limit your focus to no more than five top funding priorities to ensure that your grant writing remains targeted.
• Use Research Frameworks: Compare opportunities objectively by looking at geography, award size, and application complexity.
• Leverage Modern Tools: Utilize both free and paid research tools, and consider how AI can support—but not replace—your decision-making.
• Collaborate on the Calendar: Involve your finance, program, and leadership teams in creating a feasible annual grant schedule.

FAQ Section

How many priorities should my organization focus on? You should limit your focus to no more than five key priorities, because when everything is a priority, nothing is.

What tools can I use for grant research? You can use free tools like 990s and Grants.gov, or paid tools such as Foundation Directory Online, GrantStation, and Instrumentl.

What should I do if an unexpected grant deadline comes up? Return to your grant team to evaluate whether you have the capacity to handle the new deadline or whether you need to shift existing tasks on your calendar.

The post Stop Guessing and Start Winning: How to Build a Sustainable Grant Research Strategy appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Paving the Path: Readiness, Research, and Relationship

The grant lifecycle begins long before you put pen to paper. The first three Rs are the essential groundwork that determines your eligibility and competitiveness.

1. Readiness: This phase is the initial state of your organization, assessing whether you are prepared to apply for and manage a grant. Grantmakers want to partner with stable, well-organized organizations with a clear vision for the future. To achieve grant readiness, you must solidify your internal infrastructure. A key component of this is having a current Strategic Plan. This document conveys how your organization’s goals align with the grantmaker’s vision, demonstrating that your purpose is more than simply acquiring funds. Furthermore, dedicate a specific individual to own grant responsibilities. This person will ensure that the organization remains in a state of continuous readiness, making future applications much smoother.

2. Research: Effective research is about finding a true partnership. Grantmakers are not merely sources of money; they are organizations with parallel missions looking for partners to help them achieve their goals. The goal is to find a grantmaker whose mission and vision align with your mission and vision. To define your focus, identify your organization’s specific programs and priorities that require resources. Grant databases, such as grants.gov, Instrumentl, and GrantStation, can help you filter for and find opportunities that meet these specific needs. A strong partnership is a two-way street, built on shared purpose and mutual respect.

3. Relationship: Stewarding relationships is an important step—but it is the most overlooked, because people are busy and it can feel like a luxury. However, we must treat grantmakers as people, not transactional ATMs. Securing funds or receiving helpful application tips often comes down to the quality of your relationship with the grantmaker. So, before making contact, always find and follow the grantmaker’s specific guidelines; if they prefer email for grant-related inquiries, respect that boundary. Disregarding their communication preferences signals a lack of respect. When you do connect, be prepared with thoughtful talking points. This interaction should include a concise introduction, an explanation of why your organization fits the grantmaker’s mission, and insightful questions about the grant or the person with whom you are speaking. Building this respect and rapport is an investment that pays dividends throughout the entire process.

Sealing the Deal: Writing and Reporting

After the first three Rs are at least underway, you can move to the active stages of applying for and managing the funding you receive.

4. wRiting: Despite its importance, writing the application is midway through the grant lifecycle, not first. Your success in this phase is highly dependent on the quality of your research, readiness, and relationships: These earlier stages will guide you in customizing your application to each specific grantmaker. A critical mistake to avoid is copying and pasting. Grantmakers can easily spot stock language that hasn’t been tailored to directly answer their specific questions or prompts. Also, the application should tell a compelling story, whether through a flowing narrative or a series of concise responses, that provides a comprehensive overview of your proposed project and its intended impact. Ensure that every question is answered sufficiently and directly.

5. Reporting: This stage, also known as grant management, happens after you’ve been awarded the funds. Congratulations are in order for winning the award, but your work is not finished. Reporting is the minimum effort required to maintain a healthy relationship with your funder. You must report the progress toward your stated goals, which are also your funder’s goals, and explain in detail how the awarded funds were used. Your reporting should include both describing your program’s success and measurable impact and demonstrating responsible stewardship of the grant dollars. Know which types of reporting and information are required and are most important to each grantmaker so that you can effectively communicate your success due to their support. Being a good steward of the relationship during the grant period significantly increases your likelihood of securing future funding.

Watch our three-minute video of the Grant Life Cycle here – The Grant Life Cycle

Interested in a one-hour on-demand webinar covering each one of the Rs in greater detail? Purchase the Grant Writing Basics webinar here.

Key Takeaways

• Grant Readiness requires a current Strategic Plan and assigned responsibilities.
• Research is about finding a grantmaker with a truly parallel mission to your own.
• Build a genuine Relationship by treating grantmakers as partners, not just funders.
• Applications must be highly customized and tell a compelling, comprehensive story.
• Reporting after the award is vital for maintaining the Relationship and for future funding.

FAQ

Q: What is the single most important part of grant readiness?

A: Having a current, clear Strategic Plan is essential to demonstrate your future vision.

Q: Should I use a template for all my grant applications?

A: No. You must customize the language for each application to specifically answer the grantmaker’s questions.

Q: When does the grant lifecycle end?

A: The lifecycle doesn’t truly end; after an award, it transitions into the Reporting stage, which is about maintaining the Relationship to lay the groundwork for future support, and then starts all over again.

Ready to take the next step in securing grant funding?

Dive deeper into each of the Five Rs with our comprehensive resources. Download our free guide, which gives you actionable checklists and templates for Readiness, Research, Relationship, wRiting, and Reporting! Download your free Grant Life Cycle Guide today.

The post The FIVE Rs of Grant Writing appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Table of Contents

• Defining Grant Readiness
• Top Tips for Achieving Grant Readiness
• Measuring Your Success with the GRASP Tool
• Key Takeaways
• Frequently Asked Questions

Defining Grant Readiness

Grant readiness is a comprehensive way to measure your organization’s potential competitiveness before you ever click “submit” on an application. It impacts every stage of the grant-seeking process—from how you research potential funders to how you present your organization’s strengths during relationship-building efforts. Being ready means that you have the internal infrastructure to not only win the grant but also manage the funds successfully.

Top Tips for Achieving Grant Readiness

To move from a reactive to a proactive grant-seeking culture, your organization should focus on several key pillars of readiness:

• Have a Current Strategic Plan: A strategic plan acts as a filter to ensure that you don’t experience “mission drift” just to pursue a new funding opportunity.
• Centralize Your Registrations: Assign one individual to manage all grant-related registrations (like SAM.gov) and ensure that a backup staff member has access to this information for emergencies or create a grants@ organizational email address. 
• Know Your Numbers: Be prepared to share your administrative rate, annual operating budget, and the percentage of your board that contributes financially.
• Evaluate Your Impact: Use consistent data collection to explain your community’s needs to grantmakers and report on the results of funded projects.

 Download our Grant Writing Style Guide

 Review the OMB Uniform Guidance Standards

Measuring Your Success with the GRASP Tool

Because grant readiness is a shifting metric that changes with staff transitions and new programs, you should revisit your readiness score at least once a year. Whether you are a new organization or have a long history of success, using a formal assessment can identify gaps in your policies and procedures.

Is your organization truly ready to win? Download our free Grant Readiness Guide and GRASP Tool today! Or check out our on-demand webinar, Unlocking Grant Readiness Strategies and Best Practices for Successful Funding.

Key Takeaways

• Align with Strategy: Use a strategic plan to ensure that grant requests support your long-term goals rather than causing mission drift.
• Build a Team: Successful grant seeking requires a collaborative team including writers, finance staff, and program directors.
• Stay Proactive: Plan your application timelines in advance to create a less stressful and more thoughtful process.
• Review Annually: Reassess your grant readiness every year to account for organizational growth and staff turnover.

FAQs

What can grants NOT do for my organization? Grant revenue is not a quick solution for budget woes, nor is it an easy, low-maintenance stream of revenue.

How often should we check our grant readiness? You should revisit your grant readiness at least annually as part of your proactive planning process.

Who should be on our grant team? A strong team includes a professional grant writer, a finance director, program managers, and representatives from collaborative partners.

The post Why Grant Readiness is the Secret to Winning More Funding appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Table of Contents

• The Importance of Style in Grant Applications
• Essential Elements to Include in Your Style Guide
• Key Takeaways
• Frequently Asked Questions

The Importance of Style in Grant Applications

Consistency in grant writing builds trust and professional credibility with reviewers. While your team may already agree on how to describe your programs, establishing formal style preferences ensures that every application looks and sounds like it comes from the same cohesive organization. This alignment is critical not just for grants, but for all marketing and outreach efforts, because many grantmakers look at other collateral from your organization, including your newsletters, annual reports, and website or social media. Literally everything needs to look and feel the same.

Essential Elements to Include in Your Style Guide

Your style guide should document specific formatting and linguistic preferences to streamline the writing process and ensure consistency of voice and approach across all applications. Start by defining these core components:

• Language Standards: Define how to handle abbreviations and acronyms, and state preferences for technical or industry-specific language and frequently used words.
• Narrative Perspective: Clarify whether to use first, second, or third person point of view, and note when these rules change for specific types of grants.
• Visual Identity: Include links to your logo and letterhead, and specify preferred font styles, sizes, and brand HTML color codes.

Establishing these rules ahead of time saves your team significant editing hours and prevents “Frankenstein” proposals where different sections feel disconnected.

External Source Example – APA Style Guidelines

Ready to streamline your grant-writing process? Download our free Grant Writing Style Guide template here!

Key Takeaways

• Unify Your Voice: Ensure that grant applications match your organization’s broader marketing and awareness campaigns.
• Define Language Rules: Create clear guidelines for acronym use and technical terminology to improve readability.
• Set the Perspective: Decide on a consistent point of view (1st, 2nd, or 3rd person) for all submissions.
• Standardize Formatting: Document-specific fonts, sizes, and brand colors to maintain a professional appearance.

FAQs

Why does a style guide matter for grants? It ensures consistency with your organization’s brand and makes your applications appear more professional to reviewers.

What if my organization does not want or allow me to create a style guide for grants? Learn whether your marketing colleagues have an existing style guide that you can adopt without flouting a directive to not make a grant-specific guide. Continue advocating for the need of a specific style guide that pertains to the writing and formatting of grants. Document the occasions when the marketing style guide does not provide the guidance you need specifically for grant writing.

What is the best software for creating a style guide? Use the tool that is most comfortable for you. It can range from a simple word processing tool to a graphic design tool.

How long will writing a style guide take? I don’t have much “free” time. The answer depends on your organization and the complexities of the language you use in talking about your mission and those you serve. If you’re worried that you won’t have the time, think of building it one simple block at a time. When moments arise during your grant writing where you really wish you had a definitive answer for a word choice or acronym, take a minute to add that to a document until you’ve accumulated several. Begin growing your style guide in this way, as need dictates, and then you won’t feel so burdened by the thought of a big task.

What are the most important formatting elements to include? At a minimum, you should define your preferred font styles, sizes, and brand colors, and have easy access to your logo.

Should I use technical language in my grants? The answer ultimately depends on your organization’s mission and work, and on the language that describes your activities. You should document any specific technical language preferences in your style guide to ensure that all writers use terms correctly and consistently.

*This blog was written with the help of AI, based on our human-written, free download—and we added extra guidance in this blog for you, too

The post How to Build Your Grant Writing Style Guide appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Yet, when we talk about burnout in the nonprofit sector, actions that significantly increase the risk of burnout for a single team member, or the team as a whole, are often worn like badges of honor – I call it The Burnout Badge. The badges worn and celebrated, often after a heroic effort has been completed in service of achieving the organization’s mission.

Heroic actions and the resulting individual and team stress are leading indicators for team well-being. The actual act of being burned out? That is a lagging indicator. 

I strongly believe that grant professionals have been cheered on for years in their acts of heroic efforts – taking laptops on vacation, working until the late hours of the night for an 11:59pm ET grants.gov deadline, and on, and on. 

Burnout is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an occupational phenomenon—not a medical condition—resulting from chronic, unmanaged workplace stress. And unfortunately, the data compiled and published in the GPA Journal by the #HealthyGrantPro group of Trish Bachman, GPC Patricia Duboise, GPC, Bethany Planton, GPC, and Johna Rodgers, GPC has proven repeatedly that burnout in the grant profession is more than real. It might even border on an epidemic.

A culture of sustainable and successful grant seeking can not be a culture of heroic efforts. Yes, you can be successful in your grant seeking efforts with heroic efforts, but it is not sustainable. It is a likely path to burnout.

I recently read an article from HealthLine about how the act of following a set work schedule as a form of boundaries is one technique to avoid burnout. I read the article as I sat on my iPad in the early morning hours, drinking my coffee, working on my edits in my manuscript for Playbook for Changemakers, my book coming out later this year. The irony of the article I was reading and the time of day I was reading it wasn’t lost on me. I had left my time boundaries by the wayside Now, my immediate defense was that the book is a “fun” side project. But the reality? It is a business priority. It is part of our backlog. Yet, here I was blending my time boundaries to work on it. Burnout-prone activity? Or resilient culture activity? 

The reality is, and the data supports, that it is one thing to do a heroic effort occasionally – that isn’t a direct path to burnout. But the more the heroic efforts stack up, the higher your risk of burnout.

While individual and team wellness techniques, like our team talked about in Prioritizing Wellness: How Our Grant Writing Team Stays Mindful and Fights Burnout, are important, by themselves, they are not enough to build a resilient culture that is not burnout prone. The structure of the way the team operates needs to be addressed AND a culture of team wellness needs to be in place. Some of the key team operational items to address include:

• Time boundaries
• Clear priorities
• Psychological safety

Some of those items are easier and faster to put in place than others, but all three listed, take focused time and effort to build into your team and organization culture.

If you like learning about techniques related to minimizing the risk of burnout for yourself and your colleagues as much as I do, I hope you’ll join me for The Burn Out Badge: A Heroic Effort is Not a Plan on Wednesday, March 18th.

What are some of the ways that you have approached building a resilient culture in your organization that is not a burnout culture? We’d love to hear! Let us know in the comments or reach out via email. Diane @dhleonardconsulting.com

The post Are You Wearing the Burnout Badge? appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

Grant writing isn’t just about compelling narratives or clean budgets. It’s about proof. Funders want evidence that your organization knows where it’s going, how it will get there, and how their investment will make an impact. That’s where a strong strategic plan becomes your most powerful tool.

1. Funders Don’t Fund Ideas. They Fund Strategies.

When a nonprofit applies for a grant, funders look for alignment. A strategic plan shows that your work isn’t reactive but intentional: that every program, partnership, and dollar requested connects to a larger vision. It answers key funder questions before they even ask them:

• How will you measure success?
• What’s your plan for sustainability?
• Who is responsible for implementation?

Organizations with a clear roadmap demonstrate readiness and credibility. In fact, data show that those with written strategic plans grow up to 30% faster than those without.

2. Strategic Plans Strengthen Every Section of a Grant Proposal

A strategic plan provides the backbone for every component of a proposal:

• Need statement: Your data collection and community insights come from the research phase.
• Project description: Your plan clarifies which strategies tie directly to mission outcomes. It also shows the larger context for the grant-funded program and helps in the writing of the program narrative. 
• Budget: With a plan, your financials align with long-term goals instead of short-term fixes.
• Evaluation: Funders see you have systems in place to measure progress and adapt.

Without a plan, proposals can feel disjointed. With a plan, every section connects back to an overarching framework, making reviewers’ jobs (and your chances of success) much easier.

3. Plans Turn Grant Dollars into Impact

A grant award is only as good as your ability to execute it. Strategic plans transform funding into measurable impact by linking dollars to defined priorities. That’s how one mission-driven organization we partnered with increased its grant funding by 500% after adopting a new three-year plan.

Their success didn’t come from luck; it came from clarity, direction, and accountability.

4. Strategic Planning Attracts and Retains Funders

Foundations and corporate partners prefer to invest where they can see longevity. A strong plan signals stability, leadership alignment, and readiness for growth. It communicates that you’ve done the hard work – researching, reimagining, and revitalizing your approach to mission delivery.

We call this the JaM Journey:

• Research – Look back to look ahead.
• Reimagine – Dream a limitless future.
• Revitalize – Turn plans on paper into programs in practice.

That process builds the confidence funders need to say yes and the momentum organizations need to thrive.

Takeaway

If you want your next grant proposal to rise to the top of the pile, start with your strategy. A well-crafted strategic plan doesn’t just make your grant writer’s job easier. It makes your mission irresistible to funders.

View a few clips from Diane and Margaret’s conversation:

JaM Strategies is a strategic consulting firm focused on helping organizations clarify priorities, strengthen strategy, and navigate moments of change. Its partners, Jodi and Margaret, work closely with a range of organizations on strategy across operations, communications, and finances. If you’d like to talk more about strategic planning, you can reach out at jamstrategies.com.

Or download JaM Strategies One Page PDF

The post Why Strategic Plans Are the Secret Weapon in Successful Grant Writing appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

As we closed out the first meeting I attended as a guest, the group collectively recited the “Four-Way Test,” which is used by all Rotarians Internationally (and I had heard of before):

“Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?”

And then everyone in the room continued with (in slightly louder voices), “Will It Be FUN?!”

That was the moment that I knew I was destined to become a Rotarian in Clayton myself.

The reason is that two years ago, “Will it be fun?” became a question I started asking myself about all business-related choices. It took the first 18 years in business for this to become a guiding question, and the reasons why are important, yet very personal. Previously, I used questions about capacity, sustainability, and revenue potential to help guide business decisions. Those questions are all still important, but they are now less important than “Will it be fun?” when considering an action for myself and for our team. Although I wish I had started to use this as a guiding question earlier in my years in business, what I consider important now is that I don’t let the lesson fall to the wayside, but rather keep it front and center in all decisions.

As a result?

It doesn’t mean everything is all sunshine and rainbows. Stressful moments still happen. Yet, by changing my driving question, I see that the business continues to cruise along in a sustainable way that aligns with my personal values and can support my family, as well as my employees and their families. But along the way, we are having A LOT more fun.

Read the blog on The 20 Things I’ve Learned in Business

The post Is It Fun? appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.

The Grantseeker’s Reality: Adoption Outpaces Governance

For organizations seeking funding, AI is no longer an abstract concept—it is a functional tool. The survey data shows a decisive embrace of AI by grantseekers, driven primarily by the need for efficiency and productivity.

The majority of grantseeker respondents are currently leveraging AI for supportive tasks related to their applications, with 65.5% reporting usage in areas such as research, outlining, or developing funder talking points. This suggests AI is seen as a powerful efficiency booster, automating time-consuming preparatory work.

Figure 1. 2026 Grantmaker and Grantseeker AI Survey – Grantseeker utilization of AI in supportive tasks

More strikingly, nearly three out of five grantseekers (58.8%) report using AI, either regularly or infrequently, in the actual writing of their grant applications. This finding confirms that the technology has moved beyond simple support functions and is now directly contributing to content generation in the high-stakes world of fundraising.

Figure 2. 2026 Grantmaker and Grantseeker AI Survey – Grantseeker utilization of AI in writing applications

However, this rapid operational adoption is far ahead of organizational policy. Over half of grantseeker organizations surveyed (52.6%) currently do not have a formal AI usage policy in place. While a promising 31.9% indicated that a policy is under development, the current reality is that most organizations are operating without clear, shared standards for acceptable AI usage. The collective challenge for grantseeker organizations is clear: codify internal best practices before rapid adoption creates unexpected internal and external risks.

Figure 3. 2026 Grantmaker and Grantseeker AI Survey – Grantseeker AI usage policy

The Ambiguity of Disclosure: The “Did You Use AI?” Question

As grantseekers consider where and how to adopt AI, a natural point of friction emerges at the intersection of technology and accountability: disclosure of their use both internally and with their grantmakers.

Currently, the question of whether an applicant has used AI is still rare, with 90.7% of grantseeker respondents stating they have not yet seen it on an application (Figure 4).

Figure 4. 2026 Grantmaker and Grantseeker AI Survey – Did you use AI question on grant applications

As AI use becomes normalized, this question is expected to become standard. For those who have encountered the query, the predominant feeling is uncertainty, cited by nearly half of all respondents (48.3%). This prevailing uncertainty is the most significant finding on the disclosure front. It suggests that the simple “Yes/No” question is insufficient for the complexity of the technology. Many open-ended responses from the survey indicate that grantseekers struggle to draw the line: Does using an AI-enhanced grammar checker count? Does synthesizing a mountain of public data with an AI tool require disclosure? What are the implications of saying “Yes”?

Figure 5. 2026 Grantmaker and Grantseeker AI Survey – How “Did you use AI?” make grantseekers feel

The sector must recognize that an ambiguous disclosure question can introduce unnecessary anxiety or, worse, discourage innovation. Grantmakers have an opportunity to provide clarity now—defining what constitutes reportable AI use and setting expectations for its ethical application—before the question becomes ubiquitous.

The Grantmaker’s Evolving Role: A Proactive Moment

While the majority of survey respondents were grantseekers, the small group of grantmaker data points offers preliminary, but critical, insight into the funding community’s mindset.

Among the few grantmaker respondents, the sentiment toward AI use on a grant application leaned either Neutral or Positive. This indicates that there is no widespread, immediate hostility toward the technology, but rather a cautious willingness to engage.

The grantmaker community is also navigating its own policy and implementation gap.

• External Policy is Nascent: None of the grantmaker respondents reported currently asking applicants about their use of AI.
• Internal Practice is Varied: The use of AI for internal operations—such as drafting guidelines or evaluating proposals—is in the earliest stages of exploration, with respondents split between using the technology, having no current plans, and actively discussing the possibilities. Furthermore, most of the grantmaker organizations surveyed in this small group currently lack a formal AI usage policy.

This moment presents a critical window of opportunity. With grantseekers already utilizing AI for efficiency, the onus is on the grantmaking community to move from a reactive, wait-and-see approach to a proactive, policy-driven one.

Moving Forward: From Ambiguity to Action

The survey’s findings paint a clear picture: AI adoption is happening now, driven by grantseekers focused on productivity, and a policy lag exists on both sides of the application process.

To navigate this new reality successfully, the philanthropic community must collectively address the ambiguity:

1. Grantmakers must set clear expectations. Define what AI use is acceptable, what must be disclosed, and, crucially, why the information is being collected. Clarity will reduce uncertainty and promote ethical, effective use.
2. Both grantseekers and grantmakers must formalize internal policies. AI usage policies should not be seen as restrictions, but as frameworks for ethical practice, ensuring transparency, data security, and accountability for all outputs.
3. The sector needs an open dialogue. Foundations and nonprofits should collaborate to share best practices and common definitions. This partnership is essential to ensuring that AI serves the sector’s ultimate goal of maximizing social impact.

The AI era is here. By taking proactive steps today, the grantmaking ecosystem can harness this powerful technology to enhance efficiency without sacrificing the trust, rigor, or the human element that defines philanthropic work.

*For full transparency, this blog was authored with the assistance of AI. We provided, in a locked LLM system, the survey, the survey data without identifying information of participants, and the transcript of our February 2026 1-hour Lunch and Learn “Funders Are Asking Did You Use AI to Write Your Grant… How Do You Answer?”

The post The State of AI in Grantmaking: Adoption, Ambiguity, and the Urgent Need for Policy* appeared first on DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services.