Note: This guest post is from Shavonn Richardson of Think and Ink Grant Consulting. Thanks, Shavonn!

The slowdown of federal grants is real. Many organizations are starting to steer clear of federal grants due to the whiplash of executive orders and the fear these orders are inflicting on those who support the poor, the marginalized, the underserved, and the under-resourced. 

For some, fear is actual, material, actionable, and warranted. For others, fear manifests as premature adoption and a reaction to get ahead of what may be happening next – even if nothing has actually happened yet. 

Each organization must make decisions based on its own risk tolerance and circumstances.

In this moment, you can still get grants

My take and our firm’s stance is this: We are here to win. We want our clients to succeed. Winning is what we do. We pursue every available grant opportunity each client is eligible for and aligned with. In the current environment, this all-in approach is mandatory.

Many organizations that have decided to avoid federal grants and are pivoting to pursue foundations. More organizations than ever before are now competing for the same dollars, making the landscape much more competitive. 

The level of foundation dollars available may increase over time as funders respond to the current environment and infuse more dollars into the ecosystem. However, this could take time, and you may need grant funding now – not a year or two from now. 

What can you do today to increase your competitiveness and win more foundation grants? Here are three tangible, practical steps.

1. Get your house in order

Do the things you never have time to do, but you know are important nonetheless. This includes the strategy and planning required to set yourself up for success but is hard to do on your own. How will your organization make an impact? How do you measure that impact? This is the “think” part of the work we do each day. 

When I serve as a federal grant reviewer or on a review panel for a foundation, I can always tell which organizations have done the work versus those that haven’t. Those who’ve done the work often get a full score from the review panel on applicable parts of the scoring rubric. 

No surprise: when you have a plan – and can demonstrate that plan – you improve your odds of winning grants.

2. Train up your team 

Invest in training your team while things have slowed down a bit. They will need basic training or perhaps more advanced training. 

You are competing in a new environment. You need the knowledge and resources to compete effectively. 

3. Supercharge your relationship-building 

One basic truth about fundraising: people give to people. In today’s competitive landscape, this fact is even more important. The power of who you know can make the difference between a win and a decline. 

Sadly, most grantseekers have no real strategy for building relationships. They take a haphazard approach, hoping something sticks. 

Here is a time-tested approach to building relationships with funders. This approach has been used for almost ten years by various organizations with great success. It can also work for you.

Be proactive

Know this: what’s happening in the federal grants space may be short-term or may last much longer. Regardless, you need to equip your organization to be competitive and proactive.

In this challenging moment, can you win foundation grants? Yes, you can.