MYTHS
Some grant writers are successful more often than not, some grant writers are most likely to be rejected.
There isn’t any such person as a “perfect” grant writer. Good grantsmanship isn’t about a person – it’s about doing your homework when it comes to seeking funding, following guidelines, clarity of communication and otherwise making the case for project/program support.
I do agree that the best person to write a grant is not a consultant, but someone within your organization who is good at telling the story clearly and persuasively, under supervision from a specialized consultant that should know what to “extract” out from an involved participant in the organization who needs funding. Remember that flowery language does not win. Integrity does. Go for it. Tell the story with passion and have a well reasoned plan to solve the program and a realistic budget.
If you wish to understand what makes a good reliable grant professional, ask about the types of grants one have written and the role they played in making the grant happen. Be aware that someone who writes terrific grants for technology may not be as good a grant writer when it comes to arts and culture or human services. One grant isn’t like every other grant. Not every grant writer is able to or willing to work with state/federal/governmental/bilateral grant proposals and guidelines. Governmental and intergovernmental grants have little in common with the private foundation grants. The latest needs to be cultivated just like you would an individual donor. For the first you have to analyze your position as it relates to possible funding sources and make strategic decisions. Here grant writing is based in large part on meeting the grant makers’ programmatic goals, while maintaining fidelity to your mission and funding needs. But sometimes changing their programmatic goals through lobby and advocacy for legislative changes make your way for governmental grants.
