Grants are great for small business owners to fund their businesses or expand them. But it is not possible to win every grant you apply for, however, you cannot miss being awarded at least one for your business or project. It may be discouraging, but how do you go about it when you do not win government grants. The way you respond makes a great impression on the grant funders.
Plus, you open the door for future grant opportunities. Again, you may get insights from them about how you can improve your future proposal applications. Below are things to do when you receive a grant rejection letter.
Table of Contents
Write a thank you letter
Composing a heartfelt thank you letter after your grant is rejected is the last thing anyone would want to do. But, you want to maintain a positive relationship with the grantor, and it is vital to do this and maintain the relationship with the various funding organizations.
Therefore, as you write the thank you letter, make it personal. Avoid using generic templates to craft your letter, for they do not sound genuine. More importantly, mention the funding organization by name and then express your gratitude for giving out the opportunity to the many business people. This is vital if you plan to reapply for a grant with the organization again.
Reapply
Most grants are offered on a recurring basis. For this reason, keep a list of grant details and applications you did not win but are still eligible to apply for them. So, when they are offered again next, resubmit your proposal and try your luck once again. If you took your time and got feedback from the grantors, ensure you apply what you learn as you reapply. In this way, the grant reviewers will note it, and it improves your chances to receive the grant award the next time you try to request funding.
Ask for feedback
Most people do not ask for feedback when they receive a grant proposal rejection. Yet, this is missing the opportunity to get feedback on where to improve the next time in your proposal. Sometimes, the request for feedback may go unanswered. But it never hurts to ask. Plus, in requesting feedback, ask the grantor what you can do differently next time. Also, find out whether you are eligible to submit your grant proposal again in the future. Additionally, you can request to see the reviewers’ notes if they do not mind sharing them. The feedback will help you refine future applications and provide valuable insights into your grant applications.
Stay in touch
If the grantor you worked with was fitting for your organization, it is vital to stay in touch. To build a relationship with them, you can start by sending an occasional email or contacting them if they do not mind. In this way, you leave the door open for future funding opportunities. Plus, your future proposal may be competitive. But, staying in touch with them may sway grant decision-makers in considering your organization for funding.
Keep trying
Writing a grant application and following the process to submission is a time-consuming process. But, it is a great way to get the funds for your business or the project you have. So, if you receive a rejection on your grant proposal, do not be discouraged with trying out for grant funding. Instead, seek out new funding options and improve your writing practices. More importantly, apply for many grants to increase your odds of receiving grant approval.
To conclude, most people may not know what to do when they receive a rejection of their grant application. But, before applying, it is vital to know that rejection is a possibility. If you get your first grant proposal approved, it may be first-timers luck.
In most cases, it takes some time, and when you go through the rejection process, you learn better how to write and submit the grant application. So, the above are some things to do once your grant application is part of the rejection list. Plus, you learn after receiving a rejection how to do better grant proposals.
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