This Insights article was contributed by CIE’s David Morrison, and Althea Lewis with UNCW’s College of Health and Human Services.  

Last week, Cucalorus Connect gave social entrepreneurs and filmmakers the space to learn.
Topics ranged from adapting to social innovation to the hard-and-fast skills you need to manage a business or nonprofit.

The importance of working in the latter category shone through during a session from UNCW’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and College of Health and Human Services (CHHS) called “The Nuts and Bolts of Grant Writing.”

What are these "nuts and "bolts," exactly? Just like your average messy toolbox, there are too many to count.

Instead, I wanted to take a few minutes to review a few central themes from our session:

• Tell your organization's (or project's) story in a new way. Don't tell funders what you do; focus on why you do it.
• Don't be afraid to ask questions about the questions. In many cases, funders will gladly take your calls or emails about the application.
• Know when to ask. With the above theme in mind, that doesn't mean you should call for everything. If you have questions about how to develop a project budget, for example, consider working with someone – such as a consultant or mentor – to help you make important decisions about the grant.
• It is your grant, but be sure to get input from others. Often, an executive director or board president under a tight deadline will write a grant and not share drafts with others for feedback. Start early, get feedback from those in your circle, and avoid those simple mistakes that can be cause for rejection, especially with larger funding amounts or long-term projects.
• Be yourself (within the Request for Proposal guidelines). You were chosen by your organization to write this grant for a reason. Instead of dreading the task, embrace it. Write the grant the way you know how. Just remember, each time – no matter if it's a $500 grant or a $500,000 grant – your purpose in writing is to share your “why” in a compelling and meaningful way.