Grants can help nonprofits grow, but they were never meant to keep the whole organization alive. If your funding plan starts and ends with “we’ll get grants,” it’s time for a reality check.

March almost took me out. On paper, it was one of our strongest months. We pushed out more grant applications than ever before, stayed on top of deadlines, and even brought on a new Grant Specialist to support growth. From the outside, it probably looked like we were crushing it.