If I Was Your Grant Writer, I’d Cut 80% of What You’re Trying to Tell Funders

If I was your grant writer, I’d tell you something you might not love hearing at first:

You’re trying to tell funders way too damn much.

Every time we open an application together, you hand me everything. Your mission, your 13 programs, your origin story, your founder’s personal trauma, your new pilot project, the graduation rate from 2009, three heartfelt client quotes… and if you could fit it in the character count, probably a partridge in a pear tree.

And listen, I get it. You’re doing incredible work. You’re proud of it (as you should be), and you want funders to see the full depth of what you do because your organization is basically the Swiss Army knife of doing good.

But here’s the truth no one warns you about:

When you try to tell every story, you end up telling none of them well.

Funders aren’t looking for a data dump or a highlight reel of everything you’ve ever accomplished. They’re looking for clarity. They want to walk away knowing, without question, who you help, how you help, and why it matters right now.

That’s it.

So, if I was your grant writer, I’d tell you to choose one strong narrative and anchor your entire proposal around it. Not a handful of loosely related examples or a collage of everything your organization has ever touched. 

Just one core story that answers:

• What problem are you solving?

• Who feels that problem the most?

• What exactly are you doing about it?

• Why does your approach work?

• And what proof do you have?

If a funder can’t repeat your story back to you in a single statement after reading your proposal, the narrative wasn’t focused, and no amount of “but we do so much good work!” makes up for that lack of clarity.

When you simplify your narrative, your impact lands harder. Your writing also gets tighter, your outcomes feel stronger, and your application reads like a cohesive story instead of a chaotic scrapbook.

Trust that funders will feel the depth of your work more powerfully when you stop trying to impress them with everything… and start moving them with the clarity of one well-told narrative.