Some grant writers take a “shotgun” approach by submitting the same grant to several funders at once. This merely wastes a client’s time and money. Almost every funder has specific guidelines for those who wish to apply. This provides them the ability to quickly detect and dismiss those who have mass-produced submissions.

MYTH #3) MILLIONS OF GRANT DOLLARS ARE AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES.

Contrary to popular belief, the biggest sources of funding offer extremely limited opportunities for individuals or for-profit businesses not related to high technology or research efforts. The Small Business Administration clearly states on their website that they do not provide grants for anyone.

MYTH #4) ANYONE CAN WRITE A GRANT. IT IS EASY TO DO AND ALMOST EVERYONE GETS APPROVED.

This simply is not true. Grant writing is a very complex discipline and requires a high degree of attention to detail. Competition is intense and only the best written grants even have a chance of getting approved in most cases. Grants applications may be dismissed simply because of too many spelling, grammatical, or spacing errors.

MYTH #5) GRANT WRITING FEES CAN BE PAID FROM THE GRANT FUNDING.

Grant writing is a complex professional and specialized service and one which must be paid for at the time of service. Many inexperienced or unethical grant writers attempt to bill clients based on commission(s) paid from a grant award. This is considered an illegal practice and can jeopardize the entire program or project. With few exceptions, grant writing fees can not be paid from nor reimbursed from grant funds.