A few thoughts on grantwriting, which I seem to be doing at just about all of my jobs this spring:
1. Begging for money is hard work. Begging for taxpayer money is far harder work. I make more per grantwriting hour than I would standing on a streetcorner with a performance troupe and a guitar case, but one of these two is more fun. Guess which one?
2. I don't mind answering questions in the least about why our projects might match your organization's goals. This seems extremely relevant, and I am happy for the chance to build a case. However, I think any questions requiring me to state why my organization is interested in receiving funding from [name of funding organization] are meant to test my ability to generate bulls**t. Come on, say it with me: You have money. We need money. This is why we are interested in receiving your money. (If you didn't have money, we wouldn't ask you for funding!)
3. Please, after I spend 20-30 hours filling out endless forms, could your organization send me any kind of evaluation at all? ANYthing that would help me do a better job if you're not funding my application? Or is it asking too much to receive some kind of meaningful feedback? You have to realize that if your funding categories appear to include our organization, we will keep applying until you either fund us or change your guidelines. I'd love to know the truth or some part of it about the reasons we're denied. "Our new board president doesn't like theatre." "We're only funding companies we've funded before that we trust this year." "Your narrative was dry and boring, and your project sounds uninspiring." "You didn't submit all the info we needed to make a decision." See, two of these reasons get me off the hook, and the other two are really important because it means I need to do my job better.
Now, I go forth to find more adjectives.
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