Spark the Fire
Grant Writing Blog
Skills, ideas, and sometimes contrarian views for grant writers and freelance consultants who want to get better at the work, not just get through it. Centering purpose, not hustle.
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When 100% Should Have Said 100%: What a Box Truck Full of Furniture Taught Me About Participatory Evaluation
I was doing my initial research for a new client, an organization that provides an entire houseful of furniture to families experiencing hardship, when I found something that didn't add up.
Where Logic Models Quietly Lie
Because here is the catch that trips up even experienced writers: understanding the logic model and building an honest one are not the same thing. A model can be filled in correctly and still quietly lie. The lies are almost always in the same five places, and once you know where to look, you cannot unsee them in your own work.
Evidence-Based Practices in Grant Writing: How to Find, Align, and Use Them
The term "evidence-based" gets thrown around a lot — often loosely. Before you can use it effectively in a grant proposal, it helps to understand what it actually means and where your program falls on the spectrum.
Beyond the Survey: 16 Evaluation Tools Every Grant Writer Should Have in Their Back Pocket
When it's time to write the evaluation section of a grant proposal, there's a strong gravitational pull toward one familiar tool: the survey. Surveys are everywhere because they're flexible, affordable, and easy to explain to a funder. But here's the thing — if surveys are the only tool you ever reach for, you're going to miss opportunities to show funders the full picture of what your project actually accomplishes.
Right Sized Evaluation in Grant Writing: What It Is and How to Do It
Here's something I hear from nonprofit leaders all the time: they know evaluation matters, but they're not sure they're doing it right.
Not because they don't care about outcomes — they got into this work precisely because they care about outcomes. The uncertainty comes from a very specific place: the feeling that whatever they're doing to measure their impact isn't rigorous enough, isn't fancy enough, or isn't generating the kind of data that will make a funder's eyes light up during a site visit.
Outputs vs. Outcomes: How to Show Funders You're Making a Real Difference
Of all the grant writing mistakes I see, this one shows up very often: confusing outputs with outcomes.
When I review grant proposals for foundations and government funders, I watch this pattern repeat itself constantly. The applicant describes their program, lists impressive numbers, and never once tells me whether any of it is actually making a difference.
Your grant proposal might be well-written, well-organized, and perfectly aligned with the funder's priorities—but if you're only measuring outputs, you're leaving points on the table. This is one of the fastest ways to land in "six, seven" territory: that middle-of-the-pack score that isn't bad, but isn't good enough to get funded.