Insights from Grant Makers and Grant Writers
Last week, Cadenza hosted a webinar featuring two generations of grant writers and grant makers. Moderated by Mallory Erickson, author and host of "What the Fundraising", our panelists shared valuable and candid insights around how nonprofits can build more trust with new funders along with best practices around grant writing. For a full recap of the Cadenza webinar, the recording has been posted on YouTube below:
MAJOR THEMES & TAKEAWAYS
Whether you’re a grant funder or a grant writer, there’s not a lot of information out there on how to get started.
Relationships are most the important part of fundraising.
Many successful new grants come from referrals, mainly from agencies that funder currently supports.
Don’t forget how rewarding this work is, and don’t sell yourself short on the important part you play in making that work happen.
Don’t sell yourself short. You’re sharing with a foundation the nonprofit they havent heard about before.
WEBINAR TRANSCRIPT (still in progress):
Mallory Erickson: What’s one piece of wisdom that has remained true over your 20 years as a funder?
Jackie Hynek, Board Member @ Topfer Family Foundation:
“So the key for me, and I think most of our board members, is the relationships that funders can build with their organizations and their agencies is, to me, the first and foremost, most important thing. Way more important than the grant application. For us, the grant application is secondary, because we don't, take unsolicited grant requests. We do take letters of inquiry, but most of our grants are through relationships that we have with current agencies that recommend other agencies to us or, people that we meet along the way. And after those discussions comes the grant application. So I would say the relationship is to us, the most important piece to get, grant applications and granting started and then continue.”
Cadenza Takeaway: Build Relationships, Not Just Applications
Jackie emphasizes the importance of cultivating relationships with funders—long before a grant application even comes into play. For many funders, like the Topfer Family Foundation, the strength of the relationship with your organization is what opens doors. Forget just sending in unsolicited applications; building connections through mutual trust and recommendations is key. Focus on networking, making genuine connections, and nurturing those relationships. Only after you’ve established rapport will the conversation about grant applications begin. This isn’t just about checking boxes—it’s about building a foundation for long-term partnerships.
Mallory Ericson: What was the most important thing you wanted Cassie to know about how to be a successful grant writer?
Brenda Rozinsky, Grants and Foundation Officer @ My Possibilities
“It's interesting. When she first told me that she wanted to do this for her career, I was super excited because I love what I do. And to have, Cassie wanted to do it as well. It was just so exciting. The first thing I told her is just how rewarding of a job it is. I find that on a daily basis, not only do I get to interact with participants in the programs that I'm writing grants for, but I get to meet those funders. So it's it's I get both sides of a beautiful world. So interacting with the participants in in my case, I'm serving adults with disabilities. But then to have the strong relationships with the funders, it just comes full circle and that's what makes it work.“
“I wanted to tell Cassie when she started out not to sell herself short. So it's really hard when you start out as a grant writer, because there's not a lot of experience besides just getting in there and writing the grant, right. But the thing you have to understand is it's you're doing more than just writing the grant you're sharing with a foundation, this nonprofit they might not have heard about before. So you're the first, sometimes the first introduction that they have to their mission. And so that's just really a great way to start that relationship and have those conversations early. I just really wanted to support her. And any grant writer that wants to get started, because it is all about the relationships.”
Cadenza Takeaway: Don’t Sell Yourself Short—Your Role Is Bigger Than Writing Grants
Brenda Rozinsky offers invaluable advice for new grant writers: you’re not just writing grants; you’re building connections and being the voice that introduces funders to a nonprofit’s mission. For Brenda, the job is rewarding not just because it connects her with the community she serves but also because it lets her develop strong relationships with funders. If you’re just starting out as a grant writer, remember that your role extends beyond the paperwork. You are a key player in bridging the gap between nonprofits and funders. Embrace your position as a connector and don’t undervalue the impact of these early conversations—they’re crucial to laying the groundwork for meaningful partnerships.
Mallory Erickson: “Brenda, you right now are managing around $5 million in grant funding and Zach tells me you have almost a 60% win rate! How are you so successful managing that much in grant funding?”
Brenda Rozinsky:
“Okay, so first I, my previous career was I was a manufacturing engineer. So process driven. And that's really what something I brought to the table. I think, and I try to share with other grant writers, but just to be process driven, I kind of work up an 18 month calendar. I've already had conversations with my returning funders this year. If we're still in the game for this year, and if anything's changed on there and for my returning funders, I see a 99 to 100% return rate. Sometimes you see a little follow up if something's changed with the foundation. But for those longer term relationships that you can continue to steward that return or that award rate remains very high. So I'm seeing, you know, less 60% around that or sometimes all of us for new funders, those are often because you don't have that relationship and you're having to just get in front of them with an application they might not accept, conversations ahead of time, things like that.
So I think for me, 60% seems low. I, I really have a goal of 100%, and that's where I start up. I really have that dream every time I submit a grant because I've vetted it, I've either done my research, I've reached out to the vendor, I've had conversations. If I haven't done that, at least I've gone. Mallory, you did a talk recently about the four boxes, and I try as I kind of plan my grant strategy for the year, to really look at the foundations that I can apply to, even if they're new, that are going to be the best return. Right? So it's not going to be somebody that I'm applying to cold, that maybe we're not a fit. If I apply, I feel like we're a fit. I just have to convince a defender of the worth it. If it's if it's not open to having a conversation ahead of time.
So that's why I think I have a good success rate, is because I really expect to win every one of them because I want to respect the funders time as well. You know, they receive a lot of applications and I don't want to submit something, waste my time, but most importantly, to waste their time because they read a lot of applications. And if I can make sure that I'm aligned, I think that's best for everybody.”
Cadenza Takeaway: Process, Relationships, and Research Drive Grant Success
Brenda Rozinsky’s 60% win rate isn’t by chance—it’s a result of a methodical, process-driven approach rooted in strong relationships and thorough research. With her engineering background, Brenda crafts an 18-month calendar and has proactive conversations with returning funders. This process keeps her return rate at nearly 100% for existing relationships. When applying to new funders, she ensures that the fit is right before submitting—this is key to not wasting anyone’s time and increases your chances of success. Research and conversations ahead of time make all the difference. If you align yourself with funders who are a good fit, you’ll increase your likelihood of winning grants. Brenda’s mindset: always aim for 100%, and if you’ve done your homework, you’ll be in a strong position to succeed.
Aside from Mallory:
“I love that like you're being rigorous about your own time investment and doing those things, but you're also, you know, without having that face to face meeting necessarily that Jackie mentioned, you're demonstrating your commitment to that relationship or your interest and your you're sort of like awareness of the funders experience too, in not just throwing anything, you know, spaghetti at the wall.”
Mallory Erickson: “Cassie, you had your a mom who is a grant writer, what are some of the things you’ve learned from how Brenda does things that have been really critical to your practice?”
Cassandra Gray, Founder + Lead Grant Writer @ Legacy Grant Solutions
“Yeah, I think really just after listening to her talk briefly, I think you can see one of the biggest things that I've learned from her is just to put like my heart and my passion into the work. That was the reason why I wanted to get into it in the first place. My younger sister has down syndrome, and so we grew up learning about the nonprofit world and seeing the benefits that so many of these programs had. And so it was always something that meant something to me. And so, when I got into it, I really started I work with a variety of clients. But I always try to choose, and partner with those that I do feel connected to their mission and what they're doing.
I feel like that just makes me a better storyteller for them. So I think that's first and foremost, the biggest thing that she has taught me is to truly see, like the meaning behind the work, and like, and to take the time to see the, like, the results and experience the wins, rather than just like, moving along to the next thing.”
“She's very intentional, and I try to put that as part of my process as well. Obviously for getting the grant, like take a moment and really celebrate that, but also for not, you know, to not just, like write it off, you know, figure out why. Is it because we're not if it and if so then okay, now we know. And you know that might just not be on the list for next year. But if we are and if we just needed, you know, to go a different direction or have more steps in our process as we like, approach that specific foundation, then that becomes, you know, just notes and feedback that we can use for the next cycle to, to get us to that higher win rate.
I think additionally, what I've taken, is just learning how to be like a full strategic partner. You're so much more than just like a grant writer. There's so many pieces that go into it. And so, like, positioning myself to be relevant at every table, whether it's sitting in on all the program calls or, you know, looking into the financials deeper, there's, there's so much relevance for, for the writer to be a part of all these conversations.
It helps us to bring those questions to the table that they might not have, you know, been thinking of. But it also just like really gives us, again, the full story so we can paint that whole picture. So I think for me, she's just like motivated me to be like a one stop shop for all my clients. So bringing that like passion to it, but also just, being able to help them with whatever stage they're at.
Some clients I work with, they have a lot of returning funders, and we're just like cultivating those relationships. And then there's others that we're really like starting from scratch. And so being able to position myself to help them really, wherever they are.”
Cadenza’s Takeaways: Infuse Passion into Your Work and Be a Strategic Partner
Cassandra shares a powerful insight from Brenda Rozinsky: bring your heart and passion to the work. Cassandra’s connection to the nonprofit world, especially her personal ties to causes, enables her to tell more compelling stories for her clients. When you feel connected to the mission, it makes you a better advocate for their cause, and that’s a key component in writing successful grants. Brenda’s influence has also taught Cassandra to be more intentional in her process—celebrating wins, learning from setbacks, and using feedback to improve future applications.
Furthermore, Cassandra stresses the importance of being a strategic partner, not just a grant writer. Whether you’re sitting in on program calls or digging into financials, your deeper involvement allows you to bring more to the table. This holistic approach ensures you can help clients at any stage of their grant process, whether they’re nurturing established relationships or starting from scratch. Be proactive, engaged, and passionate—those are the keys to long-term success.
Mallory Erickson: “I would love to know if you have an example of an organization or an experience, you know, where that organization did a really good job building trust with your foundation.”
Jackie Hynek:
“So I'm going to tell you about two organizations. And because they're very different, one is a an organization that services teen moms. And, we have funded them for almost 22 years, and we changed our funding model probably about ten years ago, where we're giving $1 million a year in pretty much two locations at the time. And we in order to keep bringing in organizations, we had to and some times make tough decisions to let organizations go. This one particular agency, every time we met with them.
And at the end of the conversation, we were going to tell them this might be the last year. They tell us about a new program, a new way they're using old funds and, how they're consistent. Lee. Stretching themselves and repurposing themselves to do a little bit more. And we would walk out of those meetings saying, okay, guess we're going to fund them again.”
“Because there was constant excitement and, and good work. So, I would say that as long as an agency continues to push themselves to one, stay true to their core and to to do more and, and maybe get rid of old programs, introduce new programs and, continue to grow. That's been key for us. The second one and this is really specific to, the the grant writers out there, we met with through a friend, Ronald McDonald House wanted to build a new house, a local hospital campus.
And so we took the meeting and we met with them, and we assume that everybody's going to go on your website and see what your average grant size is and how often do you grant the same organization, etc., etc.. At the time, our average grant size was somewhere between 50,000 at $100,000. And we sat in the room and they did a whole song and dance and asked us for $1 million. And our first reaction was, oh my God, did they not do their homework? How could they ask us for $1 million when that is heads and tails more than the majority of their grants? And, we stood in the parking lot and after the first meeting we said instead of why not? Why can't we? And so I would tell every funder or fundraiser out there, push yourselves to ask for what you need, even if it's sometimes much more than a funder typically gives, because you never know when a program, when an organization is going to, present itself, that sparks enough interest in the funder side for us.
Instead of saying why we can't do it, push ourselves to say, maybe we can do it.”
Cadenza’s Takeaway: Show Continuous Growth and Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Big
Jackie shares two powerful lessons for fundraisers. First, funders want to see organizations that continually evolve while staying true to their mission. The nonprofit serving teen moms kept securing funding because they consistently found new ways to maximize resources, adapt programs, and demonstrate impact. This kind of proactive growth keeps funders engaged and invested.
Second, don’t be afraid to make the big ask. The Ronald McDonald House initially seemed to overreach with a $1 million request—far beyond the foundation’s typical grant size. But instead of dismissing it outright, the funders asked themselves, why not? The lesson here? If your project is compelling enough, funders may stretch beyond their usual limits. Do your research, align your mission with their priorities, and ask for what you truly need. You never know when a funder might be ready to take a leap with you.
Mallory’s Takeaway:
“There's a there is a comment in the chat that I actually want to address around, you know, Jackie was talking about excitement and innovation and that their family foundation seems to really value that. And there is something that you said that really stuck with me that it wasn't, they were staying core to who they were, but sometimes they were closing a program to try something new, right?
And that they were innovating and iterating on the work that they were doing to try to do better at achieving their overall mission and their overall goal. And one of the things I just want to say is, you know, one of the things that we know about foundations in general is they're not all the same. Some foundations, family foundations, private foundations, like, like to pilot new programs.
Some foundations like to be stability funders. Some foundations like to do partnership launching like ever. And so this it's really important that we're getting that opportunity to go inside of funders, head right now and hear about how their particular foundation looks at this. But it's important for all of you, the fundraisers that you're you're looking at funders to understand which types of which, at which moment, that funder likes to get engaged with an organization.
And if they are more inclined to fund innovative new programs to try out something or if they are the type of funder that wants to do sustainability funding around something that is demonstrating a certain amount of metrics, or they want to help it scale, right. Everybody has their own orientation. And so I just would encourage everybody to recognize that this is it's not one size fits all.
And she's highlighting a very important thing to find out about the funder before you put an application in front of them, or an Loi in front of them, or try to have a conversation. When you're looking for a very different type of funding than what they focus on. I think it just highlights it just highlights that there's a lot of diversity there.
And this is why being able to put on that lens is really important.”
Mallory Erickson: How has working with your family foundation led to the creation of Cadenza?
Zachary Hynek, Cofounder and CRO @ Cadenza
“Well, I think there's something that even as my mom was speaking to us, having that understanding of even within our board, there's a lot of different personalities, a lot of different kind of, you know, focus areas are kind of giving pillars. That means something completely different to, you know, depending on even I've heard this before, for some of these large organizations, it could literally be depending on who just picked up your application in the pile at that point in time.
So how can we help organizations to Brenda's earlier point do a lot of that, you know, initial research, but also staying organized and as opposed to our kind of traditional, yeah, databases that are out there where you get these hundreds if not thousands of, you know, perhaps grant opportunities that you could be able to apply to. Where can we use some of these new AI tools to do some of that digging ahead of time?
But I agree with what my mom was saying earlier about I think the grant application isn't always the most important part. I think it's what often gets you in that foot in the door, or it kind of is really important in that follow up piece to the process, but it's often the most time consuming piece of that process.
Or it can take days, if not weeks, especially on the federal grant side, to be able to actually do all of the digging. And I think, Brenda, you were saying at one point that you don't you're very specific about the grants that you look at and you don't. I Brenda, keep me honest here. Two of like are touching too many of these kind of, you know, big government grant applications because you just know how finicky they can be.
Or as we see right now, how unreliable that that kind of funding source could be. And I thought it was something that always just dawned on me of like, if we could build tools and technologies that could help just reduce the in mind of some of those, the amount of time of those more manual processes, then we could allow people to have that time back to this.
I know some that Cassie had said to us earlier was, you know, and so our initial feedback conversations was like, oh, I just don't feel like I'm so, so like stretched then or like caught up and don't have the time to do that extra leg of research to find that alignment between our organizations to where you could really have even something in your letter of inquiry that shows like, oh, you really did your homework, or you were able to find a way in with one of the organizations that we do support, because I think those are all those little tidbits and nuggets that, you know, often times really do elevate the whole application where it's like, okay, let's set up a call.”
