What Is a Good Grant-Writing Success Rate?
One of the first questions nonprofit leaders ask when considering a grant writer is, “What is your success rate?”
It sounds like a reasonable question. If you are investing money in grant writing, you want to know whether that investment is likely to produce results. The problem is that a success-rate percentage rarely tells the whole story.
A better question is: What factors produced that success rate, and what would need to be true for our organization to achieve similar results?
Think About Grant Writing Like Baseball
Grant writing has more in common with baseball than many nonprofit leaders realize.
A baseball player with a .300 batting average is considered an excellent hitter. However, that same player is still unsuccessful during approximately seven out of every ten at-bats. A player batting .250 may fail to get a hit fifteen times out of twenty and still be a valuable contributor.
We understand that failure is built into baseball. We should bring that same perspective to grant writing.
Even an experienced grant writer will receive rejection letters. A declined proposal does not automatically mean the proposal was poorly written or the grant writer failed. Foundations have limited funds, and many receive far more qualified applications than they can support.
A strong grant strategy is not about winning every application. It is about consistently pursuing well-matched opportunities and improving your organization’s position over time.
Why Success Rates Can Be Misleading
A grant writer’s success rate can be calculated in several different ways.
One person may count the number of grants awarded compared with the total number submitted. Another may calculate the percentage of requested dollars that were awarded. Someone else may exclude applications that are still pending or proposals submitted to highly competitive national funders.
That makes it difficult to compare two grant writers using a single percentage.
Success rates can also be influenced by the types of opportunities being pursued. A writer submitting renewal requests to foundations that already know the organization will probably have a higher win rate than someone pursuing entirely new funders.
The size of the requests matters too. Winning five small grants is different from securing one major award, even if the numerical success rates appear similar.
What Determines Grant Success?
Several factors affect whether a nonprofit receives funding:
Alignment with the funder
The organization, program, population, geographic area, and request must fit the funder’s priorities. Strong writing cannot overcome a weak match.
Organizational readiness
Funders frequently examine the organization behind the proposal. They may consider its board, budget, financial controls, leadership, outcomes, partnerships, and long-term sustainability.
A compelling mission is important, but funders also want evidence that the nonprofit can responsibly use and manage an award.
Relationships
Grant funding is relational. Foundations are often more comfortable supporting organizations they know or that have been introduced through trusted community connections.
Whenever possible, nonprofits should begin building relationships before submitting an application.
Competition
A foundation may receive dozens or hundreds of strong proposals while having enough funding to support only a few. Your application can be worthy of support and still be declined.
The strength of the request
A competitive proposal clearly explains the need, the people who will benefit, the planned activities, the expected outcomes, and how the organization will measure progress. It connects the nonprofit’s story with credible evidence and a realistic budget.
What Should You Ask a Grant Writer?
Instead of focusing only on one percentage, ask questions that reveal the grant writer’s process:
How do you determine whether a funding opportunity is a strong fit?
What information will you need from our organization?
How do you develop a grant calendar and submission strategy?
How do you track applications, deadlines, decisions, and reports?
How will you help us improve our readiness for future funding?
How do you evaluate results beyond the number of grants awarded?
These questions reveal far more than a success-rate claim.
Build a Funding Strategy, Not a Lottery-Ticket Strategy
Organizations often approach grants as isolated opportunities. They find an open application, submit a proposal, and hope for the best.
A healthier strategy treats grants as one part of a broader funding system. That system should include prospect research, relationship-building, strong organizational documents, measurable outcomes, consistent follow-up, reporting, and diversified revenue.
The goal is not simply to submit more applications. The goal is to submit better-matched applications while building an organization that funders are increasingly prepared to support.
Rejection Is Data
Every declined grant can provide useful information.
Was the opportunity truly aligned with your work? Was the request clear and specific? Did you provide meaningful outcomes? Does the funder prioritize existing relationships? Is your organization missing a policy, document, partnership, or measurement system that would make the next application stronger?
Grant writing requires persistence, but it should not involve repeating the same process without learning from the results.
The Bottom Line
There is no universal grant-writing success rate that guarantees someone is the right partner for your nonprofit.
A strong grant writer should help you identify suitable funders, communicate your mission clearly, strengthen your funding systems, and develop a long-term strategy. The right process will not win every grant, but it will position your organization to become increasingly fundable.
If your nonprofit needs help moving from a mission to a sustainable movement, Nonprofit Missionary can help you establish the systems, strategy, and funding foundation necessary for growth.
Learn more at nonprofitmissionary.com or email nonprofitmissionary@gmail.com.
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