It’s easy to think the hardest part of funding is the proposal. That if you can just get the wording right, the numbers balanced, and the outcomes clear, the rest will fall into place. But in reality, the most important work often happens long before the application is submitted.

Grant writing is one place where that pressure shows up fast. Proposals get written in a hurry. Teams apply for funding that doesn’t quite fit. Narratives get stretched thin, and budgets lose their footing.