Every nonprofit has been there. You pour time and energy into an application, wait weeks (sometimes months), and then the email arrives: grant application denied. It stings. But here’s the good news—rejection is part of the process, and it doesn’t have to be the end of the story.
Why Grant Applications Get Denied
Even strong organizations face grant rejection. A grant application denied isn’t always a reflection of your worthiness—it’s often about alignment and timing.
Common reasons include:
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The grantmaker received too many applications and limited awards.
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Your proposal didn’t clearly connect the dots between your mission and their priorities.
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Another nonprofit had stronger evidence of impact or deeper relationships with the funder.
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Small technical details (like missing attachments or formatting issues) threw things off.
Knowing why a grant was denied gives you data to improve your next attempt.
How to Respond When Your Grant Application Gets Denied
The first rule: don’t take it personally. A grant rejection is feedback, not failure. Here’s how to move forward:
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Request feedback. Many funders will tell you why your application wasn’t selected.
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Review your alignment. Did your project truly fit their stated priorities?
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Strengthen your evidence. Funders love measurable outcomes—could you bolster your data or stories?
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Polish your process. Double-check deadlines, attachments, and formatting before submitting your next work.
Every denied grant is a chance to refine your systems and sharpen your proposals.
Turning a Denied Grant Application Into Your Next Win
Here’s the upside: when you learn from a denied grant application, you’re investing in future success. Nonprofits that track rejections, study feedback, and adjust their proposals build stronger pipelines over time.
Instead of seeing a rejection as wasted effort, view it as groundwork for the next opportunity. Many successful grant writers will tell you: the proposals that eventually got funded were often rejected once—or twice—before.
You Don’t Have to Navigate Rejection Alone
Facing rejection is tough, especially when you’re leading fundraising on your own. That’s one reason I created the RaiseMasters Accountability Group—a place where nonprofit leaders and fundraisers can share experiences, strategies, and encouragement.
Together, we learn from each other’s wins and setbacks. You don’t have to carry it by yourself.
👉 Join us here.
Most nonprofit leaders lay awake at night trying to figure out how to fund their mission.
Hi! I'm Alesha.
I teach sustainable fundraising in a way that they can take action today so they can serve their clients.
I can help you move from just getting started funding your new nonprofit to gaining confidence in your fundraising and building relationships to knowing what works for your organization and looking at the infinite game when it comes to funding. I’ve worked with nonprofit Founders and written the book I HAVE MY 501(C)3! NOW WHAT?!? Your Blueprint to Starting Your Nonprofit Without Being the Sole Funder that lays the foundations for funding in a new nonprofit.
I’ve worked in Development (Fundraising) Departments in large organizations and I know the no cost, low-cost methods they use to bring in funding. I bring those sound strategies to the nonprofits I serve.