How do stories and grants connect?
At Ascend Nonprofit & Business Solutions (Ascend NBS), we believe that storytelling is at the heart of every successful grant proposal. While data and documentation are essential, it’s the narrative that brings your organization’s mission to life. A compelling story helps funders emotionally connect to your cause, and makes your application stand out in a stack of similar submissions.
If your grant reads like a generic application with little personality or purpose, it’s likely to be passed over. But when your proposal tells a well-crafted story, you not only engage your reader, you show funders why your work matters.
Below are three foundational storytelling principles that can elevate your grant writing and improve your funding outcomes:
1. Know Your Audience
The first step to effective grant storytelling is understanding who you’re writing for. Before drafting your proposal, take time to research the funder. Learn about their values, priorities, and what types of projects they typically support.
Then, tailor your proposal to show alignment. Instead of writing for yourself or your board, write for the funder. Use language and examples that demonstrate you understand their funding goals and how your work supports their mission. A customized, funder-focused proposal shows that you’ve done your homework—and increases the likelihood of a “yes.”
2. Make the Community the Hero, You’re the Guide
One of the most powerful shifts you can make in your grant narrative is seeing your organization not as the hero, but as the guide. The true hero is the community or population you serve.
Your organization plays a critical supporting role by offering the tools, services, and programs that enable transformation. When you write about your impact, focus on how your programs empower your clients to overcome challenges, achieve goals, and build better futures.
This narrative structure not only centers the beneficiary, but it also shows funders the real-life results of their investment.
3. Highlight the Transformation
Every compelling story includes a clear transformation. Funders want to know: What change will this project create?
Your proposal should clearly outline the before and after: What challenges are your clients facing now? And how will your services improve their circumstances? A vivid picture of impact makes your work tangible, and funders want to fund transformation, not transactions.
Whether you’re addressing hunger, expanding mental health access, or increasing educational outcomes, showing the transformation reinforces that your plan works and that it deserves to be funded.
Learn Story-Based Grant Writing Strategies
These three storytelling strategies are just a glimpse of what we teach in our signature grant writing course, Story-Based Grant Writing, presented by our flagship learning platform, Grant Yourself Success®.
Already a student? Stay tuned for our upcoming advanced course, The Grant Consultant Blueprint, where you’ll learn how to turn your grant writing skills into a six-figure consulting business.
Let Ascend NBS Help You Tell the Right Story
Not ready to write your own grants? No problem. At Ascend NBS, our team of expert grant writers, researchers, and strategists specialize in crafting compelling, funder-aligned proposals that get results.
Visit ascendnbs.com to learn more about our grant writing services, or contact us at info@ascendnbs.com or 210-610-2440. Let us help you tell your story and get the funding you need to move your mission forward.