May 2026

Fund What Works: The May Grants Mindset Shift

🌱May has a way of making everything feel like it should be growing—plants, plans, programs…proposal pressure included. But in grantland, “bigger” isn’t always better. In fact, one of the most strategic moves a nonprofit can make is resisting the urge to chase growth for growth’s sake.

This month, we’re leaning into a more fundable (and sustainable) idea: depth over hype. The organizations that win consistently aren’t always the ones doing the flashiest expansion—they’re the ones proving that what they do works, documenting outcomes, and strengthening the systems that make impact repeatable.

If you’ve ever felt like you need to “scale” to be taken seriously, this issue is for you.

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When the Rules Keep Moving: How Nonprofits Should Approach Federal Grants Right Now

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” — William Arthur Ward

If the federal landscape feels noisier, slower, and harder to read than it used to, you are not imagining it.

✍️ Grant Writing Tips:

How to Write a “Fund What Works” Proposal (Without Overclaiming)

Funders love expansion—but they love credible expansion even more. Here are three quick ways to make your proposal feel grounded, confident, and outcomes-driven:

1) Lead with proof, not passion. Start your narrative with one or two concrete outcome indicators (even if they’re early).
“In 12 months, 78% of participants improved…”
“Program attendance increased by…”
“We reduced wait times from X to Y…”

2) Replace “scale” language with “strengthen” language. Instead of vague growth statements (“We will scale our program”), use funder-friendly precision:

“We will strengthen program quality by…”
“We will deepen outcomes by…”
“We will improve consistency and replication by…”

3) Make your next step the ‘right-sized’ step. The most believable proposals don’t leap from 100 to 10,000 overnight. They describe a realistic next step: e.g., one new cohort, one added partner site, one new region, one year of capacity building…and they show how learning will guide future growth.

Pro Tip: If you’re unsure whether your story sounds credible, ask: Would a skeptical reviewer believe we can deliver this with our current team and systems? If not—tighten scope and/or strengthen your evidence.

Grant Opportunities

Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Directorate for STEM Education (IUSE: EDU)

Award Amount: Institutional and Community Transformation (Level 2) – up to $2,000,000; Engaged Student Learning (Level 2) – up to $750,000 (Level 3) – up to $2,000,000

Deadline: July 15, 2026

Description: Supports projects to improve STEM teaching and learning for undergraduate students, including studying what works and for whom and how to transform institutions to adopt successful practices in STEM education.

EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: EPSCoR Research Incubators for STEM Excellence (E-RISE)

Award Amount: Up to $8,000,000 for 4 years

Deadline: August 11, 2026

Description: Supports the development of sustainable research infrastructure and capacity in Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) jurisdictions. Check here (https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor/state-websites) to see if your state/territory is one of the 28 EPSCoR jurisdictions that receive lower amounts of research funding.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)

Funded By: Funder:
U.S. National Science Foundation (in partnership with USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Labor, and U.S. Small Business Administration)

Award Amount: Typical funding amount is $100,000-$155,000 per year

Deadline: August 19, 2026

Description: Supports intensive research by undergraduate students in any NSF-funded area of research. REU Sites engage a cohort of students in research projects related to a theme.

Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP)—Grants to State Entities

Award Amount: $60,000,000

Deadline: June 18, 2026

Description: Provides financial assistance to State entities to support charter schools that serve elementary and secondary school students in States with a State statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools.

William T. Grant Scholars Program

Award Amount: $425,000 over 5 years

Deadline: June 30, 2026 (3:00 pm ET)

Description: Supports early-career researchers (via institutional nomination) to build a 5-year research + mentoring plan in areas that improve outcomes for youth ages 5–25 in the U.S.

Research Grants on Reducing Inequality (Major Research Grants)

Award Amount: $100,000–$600,000 (2–3 years)

Deadline: July 29, 2026 (3:00 pm ET)

Description: Funds research on programs/policies/practices that reduce inequality in youth outcomes (ages 5–25) in the U.S.

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence (Major Research Grants)

Award Amount: $100,000–$1,000,000 (2–4 years)

Deadline: July 29, 2026 (3:00 pm ET)

Description: Funds research on strategies that increase the use/usefulness/impact of research evidence by decision-makers in youth-serving systems (includes education, housing, child welfare, mental health, etc.).

🏆 Grant Win Spotlight: Proof Beats Hype

One of my favorite wins from recent work wasn’t about “going bigger” overnight—it was about making what already worked more credible, more measurable, and more fundable.

A client came to us with a strong program and a clear community need, but their early drafts were leaning heavily on aspirational language: expand, scale, grow. Instead, we helped them shift the narrative to a “fund what works” case:

1. We tightened the scope to a right-sized next step (a pilot expansion rather than a major leap).

2. We led with outcomes they could already demonstrate—participation, persistence, completion, and early indicators of impact.

3. We strengthened their plan for quality assurance and evaluation, showing funders how the program would remain effective as it grows.

The result? A funded award that didn’t just support “more”—it supported better: stronger systems, clearer outcomes, and a model built to last.

Why this matters: Funders don’t just invest in ideas—they invest in organizations that can deliver. When you can show what’s working and how you’ll protect quality as you grow, you become much harder to say no to.

Lessons Learned:

🧠 Not Everything Needs to Scale—But Everything Needs a Strategy

There’s a quiet pressure in the nonprofit world to “scale” in order to be fundable. But a big lesson from sector thinking (including the SSIR conversation about whether everything needs to scale) is this:

Impact is not the same as size.

And some of the most fundable work isn’t about growing bigger—it’s about getting better, stronger, and more repeatable.

Here are a few “fund what works” alternatives to traditional scaling that funders increasingly respond to:

1) Deepen outcomes (not footprint).

Instead of serving more people, improve results for the people you already serve.

stronger retention
higher completion
better long-term outcomes
improved service quality

2) Replicate selectively.

Expansion can be powerful when it’s right-sized: one new site, one partner, one region—then learn, adjust, and repeat.

3) Build systems that make impact repeatable.

Funders often underestimate how much the “boring stuff” matters:

staffing structures
data systems
evaluation design
process documentation
training and quality assurance

This is the foundation of sustainable funding—and sustainable impact.

4) Grow through partnerships, not just internal expansion.

Sometimes the smartest way to reach more stakeholders is by strengthening a network: training others, collaborating, sharing tools, or serving as a backbone partner.

5) Tell the truth about tradeoffs.

One of the most compelling signals of maturity is when an organization can say: “We could expand faster—but we’re choosing the approach that protects quality and outcomes.”

That’s not playing small. That’s being strategic.

Want help shaping a funder-ready “what works” story?

Reply to this email with “FUND WHAT WORKS” and tell me what program you’re trying to sustain or strengthen. I’ll respond with one quick suggestion for framing your next proposal—or you can book a 30-minute strategy chat via Calendly.

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