What My Failed Garden Taught Me About Grant Writing

This winter, my garden was a disaster.

In California, we are blessed to grow things year-round, but this year was a bit different.

Every November, I carefully select the cold-weather crops I want to plant: brassicas like kale, broccoli, and radishes, and herbs like fennel, dill, and cilantro. I did everything I always do. I paid attention. I prepared the soil. I planted at the right time. And still, much of it failed.

It wasn’t that I had done something wrong. It was about conditions I couldn’t control. It was too cold. Then it rained for weeks. Then suddenly it was too hot and too dry.

And this is what grant writing sometimes feels like right now.

You may be writing thoughtful, compelling proposals, building strong programs, tracking your outcomes, and doing everything “right.” And still, funding may not come through.

Economic and political forces have rippled outward in ways none of us could have predicted. Federal funds have been withdrawn, leaving private foundations to pick up the burden. Scarcity is no longer just a mindset; it is a reality across all human and social service sectors.

It’s easy, in these moments, to think that you should have done more. Because your mission is the same, and your community still needs your support.

But just like in gardening, outcomes are shaped by conditions beyond your control.

What you can control is the soil.

You can build the internal systems that make your organization ready when opportunities arise. You can clarify your programs so they are easy to understand and communicate. You can develop language that reflects the depth and importance of your work. You can strengthen your infrastructure so that when funding becomes available, you are prepared to receive it.

This is the hard, behind-the-scenes work. It doesn’t produce immediate results, and at times, it can feel like tending an empty garden bed.

But soil that is cared for is never empty; it is becoming ready.

Here’s what surprised me most this season: even when so much failed, some surprising things grew. Volunteer zinnias appeared from seeds planted seasons ago. Lettuce and carrots I hadn’t tended in months re-emerged on their own, because the conditions beneath the surface had allowed them to.

Nonprofit organizations are the same.

The systems you build now, the care you put into preparing your organization: this work matters, even when external conditions are difficult.

Because conditions will change.

Funding will shift. New opportunities will emerge. Funders will begin looking for new partners. And when they do, the ready organizations—the ones that have prepared—will grow.

Your work right now is not wasted, even if the outcomes aren’t immediately visible, and this season feels harder than others.

You don’t control the conditions, but you can prepare the soil. That’s the preparation that makes growth possible.

If you’d like a simple way to assess your organization's readiness for funding, you can start with my Grant Readiness Checklist. It will help you identify what’s strong and where you might want to focus next, so you’re prepared when the conditions shift.

You can download it for free here.

Warmly,
Laura

​Common Cause Grants & Consulting​