"Getting the Grant" Newsletter

Anne's Blog

June 2019

Choose Your Words Wisely

These days, the Ontario government is not looking kindly upon the social services sector. Funding is being reduced, cut, and shifted, while the need for your service is increasing.

If your agency does qualify for funding, there will be stiff competition. In this impending climate, your proposals need stand above the rest.

Remember when you had to prepare a paper in school; it was advantageous to sprinkle the essay with your teacher’s preferred words. The same strategy applies here. Use the funder’s words in your proposals.

1. Start the Conversation: Arrange a phone call with a project officer in the ministry to which you are applying. In that conversation, ask a lot of questions. Keep notes of the answers and the words used. Don't get caught up in trying to impress the project officer, get her to speak.

2. Use all Available Resources: Take advantage of all guidelines, press releases, information sessions, and webinars offered by the funders. Again take note of the words used. And of course, take note of the priorities and recommendations.

3. Outcome Language: The 2016 Auditor General of Ontario's report on Employment Ontario noted that service provider funding is based on activities, not results and performance is not related to longer-term outcomes. The government is taking this finding seriously and we should prepare to use outcome language. A logic model can help you identify the most relevant outcomes and how to achieve them.

4. Ontario government words: Here is a list of recurring words.