Is It Time to Break Up?

There’s a moment in almost every nonprofit’s life when it becomes painfully clear: A grant that used to serve you… is now just using you.

I’m not saying it started that way. But if you’ve ever caught yourself twisting your program to fit the funder’s mold, scrambling to finish an overbuilt mid-year report, or losing sleep over whether the final invoice was coded just right—this post is for you.

Red flags, waving.

A grant doesn’t have to be toxic to be harmful. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense anymore.

Ask yourself:

• Are you bending over backwards to make your program align with the grant?

• Does it cost more to write, report, and manage than the funding you receive?

• Have you convinced yourself it’s worth it just because “it always has been”?

I once worked with a nonprofit that had been receiving $20,000 annually from a local hospital system. Over time, that gift dropped to $5,000—but the requirements just couldn't be justified : launch calls, a robust application, and two full reports. The staff time alone cost more than the grant was worth.

At that point, it's not just low ROI. It’s a net loss.

Why we stay too long.

Here’s the hard part: we’re helpers. Nonprofit leaders don’t like disappointing people—especially people who have supported us. Walking away from a grant can feel like telling a funder they no longer matter, even when the math says otherwise.

But wasting limited resources—just to preserve a legacy relationship—doesn’t serve your mission. It dilutes it.

The costs we don’t calculate.

You’re not just “paying a grant writer.”

I once worked with a foundation—run by a group of nuns, no less—where the grant application alone was 12+ pages long. Budgets, board lists, program narratives, attachments galore. One year, we missed funding because we failed to carry a total on our budget document. That’s right—not because the numbers didn’t add up, but because the formatting didn’t meet their standard. It didn’t change anything material, but it meant the difference between receiving support and getting shut out.

Talk about a waste of time and resources. Shame on that foundation.

You’re pulling time from your program team to provide stats. You’re dragging finance into custom budget formats. You’re rescheduling donor meetings to make room for one more application.

And for what?

If the cost of maintaining a grant exceeds the benefit—and if it’s shifting your org’s priorities instead of supporting them—it’s time to reconsider.

When it is worth the heavy lift.

To be clear: not every intensive grant is a bad one.

If your agency is ready, and the opportunity is well-aligned, it might be worth the hours. But there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. A $75,000 grant might be game-changing for one org—and a burden for another.

What matters is this: Does it make sense for you?

Not all grants are created equal.

I’ve worked with funders who make things refreshingly easy. Their applications ask only what matters. Their “reports” happen over lunch or Zoom. They trust you to do the work—and they stay accessible by email if you need anything.

We need more of that.

Because relationships—not paperwork—should be the currency of grantmaking.

So... is there a grant you need to walk away from?

Be honest. Is your team pouring hours into a grant that doesn’t fuel your mission? If so—what could you do with that time instead?

Maybe it’s researching better-aligned opportunities. Maybe it’s cultivating new funder relationships. Maybe it’s just getting a full night’s sleep.

Either way, here’s your permission slip: It’s okay to walk away from a grant that no longer works for you.

Let’s figure out what does work. Book a free discovery call and let’s talk about where to focus your time, energy, and sanity.