Want to Win More Grants? Stop Applying Alone

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👋🏾 Hey! I’m Sid and this is The Philanthropy Futurist, a weekly advice column preparing you for the future of the nonprofit sector. Each Friday, I tackle reader questions about measuring impact, driving growth, and managing your nonprofit.

This Week’s Newsletter at a glance:

• Want to Win More Grants? Stop Applying Alone

• Philanthropy News From This Week

• Sid’s Book Recommendation

Want to Win More Grants? Stop Applying Alone

A lot of nonprofits are still applying to grants like they’re competing in a solo sport.

Meanwhile, some funders have quietly moved on to rewarding groups of nonprofits solving problems together... rather than orgs working alone.

One of the biggest shifts continuing to happen right now in philanthropy is the rise of coalition-based funding. Foundations, governments, and corporate giving teams increasingly want to see collaboration instead of isolated impact. They’re asking a simple question:

“Who else is at the table with you?”

Because the reality is that most community problems don’t exist in silos... Homelessness overlaps with mental health. Workforce development overlaps with transportation. Food insecurity overlaps with healthcare. And funders know this now... and many are starting to prioritize organizations that can demonstrate shared execution instead of standalone ambition.

The problem is that many nonprofits only think about partnerships after they find funding, but that’s a little backwards.

The smartest orgs are proactively building “grant-ready coalitions” before opportunities even appear. In 2026, that's the approach more orgs need to be taking.

One practical strategy: look for nonprofits serving the same population from different angles. If you run a youth mentorship program, maybe your coalition partner is an organization focused on housing stability, digital literacy, or family counseling. The goal isn’t duplication. The goal is building a more complete story around community outcomes.

Another underrated tactic is studying who already receives funding together. Go read old grant announcements, foundation reports, and public award databases. Patterns start to emerge very quickly. You’ll notice certain nonprofits repeatedly appearing alongside one another because funders already trust the partnership dynamic.

Also: stop viewing smaller nonprofits as “less valuable” coalition partners.

Sometimes a grassroots organization has something far more important than scale... and that's trust. They may have direct community relationships, cultural credibility, or lived experience that larger institutions simply cannot replicate. In coalition funding, that matters.

And perhaps most importantly... do not build partnerships that only exist inside a PDF proposal.

The strongest coalitions usually have signs of real operational chemistry before the application ever gets submitted: shared events, shared referrals, shared programming, shared data conversations, or even informal collaboration history.

Because you have to understand that grants are not just meant to fund organizations... they are funding networks capable of solving problems together. Hope this info is helpful.

Until next time y'all ✌🏾

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Philanthropy News From This Week

• Creative Leaders Find Ways to Replace Lost Revenue

• Anthropic Announces Program to Teach Nonprofits to Use AI More Effectively

• 5 takeaways from the 2026 DAF Fundraising Report

• Demystifying donor-advised funds: How to secure a DAF grant

Sid’s Book Recommendation

Each week, I recommend a book or film that has impacted my life in a positive way. My recommendation this week is:

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

This book uses a leadership fable to show how teams break down when they lack trust, avoid conflict, and fail to commit to decisions. It lays out 5 connected problems... absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results... and explains how strong teams overcome them by building openness, healthy debate, and shared responsibility. Learn more.

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