The last few years have been disorienting for nonprofits and funders alike. Rapid policy shifts, the end of pandemic-era funding, philanthropic fatigue, and accelerating technological change have created a grant landscape defined less by predictability and more by uncertainty.
In a recent conversation on the Community Possibilities podcast, hosted by Community Evaluation Solutions, our CEO Betty Barnard had the opportunity to step back from deadlines and talk honestly about what this moment means for nonprofit leaders and grant professionals as we look toward 2026.
This was not a conversation about quick wins or shortcuts. It was about how nonprofits can build the kind of strategy and infrastructure that allows them to weather volatility without losing sight of their mission.
🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://www.communityevaluationsolutions.com/podcast
Grant Writing Is No Longer Just About Writing
One of the core themes of the conversation was a reality many nonprofit leaders are already feeling: grant writing has evolved.
Winning funding today is less about producing more applications and more about making disciplined choices. Funders are increasingly risk-averse. Many are funding only current or past grantees, shifting to invite-only processes, or prioritizing organizations with demonstrated capacity to manage funds, compliance, and reporting over time.
This means grant seeking is no longer an entry-level activity. It is an intermediate to advanced strategy that assumes an organization has the infrastructure to hold the work once it is funded.
At Resurgens Impact Consulting, we see this every day. Grants are not simply a revenue tool. They are a test of organizational readiness.
Grant Readiness Is a Capacity Question
“Grant readiness” often gets framed as a checklist. While documentation matters, funders are asking deeper questions beneath the surface:
- Can this organization sustain the work beyond the grant period?
- Does leadership have the systems to manage growth without burnout?
- Are financial, governance, and reporting structures strong enough to support public or private investment?
Many of the nonprofits we work with are doing extraordinary work with limited resources. What often holds them back is not commitment or impact, but capacity that has not yet had the time or support to mature.
This is why we emphasize readiness as strategy. Building infrastructure may feel slow, but it positions organizations to pursue funding that aligns with their mission rather than chasing every available opportunity out of necessity.
Relationships Are Becoming a Form of Eligibility
Another major shift discussed on the podcast is the growing importance of funder relationships.
The era of submitting proposals in isolation and expecting strong returns is largely over. Today, relationships, conversations, and trust-building increasingly determine whether an application is even considered.
This doesn’t mean nonprofits must have insider access. It does mean investing time in:
- learning funder priorities before applying
- initiating conversations early
- aligning language and outcomes with funder values
- approaching grant seeking as relational rather than transactional
While this requires upfront effort, it often saves organizations from the exhaustion and discouragement that come with repeated rejections from misaligned opportunities.
The Role of AI: A Tool, Not a Strategy
The conversation also addressed the growing presence of AI in grant work.
AI can support drafting, summarizing, and organizing information. It can help teams move faster. But it cannot replace judgment, ethics, or lived understanding of communities and systems.
Used thoughtfully, AI can be one tool among many. Used carelessly, it risks reinforcing bias, spreading inaccuracies, and undermining trust with funders.
At RIC, we believe tools should support thinking, not replace it. Strategy must always come first.
Planning Anyway
If 2025 was defined by whiplash, 2026 will reward organizations that can plan anyway.
That doesn’t mean pretending uncertainty doesn’t exist. It means acknowledging it openly, engaging funders in honest dialogue, and building scenario-aware strategies that allow nonprofits to adapt without abandoning their values.
As Betty shared during the podcast, nonprofits have always operated in challenging conditions. What sustains them is not certainty, but community, care, and a commitment to building systems that can evolve.
Continuing the Conversation
We’re grateful to Community Evaluation Solutions for creating space for these conversations through Community Possibilities. Thoughtful evaluation, strategy, and funding are deeply interconnected, and nonprofits benefit when these disciplines inform one another.
If you’re navigating grant strategy in a shifting funding environment and want support thinking beyond the next deadline, we invite you to explore our resources and learn more about our approach.
🎧 Listen to the episode: https://www.communityevaluationsolutions.com/podcast
