The Basic Rules

• Disclose your goals and guidelines.
  Try to spare grantseekers the trouble of developing proposals that have little chance of approval by sharing as much as you can about the foundation’s interests, goals, and guidelines. The purpose of all these methods, as one grantmaker put it, is “to create a strike zone through which the pitches need to come.”
• Disclose your goals and guidelines.
  The next best thing to a Yes is a prompt No. Knowing where they stand as soon as possible helps grantseekers control their expectations and eliminate one more bit of the uncertainty they face in managing their organizations. When a prompt answer simply isn’t possible — because of board schedules or the demands of due diligence — giving the grantseeker an estimated time of response can be helpful.
• Offer clear, helpful explanations.
  For grantseekers who are hoping for — if not expecting — a Yes, getting an unexplained No is not only disappointing but frustrating. They want to know why they were rejected, what would make them more competitive, whether they should come back to the foundation, and how to improve their chances of getting funding, there or elsewhere. “Whatever else,” said one grantmaker, giving some feedback “helps to demonstrate that you understand their proposal.”
• Be polite.
  Beyond the basic courtesy, the challenge is to be kind while also being firm and, perhaps, pointing out weaknesses in the proposal. In these situations, being polite requires not just manners but also sensitivity.