Photo courtesy of Rishabh Lalani
The session
The Grant Writing: Practice Skills to Strengthen your Grant Applications is the second Grant Writing workshop offered to Resilient Collective members this year. The aim of the workshop was to coach Resilient Collective members on practical tools to write successful grant applications. This workshop was held on September 30, 2026
Why it mattered
Funding for women’s rights organisations is shrinking, and the groups closest to survivors are carrying the cost. A UN Women survey of 411 women-led and women’s rights organisations across 44 crisis contexts found that 90% had been hit by funding cuts, and 47% expected they might have to close within six months. The survey found that one in three had suspended or shut down programmes on ending violence against women and girls.
Our coalition is seeing the same pressure. In the 2025 Resilient Movement Survey, sustainable funding emerged as the most significant barrier across regions and experience levels, with 76.5% of respondents reporting difficulty securing financial resources. Members were particularly clear about the kind of support they need: flexible funding that sustains core operations, rather than narrowly defined project-based grants. Many grassroots organisations are struggling to stay operational, and declining international aid has deepened the strain.
This session followed our first session, Grant Writing: Practical Tools and Approaches, where participants’ recommendations and feedback made the need for further training plain.
The Expert
Rishabh Lalani, Founder and CEO of Kohmorehbee Consulting, a consulting firm supporting nonprofits and philanthropies with fundraising, grantmaking, and leadership building. He has more than 13 years of experience supporting nonprofits, philanthropies, and grassroots organisations across the Global South and beyond in securing and managing funding.
Key Takeaways
- Build stronger proposals: Understand what to include in each section of a grant proposal. Participants worked through what each section needs to say, so that the case for their work is clear and complete from the first page.
- Understand funders: Learn how to interpret funder guidelines and tailor proposals to their priorities. This means reading beyond the call for proposals to see what a funder is looking for, and shaping each application to fit.
- Use practical tools: Explore templates, tips, and tools to make grant writing easier and more effective.
- Avoid common mistakes: Identify common pitfalls and ways to strengthen applications. Naming the errors that most often weaken a proposal helps members catch them before they submit.
- Align budgets and work plans: Learn how to ensure both clearly support the proposal. A budget and work plan that match the proposal’s goals show funders how the resources will be used.
- Learn through examples: Apply the learning through real grant examples.
Testimonials
“It was an outstanding session, rich in practical information, which helped me enhance my understanding of how to write grant proposals more professionally. I thank the training team for their efforts and look forward to participating in future training sessions focused on project management and grant writing.” – Mariam Al Fartosy, Iraq
“I received a clear understanding of what to address in proposals and how to figure out critical questions.” – Inaya Qadeer Ali, Pakistan
“The 44 proposal document really widened my understanding of funder vision.” – Babale Gambo Maikidi, Nigeria
