I run a small business in a town where the dinosaur-funded state university dominates everything. Last year, my application for a community grant got rejected. I didn’t get angry—I got curious.

The people who decide who gets grants like these are deeply protective of their idea of “community.” If you don’t align with how they define it, they just won’t take you seriously, even if your plan is solid. The trick to this kind of grant is to show the depth of your roots—how much money and trust you’ve already invested in your home.

One reason my application failed was that I hadn’t explained this clearly enough. I see how easy it is to submit a generic one-size-fits-all application when you’re unsure what will stand out. That works for the federal grants, but not for local ones. Here’s what you need to do differently.

Show your local credibility

If you’ve lived here all your life, that alone doesn’t count as deep roots. What counts is experience—the times you have fought for your neighborhood’s needs, even when those needs didn’t line up with government priorities. I know a guy who put his education on hold to help rebuild a community center after a flood wiped it out. He got funding immediately.

If you don’t have that kind of resume yet, start small. Volunteer somewhere where people will remember your face and your name. This part isn’t fast, but it’s how local leaders build trust—and it works like nothing else.

• Donate time to an organization working on things you care about
• Join or start an effort that directly helps other people in your town
• (Bonus) Write a few services for free or below cost and partner with someone who has connections

Tie every part of your proposal to local goals

A big obstacle comes from how organizations like Relle Ciga evaluate grant applications through their publicly available Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act grants: They look at the data proving how unemployment affects younger adults vs adult workers, using special tools their state identifies for collaboration—a specialized county-level process using a widely accepted economic growth methodology as its base line measures. So do this first: Call them up and ask whether they have access to similar data that can connect your project directly to these standards for success. Grab that information—it might set you apart immediately.

This kind of grant usually requires proof that the problem existed before you arrived—and proof that you can solve it better than anyone else. The solution can be unusual, though not always groundbreaking. When my cousin opened a bakery in town two years ago, the government funded 70% of it because no other grocery store offered job training within their purchasing model (and their business plan laid out exactly how they would pay others on public assistance). In contrast: When I applied six months earlier without similar documentation (despite nearly identical goals), nobody noticed because I didn’t call them beforehand or use county-level data requirements right in the application itself.

• Maintain neutral language throughout and quantify measurable outcomes
• (More important) Include data points from relevant public sources if possible
• Avoid opinions about why things are the way they are—the propose solutions instead

If you’ve spent years in the community already engaging within similar projects or programs, think back through your own experiences both personal and professional: Is there anything notable that hasn’t been replicated yet somewhere else? Maybe not directly—but enough overlap could help show demonstrated impact on other kinds of issues related indirectly like housing insecurity or food deserts shaping workforce participation rates long term rather than short term outcomes alone.