In early 2025, one of Holly Rustick's students lost $100,000 in contracts in a single week. Holly has been writing grants for more than 20 years and has run Grant Writing & Funding through five US administrations, the 2008 recession, COVID, and 2025.

In this conversation with Cindy, Holly breaks down what her students' experience shows about how the sector is buying right now, how to reposition your services when the market tightens, and why the consultants who are thriving got serious about the business side.

• Grant funding dropped in Holly's programs in 2025, but her students' business revenue went up. Nonprofits are still buying - the form has changed, not the demand.
• Repositioning from "grant writer" to "grant strategist" changes what you offer, how you price it, and what results you can promise.
• The Minimum Valuable Product framework: what is the minimum scope of work that gets the client the result they actually need? Cut the extras.
• Credit-based retainer systems give clients flexibility without costing you recurring revenue.
• Before every sales call, write down every objection you think might come up - then write how you'd respond.

Holly Rustick is a grant writing strategist with more than 20 years of experience and founder of Grant Writing & Funding. Her students have collectively won over $225 million in grants and generated $4+ million in business revenue. She hosts the #1 ranked grant writing podcast in the world.

• Grant Writing & Funding
• Grant Writing & Funding Podcast
• NFN OS Program

Website | LinkedIn

---

Fracture is for nonprofit professionals who refuse to choose between doing good work and having a good life. Hosted by Cindy Wagman, founder of the Nonprofit Fractionals Network, it's real talk on building a fractional consulting business that actually pays - and still matters.

Subscribe to Fracture | Join the OS