Grant Writing Made Clear with Dr. Trenette

Dr. Trenette

Ever wish you had a mentor with two decades of grant writing experience, ready to guide you through the complexities of securing the funding your organization needs to thrive? Look no further—because that’s exactly what you’ll get when you tune in to Grant Writing Made Clear! Hosted by Dr. Trenette, a distinguished professor, behavioral scientist, seasoned grant writer, and former nonprofit president, she has been principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and co-investigator on grants totaling $14 million dollars. This podcast breaks down the grant writing process and equips you with the tools and strategies to secure larger, impactful funding for your mission-driven organization. In every episode, Dr. Trenette shares lessons learned from both formal training and hands-on experience, so you can write powerful grant proposals that turn your vision into reality.   Whether you're new to grant writing or a seasoned pro looking to find the right funding mechanism, avoid common pitfalls, or craft a winning proposal, Grant Writing Made Clear has you covered. Tune in to get inspired, learn actionable steps, and discover how to turn your goals into funded realities!  Disclosure: We periodically use AI tools to assist in various ways such as brainstorming topics and editing audio. Learning AI will help us to teach others how to use AI in grant writing. 

  1. 1d ago

    Episode 44: Grant Rejection, Resilience, and Summer Writing with Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave Part 2

    In part two of Dr. Trenette’s conversation with her mentor and friend, Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave, they talk honestly about the part of grant writing that every scholar and nonprofit leader eventually encounters: rejection. Dr. Belgrave reminds listeners that not receiving a grant does not define your worth, your intelligence, or the value of your work. She encourages everyone to stay connected to the purpose behind the proposal: advancing knowledge, serving communities, improving outcomes, and using funding as a tool for meaningful impact. Dr. Belgrave and Dr. Trenette also discuss how to use summer well. They suggested their own ways of using summer to include as a time for restoration, family, joy, and focused writing. They talk about writing retreats, conceptualizing grant ideas, developing outlines, and creating enough structure to make progress without sacrificing your life. In This Episode You will learn: Why grant rejection is normal, even for successful grant writersHow to avoid taking funding decisions personallyWhy your motivation matters when writing grant proposalsHow to reuse and strengthen ideas after a proposal is not fundedWhy you do not always have to be the principal investigator on grantsHow summer can support both rest and writing momentumWhy focused planning time can make later micro writing sessions easierKey Takeaway A grant rejection is not the end of the idea. Sometimes it is an invitation to revise and resubmit, realign, find a better funder, or return to the purpose of the work. June Workshop If you have ever spent too much time chasing grants that were not a strong fit or felt unsure about where to look next after a rejection, the Find Funding Faster Workshop can help. In this 90-minute live workshop on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, Dr. Trenette teaches a focused grant search process that can help you stop guessing, build a short list of aligned funders, and create a clearer path toward sustainable funding. The workshop is designed to help busy people use a process that takes 15 minutes per week, not 15 hours.  Save your seat here: https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/fundingsearchworkshop Grab your free copy of Think Like a Winner at https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/thinklikeawinner If you’re thinking “I love Dr. Trenette and Grant Writing Made Clear” please rate, review, and subscribe!

    20 min
  2. Jun 2

    Episode 43: Writing Stronger Grant Applications with Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave Part 1

    In this episode of Grant Writing Made Clear, Dr. Trenette is joined by her mentor and friend, Dr. Faye Z. Belgrave, a recently retired university vice president, psychology professor, and community engaged researcher who has a history of federal, foundation, and corporate grant funding. Dr. Belgrave reflects on her career and how grants helped her support graduate students, junior faculty, community partners, and meaningful community-based research. She also shares the core elements of a strong proposal, including a clearly demonstrated need, measurable impact, sustainability, strong methods, and alignment with the funder. This conversation is also personal. Dr. Trenette shares how she first met Dr. Belgrave as a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University and how that mentoring relationship helped shape her own career in community engaged research. In This Episode You will learn: Why grants can support much more than a project budgetHow funding can create opportunities for students, faculty, and community partnersWhy every strong proposal must begin with a real and documented needHow to explain impact in ways that resonate with fundersWhy sustainability mattersHow expectations differ across federal, foundation, and corporate fundersWhy assessing funder fit before writing can save time, energy, and disappointmentJune Workshop If this episode helped you realize that finding the right funder is one of the most important parts of grant writing, join Dr. Trenette for the Find Funding Faster Workshop on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 12:00 pm to 1:30 pm EST. This live, interactive workshop is designed for nonprofit leaders, early career professors, researchers, and graduate students who want a clear, repeatable funding search process without scrambling or guesswork. Participants will learn how to identify aligned funding opportunities, build a starter funder list, and decide which opportunities are worth pursuing now, later, or not at all. Save your seat here: https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/fundingsearchworkshop Grab your free copy of Think Like a Winner at https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/thinklikeawinner If you’re thinking “I love Dr. Trenette and Grant Writing Made Clear” please rate, review, and subscribe!

    31 min
  3. May 19

    Episode 42: Strength of the Lab

    In this episode, Dr. Trenette reminds us that the strength of a lab (or center, institute, nonprofit organization, and any other entity) is not only measured by impact, grant dollars, publications, titles, or prestige. Funding cycles shift and papers may be rejected, but the people in the lab are what make the work meaningful, sustainable, and strong. This episode invites us to think differently about leadership, grant writing, and team building. Funders are not only investing in projects. They are investing in people who can carry out the work with care, excellence, and integrity. A strong lab is built through mentorship, trust, professional development, recognition, and shared vision. In This Episode, We Cover: Why the strength of your lab is the strength of your peopleWhy grant size and publication numbers do not tell the whole storyHow funders evaluate the capacity of a teamWhy people are the carriers of vision in a lab, project, or organizationHow shared vision helps people move from task completion to true ownershipHow mentorship helps people grow in skill, confidence, and leadershipWhy psychological safety matters for trust, creativity, and problem solvingHow professional development strengthens the whole teamWhy recognition should happen both publicly and privatelyWhy a strong lab should be measured by how people are growing, contributing, and trusting one anotherSimple Homework from the Episode: Reach out to one person in your lab, team, or organization this week and encourage them. Let them know you see their contribution. Ask yourself whether your team feels valued, supported, and trusted. Identify one small way you can invest in someone’s growth this week. Reflect on whether you are developing people, not just assigning tasks. Community Invitation: Join our private Grant Writing Made Clear Facebook community for connection, practical resources, and steady support. Grab your free copy of Think Like a Winner at https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/thinklikeawinner If you’re thinking “I love Dr. Trenette and Grant Writing Made Clear” please rate, review, and subscribe!   Grab your free copy of Think Like a Winner at https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/thinklikeawinner If you’re thinking “I love Dr. Trenette and Grant Writing Made Clear” please rate, review, and subscribe!

    12 min
  4. Jan 20

    Episode 37: First Downs for 2026: Reflect, Reset, and Run the Next Play

    In this episode, Dr. Trenette invites us to set 2026 goals differently. Instead of rushing into a “new year, go harder” mindset, we pause to reflect on what truly drained our energy in 2025 so we do not carry the same stress into a new calendar. This episode blends practical planning steps with encouragement that reminds us that our most important goals are not only about what we produce, but who we become while we are producing. In This Episode, We Cover Why a new year does not automatically create new alignmentHow to reflect on 2025 without shame but with clarity and hopeThree questions to identify what drained your energy, focus, and confidenceHow to do to clear mental clutter and recognize patternsWhy choosing one aligned goal can create more momentum than setting ten goalsHow to turn that goal into strategies plus a tiny habit you can keep on rough weeksHow to create a reset plan so one hard week does not become a lost seasonThe Travis Greene lesson: touchdowns versus first downsSimple Homework from the Episode Identify what drained you in 2025 and name the deeper patternDo a mind sweep and circle the items connected to those patternsWrite ten goals and choose the most aligned goalSelect one tiny habit you can keep consistentlyWrite a reset plan for when life interrupts your planListen to the Episode Add your links here as you prefer: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GrantWritingMadeClearApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grant-writing-made-clear-with-dr-trenette/id1782782317Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0aTrG8cA70dk37zb9a1s0rCommunity Invitation Join our private Facebook community for connection, practical resources, and steady support:  https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1BBd1aCj7r/ Grab your free copy of Think Like a Winner at https://trenette-goings.mykajabi.com/thinklikeawinner If you’re thinking “I love Dr. Trenette and Grant Writing Made Clear” please rate, review, and subscribe!

    38 min
4.9
out of 5
15 Ratings

About

Ever wish you had a mentor with two decades of grant writing experience, ready to guide you through the complexities of securing the funding your organization needs to thrive? Look no further—because that’s exactly what you’ll get when you tune in to Grant Writing Made Clear! Hosted by Dr. Trenette, a distinguished professor, behavioral scientist, seasoned grant writer, and former nonprofit president, she has been principal investigator, co-principal investigator, and co-investigator on grants totaling $14 million dollars. This podcast breaks down the grant writing process and equips you with the tools and strategies to secure larger, impactful funding for your mission-driven organization. In every episode, Dr. Trenette shares lessons learned from both formal training and hands-on experience, so you can write powerful grant proposals that turn your vision into reality.   Whether you're new to grant writing or a seasoned pro looking to find the right funding mechanism, avoid common pitfalls, or craft a winning proposal, Grant Writing Made Clear has you covered. Tune in to get inspired, learn actionable steps, and discover how to turn your goals into funded realities!  Disclosure: We periodically use AI tools to assist in various ways such as brainstorming topics and editing audio. Learning AI will help us to teach others how to use AI in grant writing. 

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