How to Make a Grant Pitch Deck [A Detailed Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- Aug 27, 2025
- 7 min read
When our client Jacob asked us,
“How many slides do I really need for a grant pitch deck?”
Our Creative Director didn’t hesitate. He replied,
“As few as it takes to convince them you’re worth funding.”
That one sentence landed with Jacob. And it’s a question we hear often. As a presentation design agency, we work on many grant pitch decks throughout the year. In the process we’ve observed one common challenge: most people overcomplicate them. They load the deck with every detail of their idea, every number, and every hopeful story, only to lose the audience halfway.
So, in this blog, we’ll talk about how to create a grant pitch deck that is clear, strategic, and impossible to ignore.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
Why You Need a Grant Pitch Deck That Works
1. Your Idea Isn’t Enough
Let’s be honest. Most grant applications fail not because the idea isn’t good, but because the story isn’t clear. You could have a groundbreaking solution, but if your deck reads like a textbook, no one is going to fund you. A grant pitch deck is not a report. It’s your first impression, your chance to grab attention, and your way to make funders believe in your vision without drowning them in information.
2. Less is More
We’ve seen startups, nonprofits, and social enterprises make the same mistake over and over. They assume more slides equal more credibility. It doesn’t. In fact, the opposite is true. If your deck overwhelms the reviewer, you’re out before you even start.
3. Strategy Over Content
The real power of a grant pitch deck comes from strategy. Every slide should have one goal. Every word should push the story forward. If you think you can impress with jargon, long paragraphs, or data-heavy charts, think again. You need clarity first, persuasion second, and visuals to guide the eye in that exact order.
4. Respect the Reviewer’s Time
Here’s a reality check: grant reviewers are human. They skim, they get bored, they judge books by covers. So your deck has to respect their time while making them feel confident that you can deliver results. That’s why the strategy behind your deck matters more than the content itself.
How to Make a Grant Pitch Deck
Creating a grant pitch deck is not about throwing together a bunch of slides and hoping for the best. It’s about crafting a story that convinces funders you are worth investing in. And that story has to hit hard, fast, and clearly. Based on our experience working on hundreds of grant pitch decks, here’s exactly how you do it.
1. Start With a Strong Opening
Your first slide is your foot in the door. If it’s weak, the rest of your deck might as well not exist. We recommend starting with a slide that clearly states:
Who you are
What problem you are solving
The impact you aim to create
Don’t waste this slide with a long introduction about your team’s history or your organization’s awards. Funders care about results, not resumes. You need to get them interested immediately. A crisp, one-sentence statement of your mission followed by a strong visual that represents your impact is enough.
Think of it as your elevator pitch on paper. If they can explain your project to someone else after seeing this slide, you’ve already succeeded.
2. Define the Problem Clearly
We cannot stress this enough. Most grant pitch decks fail here. People assume funders already understand the problem. They don’t. Your deck should answer:
What is the specific issue you’re addressing?
Why does it matter?
Who is affected?
Use real-world examples or statistics, but keep it simple. A graph that’s unreadable or a paragraph with too many numbers will confuse the reviewer. Make them feel the problem, not just understand it. If they feel the urgency, they are more likely to invest.
3. Present Your Solution Strategically
Once the problem is clear, introduce your solution. This is where most people overcomplicate things.
Your solution should be:
Concise
Visual
Directly linked to the problem
Show how your approach solves the problem better than anyone else. Avoid generic statements like “we will improve education outcomes” or “we will reduce poverty.” Be specific. A strong slide might include a diagram, a before-and-after visual, or a short, impactful case study that proves your solution works.
Here’s the key: every element on this slide should make the funder say, “Yes, this makes sense, and it can work.” Anything else is filler.
4. Showcase Your Impact
Funders are not funding ideas—they’re funding results. You need to show the impact you expect to achieve and, if possible, back it up with evidence. Include:
Measurable goals
Projected outcomes
Real-world examples or pilot results
Avoid vague statements like “we hope to reach a lot of people.” Replace it with numbers, percentages, or clear milestones. For example: “We aim to provide clean water access to 2,000 households in 18 months, reducing waterborne illnesses by 40 percent.” Impact slides should make the funder visualize success, not wonder about it.
5. Explain Your Strategy
Here’s where most grant pitch decks get clunky. People throw in complicated timelines, processes, or jargon. Funders don’t care about internal bureaucracy; they care about execution.
Your strategy slide should answer:
How will you implement the project?
What steps are you taking to ensure success?
Who is responsible for what?
Use simple visuals like flowcharts or timelines. Each step should feel achievable. If the plan looks unrealistic, the funder will lose trust immediately. Keep it simple. Complexity does not equal credibility.
6. Introduce Your Team
Yes, your team matters. But the way most people do it is boring. Instead of listing titles and degrees, show why your team is uniquely capable of executing the project.
Highlight relevant experience
Show past successes
Demonstrate alignment with the project’s goals
A strong team slide makes the funder say, “These people can actually make it happen.” Nothing more, nothing less. Leave the fluff behind.
7. Budget and Funding Request
Money slides are tricky, but essential. Transparency is key. Funders want to know exactly what you need and how you will use it. A good funding slide includes:
Clear budget breakdown
Justification for each major expense
Explanation of how funds will create impact
Avoid throwing in a 10-page spreadsheet. Keep it digestible. A pie chart or table with categories like Personnel, Operations, Equipment, and Miscellaneous works well. Make it easy for the reviewer to say, “This is reasonable and realistic.”
8. Timeline and Milestones
Once you’ve shown your strategy and budget, demonstrate that your project has a clear roadmap. A timeline slide should include:
Key milestones
Deadlines
Dependencies
This is not a Gantt chart for the sake of it. The goal is to show funders that you are organized, realistic, and accountable. Each milestone should tie back to measurable impact.
9. Risk and Mitigation
We often see teams skip this slide entirely. Big mistake. Every project has risks. Funders know that. What they care about is whether you have thought about them and have a plan. Include:
The main risks to project success
Your mitigation strategies
How you will monitor and respond to issues
Being honest about risks builds credibility. Pretending risks don’t exist is a red flag. Funders trust transparency, not perfection.
10. Call to Action
Your final slide is where you bring it all together. This is not a thank-you slide. It’s a clear, actionable request. Make it specific:
What do you want from the funder?
Why now is the time to act
How they can get involved immediately
Avoid generic phrases like “Join us in making a difference.” Be concrete. A good call-to-action slide might say: “We request $100,000 to expand our program to 2,000 households in 18 months. Here’s how to proceed.” Make it impossible for them to leave the room—or the deck—without knowing exactly what to do next.
11. Design Tips That Make a Difference
Even the best content fails if the design is sloppy. Here’s what we’ve learned:
Keep slides uncluttered. One idea per slide.
Use visuals to explain, not decorate. Charts, infographics, and icons work better than paragraphs.
Stick to a clean color palette. Consistency signals professionalism.
Typography matters. Big headings, readable body text. Avoid cramming everything in small fonts.
Remember, the goal is readability, not decoration. A visually confusing deck is ignored faster than one that is simply boring.
12. Common Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve reviewed hundreds of grant pitch decks and noticed recurring mistakes. Avoid these pitfalls:
Overloading slides with text
Using jargon or technical terms without explanation
Skipping the problem or solution clarity
Failing to show measurable impact
Being vague about budget or timeline
Ignoring design and visual hierarchy
Your deck should never leave the funder guessing. If anything requires explanation outside the slide, it’s a failure.
13. The Narrative Flow
Finally, remember that your grant pitch deck is a story. It should flow naturally:
Problem > Solution > Impact > Strategy > Team > Budget > Timeline > Risk > Call to Action
Every slide should build on the last, creating a cohesive argument. If it feels like jumping from topic to topic, the funder will disengage. Think of the deck as a conversation you are having with someone who has limited time and high standards. Every word, number, and visual should earn its place.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.