The competition for funding has never been fiercer.
87% of foundations report seeing increased demand for funding requests since January 2025 — more organizations chasing the same dollars, with less room for error in every application. The gap that sinks good organizations is a lack of time, expertise, and bandwidth to turn that impact into awarded funding.
65% of nonprofits are seeing more demand for their services, even as the funding they rely on grows less certain by the day.
36% of nonprofits saw federal funding cuts in 2025, while another 34% faced reductions in state and local government support.
Fewer than 1 in 5 nonprofits say they're raising enough to meet the needs in front of them.
Long-term funding relationships are no longer a guarantee.
As government contracts and grants become more uncertain, more organizations are turning to private foundations for support — flooding those foundations with far more requests than they can possibly fund. Organizations that once counted on the same foundations year after year are now watching those funders face a harder question — with far more requests than they can fund, should they renew support for a longtime grantee, or redirect it to an organization facing more urgent needs?
Why Ascend
We’re former foundation executives, federal grant officers, and seasoned RFP specialists who know how to speak the language of funders, and how to win. Most grant writers are technicians. Ascend has relational intelligence: knowing how program officers think and how to align a proposal to the political and policy moment.
How It Works
We’ll learn your mission, goals, and funding needs, and identify the right opportunities your organization is best positioned to win.
Whether you need one-time grant writing support or an ongoing monthly partnership, we tailor our engagement to fit exactly where you are.
We manage the research, writing, submission, and reporting, while you stay focused on your mission and the people you serve.
What’s Included
Who We Serve
From frontline nonprofits and state governments to federal pass-through agencies, we bring the same dedication to every client.
Working with Ascend on our grants was a great experience for our staff and organization. They are an excellent company with exceptional staff who provide high quality service.
Some of our Clients
Sources
Center for Effective Philanthropy. (2025). Mounting pressure: U.S. foundations and nonprofits on the 2025 political climate. The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Center for Effective Philanthropy. (2026, January). A sector in crisis: How U.S. nonprofits and foundations are responding to threats. https://cep.org/report-backpacks/a-sector-in-crisis-how-u-s-nonprofits-and-foundations-are-responding-to-threats/
Nonprofit Finance Fund. (2025). Essential, enduring, and under strain: The nonprofit sector's strength and struggle in a shifting landscape: 2025 state of the nonprofit sector survey.