Here's what most public sector sellers think about grants: they're too complicated, take too long, and aren't worth the effort. They're wrong on all three counts.

After years of navigating public sector procurement, I've seen the same pattern repeatedly: sellers treat grants as someone else's problem while completely missing a massive sales opportunity - helping their buyers get funded.

The Real Grant Opportunity Most Sellers Miss

While everyone focuses on applying for grants themselves, the bigger opportunity is helping your buyers get funded. Here's why this works:

Public sector buyers are drowning in needs but starved for budget. I've watched forward-thinking government leaders with big ideas get stuck because they couldn't justify the expense. The accounts that moved the fastest were connecting technology purchases to grant funding.

The average product champion isn't an expert grant writer. Most of the times the grant proposal process is siloed in a separate division. It can be feel like a lot of work for your champion if they've never done it before. That's where you should come in.

The Grant Strategy That Actually Works

1. Build the Grant Toolkit First. Create a simple resource: "How [Your District/Agency] Can Use Grant Funding for [Your Solution]." Include template language, a one-page problem/solution/outcomes framework, and a real customer case study.

2. Become the Grant Whisperer. Most buyers don't know that ESSER funds, Title I money, or state innovation grants could pay for your solution. When you help them see the connection, you shift from vendor to strategic partner. I've seen deals that stalled for a year close in weeks once the buyer realized grant funding was available.

3. Use Success to Create More Success Once you help one district secure grant funding, that becomes your proof point for the next ten. We did this accidentally at Coursedog - our early grant-funded implementations became the case studies that opened doors everywhere else. Program officers at foundations also talk to each other. When you show measurable impact from a Gates-funded pilot, other funders notice.

What This Looks Like in Practice

If I were launching a new govtech solution today, here's exactly what I'd do:

1. Research one foundation whose priorities align with my product's outcomes

2. Create grant-ready materials—problem statement, theory of change, evaluation metrics

3. Identify 2-3 potential pilot districts willing to apply for funding

4. Build the partnership story that foundations want to fund. The goal isn't just to win a grant. It's to create a playbook that makes every future buyer conversation easier.

The Compound Effect

Here's what I've learned after navigating hundreds of procurement processes: grants don't just solve the funding problem - they solve the credibility problem, the urgency problem, and the internal buy-in problem all at once.

When a school district gets Gates funding to implement your solution, they're not just buying software. They're committing to an outcome. They have accountability, they have support, and they have a story to tell their community.

That's the kind of partnership that leads to renewals, expansions, and referrals. It's also the kind of relationship that survives budget cuts and leadership changes.