Tip #7 It’s a burden that you put on yourself for a reason.

Tip #6 Make sure the juice is worth the squeeze. Is the application worth the effort to fill in the blanks?

Tip #5 Accept that there’s a third party involved — the funder.

Tip #4 Get the newsroom on the same page.

Tip #3 Account for hidden costs.

Tip #2 Aim to cover some fixed costs.

Tip #1. Get the basics right: Ideally, the subject is something you would want to cover anyway, and the grant lets you do it better.

Pro tip: Make sure your funder gets it with journalism. Avoid this: “We had a funder who only wanted us to talk about the good things in the region. I’m like, we’re not a tourism publication.”