Confronting Our Biases as Grant Professionals 

December 3, 2025

In the grants profession, we often talk about ethics—integrity, transparency, accountability, and fairness. The Grant Professionals Association’s Code of Ethics reminds us to practice our profession “with the highest sense of integrity, honesty, and truthfulness to maintain and broaden public confidence.” GPA, along with the National Grants Management Association, Association of Fundraising Professionals and others compel us to act in accordance with the highest ethical standards of our institutions, our profession, and our conscience.

But there’s another dimension that deserves just as much attention—our individual biases.

As grant professionals, we often find ourselves caught between our personal beliefs and our professional obligations. We may disagree with a policy direction, find a program politically or ethically complicated, or see a funding priority that doesn’t align with our personal values. Conversely, we may feel strongly supportive of an initiative that, upon closer inspection, doesn’t meet the funding criteria or violates compliance standards.

In these moments, our professional ethics are tested not just by what we do—but by how we think.

The Discipline of Intellectual Honesty

Ethical grant practice isn’t only about compliance; it’s about intellectual honesty. Our responsibility is to evaluate opportunities, risks, and programmatic guidance objectively—even when doing so might hinder a project we personally favor or advance one we personally question.

The role of a grants professional is not to advocate for personal beliefs, but to ensure that decisions are grounded in accurate interpretation of laws, guidance, and funding conditions. Whether we are advising an elected official, an executive team, or a community partner, our duty is to provide the most complete and unbiased counsel possible.

That means saying, “This may not be allowable,” even when it’s unpopular. It means acknowledging compliance risks, even when they slow a project’s momentum. And it means staying faithful to the spirit of transparency, even when politics tempt us otherwise.

Bias Is Human—Integrity Is Professional

We all carry biases—rooted in our experiences, our values, and our environments. Recognizing them doesn’t make us less professional; it makes us more self-aware. The best grant professionals understand that ethical integrity isn’t the absence of bias—it’s the active management of it.

This self-discipline helps ensure that our work remains equitable, compliant, and defensible. It also builds trust—among colleagues, funders, and the communities we serve.

Our Shared Obligation

As the Code of Ethics reminds us, grant professionals are called to “act according to the highest ethical standards of one’s institution, profession, and conscience” and to “continually strive to improve one’s personal competence”. That improvement includes acknowledging and confronting the implicit biases that shape how we read a NOFO, interpret eligibility, or recommend funding decisions.

Because at the end of the day, our profession isn’t just about winning awards—it’s about protecting public trust.

The work we do sits at the intersection of policy, people, and purpose. And the only way to honor all three is to stay anchored in both ethics and self-awareness.

Managing grants efficiently, without compromising compliance and integrity, can be a challenging task. If your organization is navigating the complexities of grant management, we can help you enhance oversight, streamline processes, ensure outcomes and reduce the risks of waste, fraud, and abuse. Reach out today to learn how our expertise in grants management can ensure your programs meet their goals, stay compliant, and make the best use of taxpayer dollars. 

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