Professional Ethics and Standards Flashcards

A grant writer discovers mid-project that the organization's program data used in the proposal was cherry-picked to hide poor outcomes. What is the ethical obligation?

Answer: Inform the funder immediately and correct the misrepresentation

Grant writers must ensure funders receive accurate, complete information and are obligated to correct misrepresentations even if it means delaying or withdrawing the proposal.

Which practice best reflects the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) Code of Ethics regarding compensation?

Answer: Using a flat project fee or hourly rate unrelated to award outcome

The GPA Code of Ethics prohibits contingency fees where compensation is tied to grant award outcomes, as this creates a conflict of interest.

When a grant writer is asked to serve on a funder's review panel for grants in their specialty area, they should:

Answer: Recuse themselves from reviewing any applications from organizations they work with

Serving on review panels is acceptable, but grant professionals must recuse themselves from reviewing applications where a conflict of interest exists.

A foundation program officer informally tells a grant writer that their organization's application is likely to be funded. The grant writer should:

Answer: Treat the information as preliminary and wait for official notification

Informal funding indications should never be treated as commitments; only official award notifications are authoritative and should trigger spending or announcements.

What does 'stewardship' mean in the context of grant writing ethics?

Answer: Accurately tracking and reporting how grant funds are used after the award

Stewardship refers to the ethical obligation to use grant funds as promised, track outcomes, and report honestly to funders on how resources were deployed.

A nonprofit asks a grant writer to describe a new program as 'established' even though it launched only three weeks ago. This request is:

Answer: Unethical because it misrepresents the program's track record to funders

Describing a newly launched program as 'established' creates a false impression of proven track record and violates the ethical obligation to present accurate information.

Which action violates confidentiality obligations in grant writing?

Answer: Using a client's confidential budget data to benchmark another client's proposal

Using one client's confidential financial information to benefit another client is a serious breach of confidentiality and professional ethics.