Reviewers tend to favor established applicants. Sometimes difficult to sell new ideas and high-risk approaches. Cost to applicants much higher expensive application and compliance procedures. Changing political trends affect security of some programs availability of funds can change rapidly. Average grant size usually much smaller.
Priorities can change very rapidly, continuation support can be difficult to predict.
Applicants have limited influence on the decision making process. Information on policies and procedures must generally be researched, can be time consuming. Less likely to cover all project costs and most do not cover indirect costs. May not be clear about reasons for rejection hard to improve for 2nd attempt.