Qualitative research has moved from the margins to the mainstream in many domains of scholarship. Yet, biases against how qualitative methods can best address important research questions still persist. The present article provides reflections regarding my experiences of proposing and reviewing both qualitative and quantitative research grants for international funding agencies. I address various conceptual and practical challenges associated with grant proposals that involve qualitative research designs. I also present some promising practices for marketing qualitative research to sometimes sceptical review audiences.