There is no money available; has the grant well dried up?

On the contrary! Funding is selective these days but there are millions of dollars waiting to be obtained.  Furthermore, Foundations entrusted with dispersing these monies are just waiting to give it away, as we are to successfully receive it.

Is meeting the grant deadline the most significant goal for the successful grant writer?

Not really! The two most significant goals are: To produce a Quality Proposal and to target the proposal to the right agency. Many grant writers fall into the habit of putting deadlines ahead of everything else. Do not create an 11th hour disaster proposal to meet a last minute deadline. Take your time, produce a top quality grant proposal then submit it to the agency the following year, or submit to a similar foundation now.

Anyone can produce a Grant Proposal?

False! Writing a successful Grant Proposal is very mundane and requires attention to each and every grant detail. Competition is stiff and only the best draft proposals receive approval in most cases. Frequently, applications are dismissed early in the review process simply due to grammatical errors and a lack of following instructions as required by the Funder and raises "Red Flags".