Studying grant writing is a ceremony of passage for a lot of nonprofit professionals. Many people first dive into grant writing with minimal (and even no) prior expertise.
Writing a grant proposal may appear to be an enormous, scary activity. In any case, you’re presenting your group for judgment with actual cash and assist on the road throughout a time when many nonprofits are seeing drops of their donation numbers.
Whereas that is all true, it’s necessary to do not forget that grant writing is basically only a sequence of steps, not a mysterious course of that leads to cash for some fortunate nonprofits and rejections for others.
Profitable grant writing comes right down to group, cautious decision-making, and expertise. The extra you attempt, the extra classes you choose up and the higher you turn out to be (which is why many organizations depend on grant writing freelancers who focus solely on the craft).
However let’s say you’re working in-house and simply bought handed your first grant writing task—what subsequent? We break it down into an approachable 10-step course of.
Step 1: Perceive the Grant Panorama and Course of.
First, you’ll want some context to make extra knowledgeable choices. Spend a while studying extra about these key areas of the grant panorama:
- Funders. Personal foundations, public foundations (technically known as public charities), authorities businesses on the native, state, and federal ranges, and companies are the first sorts of organizations that present grants to nonprofits.
- Funding buildings. Grants are available in just a few totally different sizes and styles. Funding will be restricted to the particular venture specified by your proposal or unrestricted for basic use. Payouts is likely to be given or supplied in installments. The entire worth is likely to be a flat sum of money or matched, that means the grant offers a sure portion of your venture’s complete prices (typically 50%). Every of those classes can convey totally different reporting issues that you simply’ll want to know forward of time, as nicely.
- The levels of the grant lifecycle. There’s extra to grant searching for than writing a proposal and profitable funding, most notably the post-award steps of grant administration and reporting. Intently following your funder’s reporting tips not solely ensures compliance and easy payouts but in addition units you up nicely for future partnerships.
- The elements of a grant proposal. If you happen to’re model new to grant searching for, you’ll want to know the totally different sections and paperwork that make up a typical proposal. The precise necessities and order will differ from grant to grant, however you possibly can usually anticipate to see these sections:
Take a look at Be taught Grant Writing’s introductory information for a breakdown of those frequent parts and paperwork.
Step 2: Evaluation Your Nonprofit’s Challenge.
What are you searching for funding for? The overwhelming majority of grants are restricted, that means they’re supposed to fund particular tasks, packages, or initiatives.
Ideally, your nonprofit already is aware of the brand new tasks that want funding as a part of its broader strategic plan and calendar.
Do not put the cart earlier than the horse—solely apply for grant alternatives that align together with your mission and what you already need to accomplish. Don’t give you new tasks and packages solely for the sake of making use of for a grant. This can be a recipe for mission drift, disorganization, and finally, a much less targeted and efficient nonprofit.
Step 3: Analysis Grant Alternatives.
Begin in search of your first (or subsequent) grant to use for.
There are a lot of useful sources to take a look at. For presidency grants, depend on the official grants.gov web site. Candid and The Nationwide Council of Nonprofits present useful directories for all kinds of basis grants, as nicely.
Memberships and paid platforms are additionally out there and supply further options that may enable you to construct a constant grant funding pipeline. Instrumentl and GrantStation are each common selections on this class.
Begin your analysis by discovering alternatives that align together with your mission, supposed venture, worth, and timeframe. Don’t be afraid to place collectively a protracted record at this stage.
Step 4: Prioritize Your Choices.
Subsequent, start narrowing down your record of grant alternatives to those who will give you the best probability of success. A number of standards may also help you prioritize your alternatives, together with:
- Mission alignment between your nonprofit and the funder
- Challenge alignment with the grant’s said objective and targets
- Any present connections you might need with the funder
- Applicant success charge, or the variety of awardees over the full variety of candidates for previous grants supplied by the funder
- The prominence of the funder or the niche-ness of the grant (as proxy measures of competitiveness)
- The price of pursuing the grant or the trade-off of time spent making use of for and managing it versus its precise worth or impression in your venture
There’s nobody excellent solution to measure competitiveness, and your consolation zone will differ relying on the particular circumstances. One useful rule of thumb we suggest is to prioritize grants with applicant success charges of 20% or better.
Keep in mind, too, you can (and may) attain out on to funders to study extra should you can’t discover related data on-line or by way of any databases you utilize.
Work by way of your record a number of occasions, narrowing it right down to a handful of the perfect alternatives. While you’ve settled in your #1, it’s time to start out making use of.
Step 5: Dive Deep into the Grant’s Pointers.
Your chosen grant’s tips and necessities would be the basis of every part that comes subsequent. Take your time to learn, learn, and reread them.
Actively search clarification from the funder and skilled group members as wanted. Higher to speculate the time in understanding the rules now than battle by way of the applying course of later and understand you’re off-target!
Step 6: Put together a Narrative Skeleton.
Start by giving your self a strong construction to construct on, one which’s constructed instantly from the said necessities of the grant. It will maintain you on observe, save time, and lead to a simpler proposal.
We name it the “narrative skeleton.” Work your approach by way of the grant’s tips and necessities and compile them into an overview.
Use the precise language from the rules because the part headings—this can instantly convey relevance to your funder. Start brainstorming speaking factors and sorts of knowledge to incorporate in every part as you consider them, however don’t fear about filling within the particulars and drafting full sentences but. The purpose is solely to put the groundwork with an easy-to-use template that you simply’ll later fill in and polish right into a completed product.
Step 7: Kick Off the Challenge and Accumulate the Vital Data
Grant proposals include data gathered from throughout a corporation, in order that they normally require enter from a number of group members and departments. Earlier than you start drafting your proposal, it’s a good suggestion to sync up with the people who’ll enable you to alongside the way in which.
Whereas making ready your narrative skeleton, you recognized data that you simply’ll want to your proposal, like impression knowledge about previous packages or projections to your proposed venture. Put together an agenda and invite the people who may also help you collect this data to a grant kickoff assembly.
Throughout your assembly, evaluate the next necessities:
- The grant, the funder, and the rules
- Your timeline and supposed submission date
- The info you want, from whom, and by when
- The way to share data and paperwork with the grant group
- Anecdotes and constituent suggestions that will be useful to collect
That is additionally the time to debate some necessary logistics. Your group ought to finalize the finances to your proposed venture as quickly as attainable (particularly for matching grants) so to embody it in your proposal. Focus on any further documentation required by the grant, and get the ball rolling on securing it quickly. For some organizations, it might take fairly some time to safe official board resolutions, as an illustration.
Reply questions, thank everybody for his or her time, and observe up as wanted. The secret is to be organized—nobody needs to be roped right into a venture the place they don’t perceive what’s wanted of them or when.
Step 8: Write Your Grant Narrative.
After your assembly, and as knowledge and enter start rolling in, begin drafting your foremost grant proposal. Take into account these greatest practices to assist make this course of as easy and efficient as attainable:
- Begin from the tip and work backward. Most grants finish with the meatier and extra advanced sections, like sustainability plans and budgets. Attempt to sort out these first to each get them out of the way in which and to maintain their necessary particulars contemporary in your thoughts as you draft the sooner, extra narrative-driven sections.
- Comply with storytelling greatest practices. Energetic language, use of the primary individual, illustrative particulars, actual individuals and locations, and a dynamic, optimistic tone all assist your readers higher envision their very own roles in your story and people of your neighborhood. Attempt to strike the fitting steadiness of refined however emotionally compelling storytelling.
- Steadiness your narrative with laborious numbers. Funders are moved by tales, however they’ve to make use of numbers to make choices. Ensure that your proposal makes a balanced case that’s defensible from each the qualitative and quantitative angles. Use knowledge as an example the issue you’re fixing, your progress to this point, and the way a lot additional your new venture will push you towards success.
- Keep targeted and impact-forward. Write from a place of power quite than shortage; that’s, when you ought to clearly illustrate the issues at hand, maintain the deal with the way you’re transferring ahead urgently and deliberately. Tie your foremost speaking factors again to measurable impression every time attainable and illustrate them with tangible examples and particulars.
We suggest tackling this step quick and furiously.
If you happen to’ve deliberate out your timeline nicely, you’ll have loads of time to evaluate your proposal, get suggestions, and make revisions, however for now, you need power and momentum. For many grants, you need to intention to finish a full first draft in 4 days or fewer.
Step 9: Put together the Full Software.
With a whole draft in hand that you simply’ve combed by way of and tightened up, it’s time to compile all the extra documentation you must present the funder. These mostly embody budgets, resolutions, and letters of assist. Keep in mind, it’s by no means a nasty concept to intently evaluate your grant tips one final time to be sure to’re not lacking something.
At this stage, you’ll additionally possible need to create a canopy sheet to your proposal that outlines the contents and supplemental supplies.
Step 10: Evaluation, Submit, and Take a Breather.
Lastly, ask a teammate to fastidiously evaluate your full proposal and examine it towards the grant’s tips. Have them search for any big-picture points, lacking particulars, and clunky language.
Then, make your last revisions and submit the grant in response to the funder’s directions (ideally a minimum of a day or two earlier than the official deadline).
As soon as it’s out of your arms, take a breath, let everybody know, thank them for his or her assist, and shake off all of the nervous power. We suggest taking a stroll, bike trip, or simply taking an early afternoon to fulfill up with a pal. No matter works for you!
This 10-step course of has served us and our grant writing college students nicely, and it ought to function a useful framework to your first forays into the world of grant writing, too. Comply with its core suggestions and keep extraordinarily organized. If you wish to make your new expertise official, attempt exploring on-line grant writing programs that supply acknowledged certification!
Bonus factors should you go the additional mile to your group—keep in mind the record of prioritized record of grant alternatives you developed in Steps 3 and 4?
Revisit them to create a coherent Grant Funding Technique, a yearlong roadmap of grant alternatives that may maintain your present and upcoming tasks. This easy train can go a really lengthy solution to streamline your future grant writing efforts and set your nonprofit up for long-term success. Better of luck!
Concerning the Writer
Meredith Noble
Meredith Noble is the co-founder of Be taught Grant Writing, a web based membership for these constructing their careers in grant writing. Her e-book, The way to Write a Grant: Change into a Grant Writing Unicorn, is a bestseller for nonprofit fundraising and grants. Her experience has been featured in NASDAQ, Forbes, Quick Firm, Enterprise Insider, and different prime publications. She has secured over $45 million in grant funding, and her college students have secured over $627 million – a quantity that grows every day. If Meredith’s not biking or snowboarding in Alaska, she will be discovered curled round a steaming cup of green-tea and an excellent e-book.
