13 Tips To Help You Write Fundable Proposals

Grant writing is a lot like the act of writing itself. A good grant writer has to be able to think creatively and communicate effectively.

They need to be able to understand how their organization works and what it needs, as well as how potential donors might want to help them achieve their goals.

The best way to do this is by figuring out what makes your organization unique from others in your field or niche, then writing proposals that highlight these qualities and convince people that investing in your organization’s mission will benefit them too!

5 Tips to Write Great Proposals – Funds for NGOs – YouTube

Takeaways
1. Understand the funder’s priorities and align your proposal accordingly.
2. Clearly define the problem you’re addressing and the impact of your project.
3. Craft a compelling narrative that engages the reader and conveys your mission.
4. Use data and evidence to support your claims and demonstrate your project’s feasibility.
5. Develop a detailed and well-structured project plan that outlines objectives and activities.
6. Highlight your organization’s strengths and expertise to build credibility.
7. Show how your project fills a gap or addresses an unmet need in your field.
8. Tailor your proposal to match the funder’s specific guidelines and requirements.
9. Clearly outline the budget, including all anticipated expenses and revenue sources.
10. Emphasize the potential outcomes and long-term sustainability of your project.
11. Edit and proofread your proposal thoroughly to ensure clarity and professionalism.
12. Seek feedback from peers or mentors to refine your proposal before submission.
13. Follow up with the funder after submitting the proposal to demonstrate continued interest.

Table of Contents

1. Find A Mentor

Find a mentor. If you’ve just started as a grant writer, you must find someone who has been successful in the field. You should ask them to review your proposal and provide feedback on how to improve your writing.

They can also help make sure that what you are proposing is relevant and fundable. Additionally, they will be able to steer you towards grant opportunities or other resources that could help with funding for your program or project, and finding work.

As a grant writer (or even getting started), finding an investor for your business idea or finding a partner for your venture!

Find someone who knows what they’re doing when it comes to writing proposals this person will become one of the most important people in your life!

Enhancing your grant proposal writing skills can significantly impact your nonprofit’s funding. Learn how to craft compelling proposals with our insightful tips for getting more grant money guide.

2. Research Grant Programs And Follow Guidelines

Once you’ve found a grant program to apply for, it’s time to do your research. Even if the program is not one that you’ve applied for before, there is still plenty of information available online.

Reviewing the information on their website will give you an idea of what they are looking for and how they would like applications written.

For example, if a program has an application deadline in February and does not accept any late applications, don’t send yours after February!

You’ll also want to follow any submission guidelines (such as only submitting proposals via email or hard copies sent by mail). If there are no submission guidelines listed on the website then follow the generally accepted protocol for submitting proposals:

3. Follow The Grant-Seeking Process

To ensure the success of your grant proposal, follow the following steps:

Research funding opportunities by visiting websites like Foundation Directory Online and Grants.gov. You can also ask for help from your local library, which may offer access to print copies of federal government publications on grants and other forms of financial assistance.

Plan your project carefully before writing a grant proposal. Make sure you have enough time and resources to complete it successfully and don’t forget to include all necessary materials (e.g., budget worksheets) in your application!

Write an effective cover letter that clearly explains why you need funding for this particular project, how much money you are requesting, what impact it will have on society (or other beneficiaries), and why this organization should sponsor it…

Navigating the world of grant writing requires finesse and strategy. Explore our collection of tips to improve your grant writing for expert insights on optimizing your proposals.

4. Focus On The Grant Opportunity

The first step in writing a successful grant proposal is to make sure your project fits the grant’s funding priorities.

To do so, you should carefully read through the entire call for proposals and make sure that your proposed project meets all requirements. If it doesn’t meet any of them, then it will be unlikely to get funded.

Next, take time to consider whether or not your organization’s mission and vision align with those of the funder.

For example, if you’re applying for funds from an organization that focuses on environmental causes but your company has little emphasis on environmental initiatives, then it might be best not to apply at all.

Because this would confuse other stakeholders about why exactly these two organizations are working together at all.

5. Develop Realistic Budget Estimates

The first step to estimating your budget is to create a budget template. This will help you keep track of each item that you spend money on and make sure that you don’t forget any important costs.

Start by creating a column for each type of expense, such as travel, events, office supplies, and more. Then add in the amounts for each category so that it’s clear how much money you need.

Don’t forget about contingency funds these are extra dollars added into your budget in case an unexpected cost comes up (for example, if one of your team members has car trouble). You may also want to include some money for your salary or labor costs here.

Crafting an exceptional grant proposal involves careful planning and execution. Discover our comprehensive 11 tips for writing an exceptional grant proposal to increase your chances of securing funding.

6. Identify Solutions For Challenges

When you’re writing a proposal, it can be tempting to go straight for the solution. You might have already come up with your idea and be ready to start writing about the steps of implementing that solution.

But before you do that, it’s important to spend some time thinking about how your organization will identify challenges and develop solutions.

This is especially true if you’re applying for grants from foundations or other organizations whose main mission is not solving problems but rather engaging in research or providing services (such as arts organizations).

To get started on this process:

Identify the problem(s) your organization wants to solve. You may want to create a list of potential issues related specifically to what you do as an organization, for example, we know there are many reasons why people don’t read books.

And so we’ve made it our mission through our 501(c)(3) nonprofit Reading Is Fundamental (RIF).

Which provides free books and literacy support services in low-income communities across America, has compiled many studies on literacy rates among children from different socioeconomic backgrounds and written reports based on those findings over years upon years.”

7. Evaluate Your Proposal’s Strengths And Weaknesses

Once you’ve completed your draft, it’s time to evaluate your proposal.

This is especially important if you’re working on funding for a new project or program because there’s no way to know how funders will react to your idea until they read the application.

That means that once the proposal goes out into the world, there will be no turning back. If a funder gives feedback that says “We love this!” but then rejects the grant request because of something in the document (or vice versa), it’ll be too late for any kind of revision or re-approach.

So What Should You Look For?

Evaluating strengths and weaknesses involves identifying things such as: Does each section clearly state its purpose? Is everything necessary included?

Are there sections where clarity could be improved by cutting down on unnecessary words or phrases? Are there areas where redundancy might confuse (e.g., using “for” when “to” would do)?

Writing a successful grant proposal requires attention to detail and a strategic approach. Learn about the essential factors to consider with our insightful guide: 12 things to keep in mind when writing a successful grant proposal.

8. Conduct Interviews To Develop Your Content

You can use interviews with stakeholders to develop your content, including the following:

Proposal questions. Before you write your proposal, make sure that you’ve answered all the questions that funders will ask.
Content for a narrative or executive summary (if required). Use information gathered in interviews to formulate the body of your proposal. Be sure to include a section on how funding will be used and any relevant metrics or milestones.
Budget components. A well-constructed budget will include all anticipated costs associated with creating and distributing an initiative, from developing a website to shipping t-shirts as thank-you gifts for participants in an event space makeover project.
Timeline elements such as deadlines for each phase of work, implementation schedules, and reporting requirements (if applicable).

9. Review Your Proposal Thoroughly

Spell check your proposal. Make sure that you haven’t left any spelling or grammar mistakes in your document.
Logical flow: Your proposal should be easy to read and follow, so it’s important to check for logical flow (i.e., not skipping steps, making sure that the content is in order).
Consistency: Be consistent throughout all of your proposals; don’t use different formatting or wording from one proposal to another.
Clarity: Be clear about what you’re asking for and whom it will benefit (while also being honest about the limitations of your work).

If you have any questions about whether the request amounts to support for a particular project, ask someone else who knows more than you do before submitting your application.

10. Test Your Logic Before You Submit

You’re almost done! Now is the time to test your logic and make sure it’s sound before submitting.

This means taking a step back from your proposal and asking colleagues for feedback on whether they can understand how you arrived at each of your three objectives, or if there are any gaps in logic that need to be addressed.

Where do you start? Well, it might seem like common sense but sometimes proposals can be overcomplicated or have too much information packed into them.

So I recommend using a simple logic test (also known as a template) to give yourself some structure while testing for gaps in logic. Logic tests typically consist of seven questions that ask about relevance, completeness, and clarity:

Transforming your proposals into funded projects requires a blend of skill and understanding. Dive into the nuances of successful proposal writing with our guide on how to write a proposal that gets funded.

11. Check For Competitive Advantage

This is a very important step, as it will help you understand how unique and different your proposal is from others. Your goal should be to not only offer services that are different from what other grant writers offer.

But to also make sure that your proposal is not too similar or dissimilar to those of other grant writers or organizations. This way, you have a competitive advantage over these organizations and can stand out in the crowd of proposals.

Compare previous proposals with this one (compare before submitting). Before submitting your proposal, it’s always good practice to compare it with previous ones so as not to create something too similar or too dissimilar from them you don’t want either extreme!

The best way to ensure that this happens is by comparing each word used in both documents using word cloud software like Wordle (see below).

12. Ask Colleagues To Review It

You may have the best way of thinking about your organization and its work, but that doesn’t mean that you can write a good proposal.

Asking others to look over your proposal will help ensure that it is written in language that funders are accustomed to reading and that it contains all the information necessary for them to understand your organization and its mission.

Use a checklist or template as a guide. A template can serve as something of a road map when writing a grant application, making sure you stay on track with the components required by funders (and avoiding common mistakes).

It also helps to ensure consistency across applications something funders notice quickly and makes sure that nothing important gets left out!

13. Practice Presenting Your Proposal

You can’t expect to be a great presenter if you don’t practice. Just like any other skill, the more you do it, the better you’ll get at it. Practice in front of a mirror until your delivery feels natural and flows smoothly.

Then practice with friends or colleagues who will give honest feedback about what works and what doesn’t work in your presentation style.

And finally, practice presenting to groups at professional meetings so that when (not if) the time comes for you to present your proposal to donors or stakeholders.

They’ll see someone who is comfortable on stage and knows how to hold an audience’s attention with their topic of expertise.

Conclusion

We hope that these tips and tricks will help you write a grant proposal that’s easier for your donors to read and understand, and therefore more likely to get funded!

There’s no magic formula for how long the process takes, but if you follow these guidelines and apply them consistently, then you’re sure to have more success with your grant writing.

FAQs

How can I improve my grant proposal writing skills?

Enhancing your grant proposal writing skills involves practice, research, and learning from experienced grant writers. Consider reading guides, attending workshops, and seeking feedback on your proposals.

What are some common mistakes to avoid in grant proposal writing?

Common mistakes in grant proposal writing include vague language, lack of clarity in objectives, and failing to align with the funder’s priorities. Conduct thorough proofreading and ensure your proposal addresses all requirements.

How can I make my grant proposal more compelling?

To make your grant proposal compelling, focus on clearly articulating your project’s impact, using data to support your claims, and telling a compelling story about your organization’s mission and goals.

How do I tailor my grant proposal to different funders?

Tailoring your grant proposal involves researching each funder’s goals, priorities, and guidelines. Customize your proposal to align with their specific interests and demonstrate how your project aligns with their mission.

What should I include in the budget section of my grant proposal?

The budget section of your grant proposal should outline all anticipated expenses related to your project. This includes personnel costs, supplies, travel, and other relevant expenditures. Be transparent and accurate in your budget projections.

Costantine Edward

Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.