Grant writing is the art of convincing someone to give you money. In a nutshell, it’s a sales job with an incredibly long sales cycle and very high stakes. Generally speaking, getting a grant isn’t like applying for a loan or going on an interview.
There are no guarantees you’ll get the funding even if you do everything right. More often than not, potential funders will want to see your past work before they’ll agree to fund your next project.
That means that grant writing is also about building relationships over time and following up on promises made months ago (or years ago). So how do you go about doing all that? Here are some tips from my experience with grant writing in academia:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| 1. Learn effective strategies for grant proposal writing. |
| 2. Understand the key elements of a successful proposal. |
| 3. Explore ways to increase your chances of funding. |
| 4. Overcome common challenges in grant application. |
| 5. Discover how to align your project with funders’ goals. |
Do Your Research
The first step in getting funding for your next project is doing research. To make a good impression, you need to know as much about your potential backers as possible. First, take some time to research the organization or person(s) who will be reading your proposal.
What do they do? What do they stand for? What are their goals and priorities for the future? How does this position align with what you want to accomplish with your project?
Additionally, try to understand why they might be interested in funding your project and how it can benefit them not only through their investment in it but also by way of partnership opportunities later on down the road (if applicable).
It’s also important that you research the topic at hand before writing up a proposal knowing everything there is about an issue before writing about it will help ensure that all sides are fairly represented and understood within even just one sentence!
Looking to secure additional funding for your project? Discover effective strategies in our guide to getting more grant money through nonprofit proposal writing.
Know What The Organization Is About
This is a pretty simple step, but it’s the first one in the process and it’s important to get right. If you’re thinking about applying for funding from an organization, make sure you’ve done your homework!
You should know what the organization is about, what they do, and who runs it. If possible, also look into who supports them and what kind of services they offer their community.
Decide How Much Money You Want To Get
This may seem obvious, but you must know exactly what your project requires before you can start writing grant proposals.
Asking for too little will result in having to scale back or abandon the project altogether, while asking for too much money may cause those reviewing your application to wonder why you didn’t ask for more (or why they should give it).
Here are some questions that will help guide this decision:
How much money do I think I’ll need? If a project isn’t well-documented and researched, it’s hard for anyone including yourself to know exactly how much money is required until after some planning has been done.
This will ensure that both small and large projects are covered by their respective budgets.
Want to excel in grant writing? Learn the essential steps to become a successful grant writer and increase your chances of securing funding for your projects.
Write A Budget
The budget is the most important part of your grant proposal. It shows your funding sources that you are serious about achieving your goals and creating a sustainable project. If a foundation reads through your budget, they’ll know whether or not they feel like giving you their money.
Start by asking yourself: How much money do I need to make this project happen? How much time will it take? What resources will I have at my disposal?
What are my expenses going to be, and where can I cut costs? What kind of fundraising events do I want to hold to raise money for my organization/project/business? Will there be any other sources of funding available (endowments/grants), and how can they apply here?
Once these questions are answered, determine how much funding each cost category should receive from all possible sources combined, and then write out exactly how much each source offers per dollar given over the year (for example 1 million dollars for 3 years).
Find People Who Can Help You Write It
The first step in writing your grant proposal is to find people who can help you write it. You can ask your friends and family, or members of your community.
Ask them if they have any experience with grant-writing, or if they know anyone who does. If not, let them know that you have a project you’re working on that you would like to apply for grants for and see what kind of advice they might be able to offer about the process.
If none of those options work for you (or even if they do), there are also organizations dedicated specifically to help people get funding for their projects:
Crafting a compelling grant proposal is key to funding success. Explore our 11 tips for writing an exceptional grant proposal to enhance your proposal-writing skills.
Know The People Reading Your Proposal
There are a lot of people involved in the grant funding process. Sometimes it’s hard to keep track of who they all are and what they want.
The first thing you need to do is make sure you know who will be reading your proposal and what they are looking for before writing anything else.
Second, make sure you know what funders have funded before, what they have provided funding for in the past, and how much money has been raised through them (you can find some information about this online).
This will allow you to figure out if there’s any chance that your project might be eligible for funding from this funder.
Thirdly, look into whether the funders have funded similar projects in the past or not (again, some of this info should be available online).
If so, then consider contacting those organizations directly instead of applying to an intermediary organization such as a charity or foundation that handles grants on behalf of others it may save time while also increasing chances of success!
Doing this research upfront will help ensure better outcomes later down the line when applying for grants from multiple sources simultaneously.”
Make Sure They Are The Right People To Give You Money
Before you even start writing a proposal, you’ll want to make sure that the organization you are applying to is the right one. They should have a history of supporting projects similar to yours and have demonstrated their interest in funding your type of project.
If they are not familiar with your field or area of expertise, they may not be able to appreciate the impact or importance of your work.
Curious about the benefits of being a grant writer? Check out our list of the top 12 reasons why grant writers find their role fulfilling and impactful.
Create A Timeline For Your Project
Once you’ve got your funding, it’s time to start creating your timeline. This should be based on all of the research and planning you did earlier, as well as other factors like your budget, experience, and goals. The more realistic your timeline is, the better off you’ll be.
Show That You Care About The Work You’re Doing
It’s not enough to simply explain what your organization does and how it helps people. If someone is going to give you money for your project, they want to know that you care about what goes on in the field.
Tell them how much time you’ve spent in this particular community and why it means so much to you.
Show that you care about the people involved with the project. It’s also important for grant writers to show their passion for helping others specifically those who are directly affected by their nonprofit’s efforts (e.g., homeless veterans).
The best way to do this is by explaining how every person involved, from volunteers works at shelters.
Or soup kitchens, all the way up through executive directors and board members, are committed 100 percent of their energy toward making a difference in someone else’s life and they are willing to do whatever it takes!
Show that such work has an impact on those being helped as well as local communities at large (e g schools/public parks).
This can be done by citing statistics or results from past projects which demonstrate positive impacts made through funded programs (e g reduced school dropout rates among teens after receiving tutoring services).
You should also include details about how these programs were implemented (e g specific locations where program activities were held), whether any evaluations were conducted post-program completion( e g surveys sent out asking participants if they felt more confident now than before)
Create Goals And Objectives Based On Things That Are Doable And Realistic
The most important thing to do when creating your goals is to ensure that they are realistic and doable. When you say your goal is “to get funding for my next project,” that can be a hard one to measure.
Do you mean financial or in-kind? What exactly does it mean by “funding”? If it’s not something measurable, then how will you know if it was successful?
A good way of making sure your goals are realistic and doable would be when you think about what has worked for other organizations that have done similar projects before.
For example, let’s say I wanted to start an organization that teaches underprivileged children how to code. I could talk with other organizations that have done similar programs and see what their success stories were like.
What worked well for them, what didn’t work well for them, etc., and incorporate those learnings into my plan so that my program ends up being even better than theirs!
Another thing about setting up goals and objectives: make sure they’re specific! A vague objective won’t tell anyone anything useful about what needs doing beyond “do some stuff.”
This makes it harder for people trying their best at helping out because they don’t know where exactly they should focus their efforts (or whether there’s even any point).
Make Sure Your Proposal Is Well Written, Clear, And Well-Organized
Writing a grant proposal can be an intimidating task. To make sure your proposal is clear, concise, and well-organized, consider these tips:
Use simple language. Avoid using specialized jargon in your writing. Remember that the people who will be reading your proposal are not experts in your field make sure you’re using terms that they’ll understand.
Use active voice instead of passive voice (like “The funding for this project was granted by our government” rather than “The government granted funding”). Active voice makes sentences more powerful and engaging to read.
It also helps ensure you don’t accidentally say something like “Your project will work with a large number of people.” Instead, write “A large number of people will work on your project.” That way there’s no confusion about who does what!
Make sure every sentence has a subject and predicate (the action). Your sentences should have clearly defined subjects doing things: “Funding applications were submitted by us” versus “We submitted funding applications.”
This will help readers understand what you’re talking about without having to stop and think too hard about it; it also keeps them from getting bored before finishing all their reading!
Overcoming the fear associated with grant writing is crucial for success. Learn how to tackle this challenge in our article on overcoming the fear in the grant writing process.
Be Honest About What You Need In Terms Of Resources
When you’re looking for grant funding, you might be afraid to ask for what you need. You want to make sure that your project is successful and that it will reach its goals. However, when it comes to grants, having more resources than necessary can be a good thing!
If your project needs $10,000 but you only ask for $5,000 and get it approved, it will still have the same amount of effectiveness as if you had asked for $15k and got everything approved. In other words: don’t be afraid to ask for more than what you need!
Don’t Be Afraid To Ask For What You Need To Do Great Work!
The truth is, most grant-writing organizations are there to help you. They want their money to be well spent, and they want it to go toward projects that will make a difference in the world.
You can’t expect them to give you anything less than what you ask for. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this grant-writing experience, it’s that grant-writers are not-minded readers!
So don’t be afraid of being specific about exactly what kind of support or funding you need to do great work.
Here are some questions that might help:
- What sort of budget do I need?
- How much money should I request? (Just an idea!)
- Is my proposal specific enough?
Conclusion
So there you have it: Grant writing is not only possible but also a great way to get funding for your next project. If you have any questions or comments, let us know in the comments section below! We’d love to hear from you 🙂
Further Reading
Explore these resources for more insights on grant proposal writing and funding success:
Pandadoc’s Guide to Writing Effective Grant Proposals: Enhance your grant writing skills with valuable tips and strategies shared in this comprehensive guide.
25 Tips for Writing Effective Funding Proposals: Discover 25 actionable tips to write compelling proposals that increase your chances of securing funding.
Writing Center Guide to Grant Proposals: The University of Wisconsin’s Writing Center offers an insightful guide to help you navigate the process of creating successful grant proposals.
FAQs
What are the key elements of a well-written grant proposal?
A well-written grant proposal typically includes a clear project description, a statement of need, a detailed budget, and a well-defined plan for project implementation.
How can I make my funding proposals more persuasive?
To enhance the persuasiveness of your funding proposals, focus on demonstrating the alignment between your project goals and the funder’s priorities, while also showcasing the potential impact of your project.
Where can I find examples of successful grant proposals?
Many organizations and institutions offer samples of successful grant proposals online. These samples can provide valuable insights into formatting, language, and structuring your own proposal.
What is the importance of addressing the funder’s mission in a grant proposal?
Addressing the funder’s mission in your proposal demonstrates that you have thoroughly researched their values and goals. It increases your proposal’s relevancy and shows a genuine interest in partnering with the funder.
How can I improve the clarity of my grant proposal’s goals and outcomes?
Use specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals in your grant proposal. This approach enhances clarity and helps funders understand the concrete outcomes you aim to achieve.
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.