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 look like a giant, scary process. In any case, you’re presenting your group for judgment with actual cash and help on the road throughout a time when many nonprofits are seeing drops in their donation numbers.

Whereas that is all true, it’s essential to do not forget that grant writing is admittedly only a sequence of steps, not a mysterious course of that ends in cash for some fortunate nonprofits and rejections for others.

Profitable grant writing comes all the way 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 rely on grant writing freelancers who focus solely on the craft).

However let’s say you’re working in-house and simply obtained 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 selections. Spend a while studying extra about these key areas of the grant panorama:

• Funders. Personal foundations, public foundations (technically known as public charities), authorities companies on the native, state, and federal ranges, and firms are the first varieties of organizations that present grants to nonprofits.
• Funding buildings. Grants are available a number of totally different sizes and styles. Funding might be restricted to the precise mission specified by your proposal or unrestricted for normal use. Payouts could be given abruptly or supplied in installments. The entire worth could be a flat amount of cash or matched, that means the grant offers a sure portion of your mission’s complete prices (usually 50%). Every of those classes can convey totally different reporting issues that you simply’ll want to know forward of time, as effectively.
• The stages 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. Carefully following your funder’s reporting tips not solely ensures compliance and clean payouts but additionally units you up effectively for future partnerships.
• The components of a grant proposal. In case you’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 may usually count on to see these sections:

Take a look at Learn Grant Writing’s introductory guide 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, applications, 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 along with your mission and what you already wish to accomplish. Don’t give you new tasks and applications 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 centered and efficient nonprofit.

Step 3: Analysis Grant Alternatives.

Begin in search of your first (or subsequent) grant to use for.

There are various useful sources to take a look at. For presidency grants, depend on the official grants.gov web site. Candid and The National Council of Nonprofits present useful directories for all kinds of basis grants, as effectively.

Memberships and paid platforms are additionally obtainable and supply further options that may assist you to construct a constant grant funding pipeline. Instrumentl and GrantStation are each fashionable decisions on this class.

Begin your analysis by discovering alternatives that align along with your mission, supposed mission, worth, and timeframe. Don’t be afraid to place collectively an extended checklist at this stage.

Step 4: Prioritize Your Choices.

Subsequent, start narrowing down your checklist of grant alternatives to those who will give you the best likelihood of success. A number of standards may help you prioritize your alternatives, together with:

• Mission alignment between your nonprofit and the funder
• Challenge alignment with the grant’s acknowledged objective and targets
• Any present connections you might need with the funder
• Applicant success rate, or the variety of awardees over the entire 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 mission

There’s nobody excellent approach to measure competitiveness, and your consolation zone will differ relying on the precise circumstances. One useful rule of thumb we advocate is to prioritize grants with applicant success charges of 20% or higher.

Bear in mind, too, that you may (and will) attain out on to funders to be taught extra should you can’t discover related data on-line or by any databases you employ.

Work by your checklist a number of instances, narrowing it all the way down to a handful of the most effective alternatives. Whenever 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 thing that comes subsequent. Take your time to learn, learn, and reread them.

Actively search clarification from the funder and skilled workforce members as wanted. Higher to take a position the time in understanding the rules now than battle by 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 acknowledged necessities of the grant. This may maintain you on observe, save time, and end in a more practical proposal.

We name it the “narrative skeleton.” Work your approach by the grant’s tips and necessities and compile them into a top level view.

Use the precise language from the rules because the part headings—this can instantly convey relevance to your funder. Start brainstorming speaking factors and types of data to incorporate in every part as you consider them, however don’t fear about filling within the particulars and drafting full sentences but. The aim is just 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 Obligatory Data

Grant proposals include data gathered from throughout a company, in order that they normally require enter from a number of workforce members and departments. Earlier than you start drafting your proposal, it’s a good suggestion to sync up with the people who’ll assist you to alongside the way in which.

Whereas making ready your narrative skeleton, you recognized data that you simply’ll want in your proposal, like impact data about previous applications or projections in your proposed mission. Put together an agenda and invite the people who may help you collect this data to a grant kickoff assembly.

Throughout your assembly, overview 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 workforce
• Anecdotes and constituent suggestions that may be useful to assemble

That is additionally the time to debate some essential logistics. Your group ought to finalize the funds in your proposed mission as quickly as potential (particularly for matching grants) so to embrace it in your proposal. Talk about any further documentation required by the grant, and get the ball rolling on securing it quickly. For some organizations, it may possibly take fairly some time to safe official board resolutions, for example.

Reply questions, thank everybody for his or her time, and comply with up as wanted. The key is to be organized—nobody desires to be roped right into a mission 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 main grant proposal. Take into account these greatest practices to assist make this course of as clean and efficient as potential:

• Begin from the top and work backward. Most grants finish with the meatier and extra complicated 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 essential particulars contemporary in your thoughts as you draft the sooner, extra narrative-driven sections.
• Comply with storytelling best practices. Energetic language, use of the primary particular person, illustrative particulars, actual folks and locations, and a dynamic, optimistic tone all assist your readers higher envision their very own roles in your story and people of your group. Attempt to strike the best stability of refined however emotionally compelling storytelling.
• Stability your narrative with exhausting numbers. Funders are moved by tales, however they’ve to make use of numbers to make selections. Make it possible for your proposal makes a balanced case that’s defensible from each the qualitative and quantitative angles. Use knowledge as an instance the issue you’re fixing, your progress to date, and the way a lot additional your new mission will push you towards success.
• Keep centered and impact-forward. Write from a place of power slightly than shortage; that’s, whilst you ought to clearly illustrate the issues at hand, maintain the deal with the way you’re shifting ahead urgently and deliberately. Tie your essential speaking factors again to measurable impression every time potential and illustrate them with tangible examples and particulars.

We advocate tackling this step quick and furiously.

In case you’ve deliberate out your timeline effectively, you’ll have loads of time to overview your proposal, get suggestions, and make revisions, however for now, you need power and momentum. For many grants, it is best 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 and tightened up, it’s time to compile all the extra documentation it’s essential present the funder. These mostly embrace budgets, resolutions, and letters of help. Bear in mind, it’s by no means a foul concept to intently overview your grant tips one final time to ensure you’re not lacking something.

At this stage, you’ll additionally seemingly wish to create a canopy sheet in your proposal that outlines the contents and supplemental supplies.

Step 10: Evaluation, Submit, and Take a Breather.

Lastly, ask a teammate to fastidiously overview your full proposal and examine it in opposition to 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 based on the funder’s directions (ideally not less than 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 advocate taking a stroll, bike journey, or simply taking an early afternoon to satisfy up with a good friend. No matter works for you!

This 10-step course of has served us and our grant writing college students effectively, and it ought to function a useful framework in 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 online grant writing courses that provide acknowledged certification!

Bonus factors should you go the additional mile in your group—keep in mind the checklist of prioritized checklist 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 approach to streamline your future grant writing efforts and set your nonprofit up for long-term success. Better of luck!

Concerning the Creator

Meredith Noble

Meredith Noble is the co-founder of Learn Grant Writing, an internet membership for these constructing their careers in grant writing. Her e book, The way to Write a Grant: Turn out to be 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 day by day.  If Meredith’s not biking or snowboarding in Alaska, she might be discovered curled round a steaming cup of green-tea and a very good e book.