Grant Writing for Nonprofits and Freelance Writers
What you'll learn
- Identify relevant government and private foundation funders
- Draft solid and efficient proposal boilerplate language that can be used for years
- Strategically align funder priorities, organizational mission, program design, program budgets
- Use provided sample language as a guide in your own proposal writing
Requirements
- Writing software and Adobe Acrobat Reader (to view PDFs)
- The homework encourages students to focus on their nonprofit and its programs, so freelance writers should have a nonprofit / program in mind
- Student should have working knowledge of their organization's goals, programs, and priorities
Description
Many nonprofits are worried about tax law changes affecting donations. To be competitive, you need to diversify and build your skills for generating revenue.
This course is designed for nonprofits that want to not only get better at writing successful proposals, but also get better at the process of researching and applying for foundation and government grants. The course is also for grant writers or freelance writers who want to offer their clients a more comprehensive approach to grant writing.
When you’re done with the course, you’ll have assembled one of the most powerful tools a nonprofit can have – a proposal boilerplate.
The boilerplate contains about 75% of the language you’ll need as you’re drafting proposals. Working on the boilerplate outside the pressure of a proposal deadline will result in language that is better-written, as well as more thoughtful and strategic. It will also set you up to be uber-efficient as you’re writing proposals in the future.
Throughout this course we'll be using real examples and real language, and each lesson includes a transcript, so you can kickstart your own boilerplate.
You’ll also be given strategies and tips for finding foundation and government grants, including:
- Identifying five relevant local foundations
- Gathering information about grants at the local, state, and federal level for you to start pursuing
Finally, we’ll be walking through key strategies for completing solid applications, including:
- Letters of intent
- The budget
- Meeting a funder’s expectations
Each video session includes two downloads: a PDF of the slides in handout format, and a Word document transcript.
Who this course is for:
- Nonprofits, particularly small and new nonprofits, or those struggling to develop funder relationships
- Freelance writers looking to add grant writing to their skillset
Instructor
- 4.6 Instructor Rating
- 2,268 Reviews
- 12,611 Students
- 2 Courses
Tim has a dual background in marketing and nonprofit management. His passion is helping nonprofits align all of the necessary communication tools and strategies to be effective at accomplishing their goals. These tools range from branding and communication strategy to print campaigns, web development, video production, web applications, copywriting, legislation, policy and program development. Tim has helped organizations like Phil's Friends, the Home Centered Care Institute, the Willow Creek Association, Awana Clubs International, TASC, DuPage PADS, Bright Hope International and nonprofits of various shapes and sizes in the Chicagoland area. Most recently, Tim served as grant director for his local community college.
Tim has also worked at the intersection of social service, drug treatment and criminal justice policy in Illinois for 17 years. As Special Counsel for Policy for a statewide nonprofit, he was responsible for research, analysis and policy support for a number of agency activities, primarily legislative analysis, and policy and program design in the areas of criminal justice and diversion / alternatives to incarceration. He also co-authored a number of papers on treatment, diversion and disproportionate minority confinement. Tim also directed and co-produced a documentary on the history of the federal court in Chicago, entitled "A Court at the Heart of America", which was nominated for a local Emmy.
Tim prioritizes helping organizations that do redemptive work – organizations that attempt to bring healing to brokenness, and restoration of hope. He's certified in the StoryBrand marketing framework. He's also a lawyer, but don't worry...he's one of the good guys.