Introduction to Successful Grant Writing

Learn to start a grant proposal by building organizational readiness, time management, and clear scope; craft problem-solving, innovative proposals aligned with funder formats and Form 990, and envision impact.

Craft a clear, concise narrative that aligns your organization and clients with funders, manages deadlines, avoids jargon, proofreads for accuracy, and demonstrates social return on investment.

Identify grant opportunities and RFPs using online databases and grant-maker websites to match priorities. Do upfront research, tailor proposals, and avoid cookie-cutter approaches.

Position your organization for grant success by defining a clear mission and identifying your support base, while keeping budgets current and aligning plans with a long-range strategy and SWI analysis.

Provide a brief history of your organization, highlighting its founding and development for a quick look in the grant application narrative.

Organize for readiness by building efficient systems, managing time, and communicating to generate project ideas; understand your organization’s culture and networks; funders invest when you gather essential documents before proposals.

Develop unique, innovative grant ideas aligned with funder priorities, illustrating an ideal program addressing childhood obesity through disadvantaged youth via facilitator-led sessions and leadership training for underserved teens.

Identify the five main parts of a grant proposal—summary of applicant organization, problem or need statement, method, evaluation plan, and budget—and learn a step-by-step process to craft funder-ready, compelling grants.

Explore the five main parts of a grant proposal, including organization, problem statement with needs assessment, methods, evaluation, and budget, plus tips for drafting the initial budget and narrative.

Develop a strong, accountable draft budget aligned with project costs, identify funded program areas, justify funding needs, and specify dollar amounts in units like youth served or hours of instruction.

Identify direct and indirect costs in your project budget, including personnel, equipment, travel, printing, payroll, and administration. Include a budget narrative showing calculations and plan for future funding.

Build a project budget by aligning line items with objectives, detailing costs for personnel, travel, equipment kept for three years, supplies, and contracts, and ensuring totals add up.

Develop a concise, third-person organizational summary that covers founding and development, current mission, population served, and how projects deliver on goals, linking to funders' priorities.

Describe how an organizational summary communicates who, what, where, and why to funders, linking project activities to funder priorities and highlighting history, programs, and key achievements.

Summarize your organization's history and current programs, including annual served numbers, recent accomplishments, original issues, mission, and how it has changed over time, noting appreciation for Kandur.

Craft a clear problem statement that links current conditions to a future state, supported by local research and demographic data. Connect your needs assessment to project methods and funder priorities.

Craft a compelling problem statement by defining a clear need, backing it with statistics and research, and linking it to broader issues to persuade funders.

Develop a clear needs and problem statement for your grant project by identifying community concerns and demonstrating importance. Align your project approach with relevant research and statistics.

Define and describe the methods section by outlining activities, implementation steps, roles, and timelines to achieve project objectives and outcomes, while highlighting a unique, innovative approach and practical course benefits.

Define short- and long-term goals and break them into specific, measurable points using smart or simple goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timebase) that become objectives when measurable.

Set clear, measurable objectives and indicators aligned with goals, outline ordered project tasks, and design activities to show progress within six weeks using pre/post tests.

Develop three short-term goals, three long-term goals, and three objectives for your proposed grant project through this homework exercise.

Master the methods section by detailing project tasks, sequence flow, timelines, staff roles, and data collection plans, starting with clear objectives, while highlighting innovative approaches that appeal to funders.

Examine sample grants’ methods sections presented in narrative form, detailing phases, activities, classroom-based nutrition, pre/post assessments, and timelines to articulate project plans.

Construct methods section for three objectives from last lecture, outlining at least three activities per objective, using the project example to recruit 100 children for a fitness program.

Develop an evaluation plan by identifying what will be evaluated, defining the scope, detailing instruments and procedures, and outlining data collection, analysis, reporting, and utilization with responsibilities and evaluator credentials.

Examine sample evaluation plans drawn from funded grant proposals to measure reading and math outcomes through formative assessments, literacy screening, staff observations, and progress documentation.

Develop your organization's evaluation plan by outlining the evaluation process, selecting what to measure, and detailing data collection methods such as surveys and pre/post tests to monitor progress toward outcomes.