What is grant writing?
Grant writing is the practice of applying for funding provided by an institution such as a government department, corporation, foundation or trust. In order to be awarded a grant, your organization must write and submit a proposal to be eligible for receiving funding. A grant proposal typically will request funding in order to support activities and programs that are consistent with a nonprofit organization’s mission.
According to Wikipedia, the key parts of the grant proposal process include:
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- Analyzing the intended audience for the proposal
- Analyzing the purpose of the proposal
- Gathering information about the subject of the proposal
- Choosing the appropriate type of proposal
- Writing the proposal
- Formatting the proposal
- Revising, editing, and proofreading the proposal
- Submitting the proposal
The amount of steps for a specific grant proposal can vary depending on the timeline the foundation or funder has given. Grantmakers are usually looking for a specific cause or subject to fund, such as diversity and inclusion, so always make sure to thoroughly read what the grantmaker is interested in (and that it’s relevant to your organization’s mission) before applying for a grant simply because it’s a large sum of money.
Grants can be challenging to find and even more difficult to acquire. The Foundation Center’s Foundation Directory Online is a great resource for nonprofits which provides comprehensive information on grantmakers and the grants they are currently offering.
To read more on grants and how to write a grant proposal, we encourage you to check out some of our most popular articles on these topics:
