The Complete Book of Grant Writing: Learn to Write Grants Like a Professional / Edition 2

by Nancy Smith, E. Works

Overview

Learn how to write grants that win funding fast!

The Complete Book of Grant Writing is the ultimate grant book that shows you how to write a grant proposal if you're seeking funding through government grants, foundation grants, and specialty grants. Grant proposal writing is an intricate process where any bits of misinformation or formatting errors can mean the difference between securing funding or not. Professional grant writer Nancy Burke Smith and philanthropy consultant and grant maker E. Gabriel Works unveil the secrets behind how to find and successfully apply for grants.

Topics include:

• The Five Core Components of every grant, including the statement of need, the evaluation plan, and budgets
• What makes a grant compelling to funders? What to do when you are funded—and actions you can take if you are denied funding
• How to become a professional grant writer
• The grant writing timetable, from responding to requests for proposals to receiving funding
• Grant writing in different fields of nonprofit practice, including educational, governmental, environmental, and faith-based organizations

Packed with 20 samples to show you exactly how to get started, including full grant proposals, letters of inquiry, support letters, concept papers, and more!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402267291
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	08/01/2012
Series:	Complete Book of
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	440,566
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Nancy Burke Smith is a freelance writer specializing in grant proposals and other communications for nonprofit organizations, including the Council of Michigan Foundations, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the C.S. Mott Foundation. She coauthored The Everything Grantwriting Book.

E. Gabriel Works is senior consultant to The Grantmaking School. As principal of Works Associates, she leverages her distinctive knowledge of private, community and corporate philanthropy to provide consulting services that focus on enhancing the practice of philanthropy.

Read an Excerpt

Introduction

This book may be the first of its kind—a collaborative effort between an experienced grantwriter and an experienced grantmaker developed to provide views, tips, and information from both sides of the grantseeking experience.

From it, you will learn the difference between what we call reactive and proactive grantseeking; in the former case, responding to requests for proposals; in the latter, actively searching for matches between potential funders and nonprofit applicants. You'll learn who makes grants and how, where to find funding opportunities, and how to design and complete the grantwriting process through both of these approaches.

We show you the five core components of grant proposals: an abstract, statement of problem, project description, evaluation plan, and budget narrative, and you'll learn the intricacies of developing each one. In addition, we point out a dozen or more other components you may encounter in your grantseeking and provide samples and tips for developing your response.

Because we believe that all good writing is grounded in a deep understanding of one's audience, we share with you the funder's view throughout the book: What makes grants compelling to funders? What are their red flags and non-negotiable issues? How do they make decisions, and how do you develop professional relationships with funders?

We have included more than twenty samples demonstrating every form of writing a grantwriter may be asked to compose: grant proposals, preproposals, concept papers, letters of inquiry, interagency agreements, support letters, media releases, and progress reports. Two entire chapters are dedicated to annotated sample proposals, one illustrating diff erent types of grant requests and a second showcasing writing for different types of nonprofit organizations.

Finally, we share important lessons on what to do when you are funded and what to do when you are not. The closing chapter discusses grantwriting as a career. We leave it to you to choose your path: write grants as a concerned volunteer, as a consultant, as an executive director, as a fundraiser, or as a project manager. However you use what you've learned, you will be writing grants like a professional.

Grantwriting and Fundraising: Making the Distinction

People who write grants, especially if they are employees of a nonprofit organization, often have several job duties, including fundraising. While grantwriting and fundraising are complementary, they are very different processes, and they are about very different relationships. A grantwriter seeks grantmaking prospects that will be a good fit for an organization and the work it is doing. Successful grants become contractual work through which the grantee may build a relationship with the grantor. Similarly, a good grantwriter may gain respect from the grantor on the basis of his or her grantwriting expertise and the organization's performance on the contract. It is a "left brain," or business- type relationship.

A fundraiser seeks prospects who will become donors (these prospects could include grantmakers). A fundraiser often develops "right brain," or more informal, relationships with potential donors. At their best, fundraisers engage donors by helping them experience the power of philanthropy through the nonprofit organization and the work that it does. While data are not unimportant, building strong relationships with these donors is far less contractual and far more iterative than building relationships developed through a grant.

In this book, we have separated the roles of grantwriter and fundraiser to focus on the specific skills and expertise needed for writing successful grants. The amount of fundraising resources and classes dwarfs the resources for grantwriters, which is why we have chosen to focus on grantwriting here.

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Grantmakers and Grantseekers

What Is a Grant?
What Is a Grant Proposal?
Who Qualifies for Grants?
Who Writes Grants?
What Do Grants Fund?
Two Approaches to Grantseeking

Chapter 2: Reactive Grantseeking

What Is Reactive Grantseeking?
Who Makes Grants via RFP?
Winning Reactive Grant Proposals
Requests for Proposals (RFPs)
The Grantwriter's Role in Responding to RFPs
Preproposal Requirements
Learning More

Chapter 3: Proactive Grantseeking

What Is Proactive Grantseeking?
Who Makes These Grants?
How Foundations Do Business
Foundations That Fund Only Preselected Organizations
Crafting a Proactive Grantseeking Strategy
Navigating the World of Foundation Staffing
Contacting Foundation Staff
Foundation Non-Negotiables

Chapter 4: Thoughtful Planning

Planning for Sustainability
Community Involvement
Identifying and Involving Other Organizations

Chapter 5: Before You Write

Planning the Process
Scheduling to Meet the Deadline
Reviewing Drafts
The Framework
Common Grant Applications

Chapter 6: The Five Core Components of Every Grant Proposal

Executive Summary or Abstract
Statement of Need or Problem
Project Description
Sample Project Description Narrative
Evaluation Plan
Learning More
Budget and Budget Narrative
Writing the Budget Narrative

Chapter 7: Beyond the Basics

Collaboration/Partner Agencies and Their Roles
Interagency Agreements
Management Plans
Staff Qualifications
Similar Programs/Agencies
Constituent Involvement
Review of Literature
Sustainability Plans
Organizational History
Logic Models
Common Attachments

Chapter 8: The Grantwriting Craft

Write It Well
Cover Letters and Abstracts—Write Them Last
Teamwork—Reviewing Your Proposal
Presentation
Filling out Forms
Submitting Your Proposal
Summary Tips for Writing Grant Proposals

Chapter 9: Individualizing Your Proposals by Type of Project

Capital Grant
Challenge Grant
Capacity-Building Grant
Sustainability Grant
Demonstration Project
Operations Grant
Special Populations Project

Chapter 10: Grantwriting in Different Fields of Nonprofit Practice

Arts Organizations
Medical Service Organizations
Educational Institutions
Technology Organizations
Social/Human Services Organizations
Local Government and Services
Faith-Based
Organizations
Environmental Organizations
Economic Development Organizations

Chapter 11: While You Wait

Due Diligence
Site Visits
Recycling Grant Proposals
Continue Your Research
When Government Administrations Change
When Foundation Staffing, Structures, or Programs Change

Chapter 12: Yes or No

You Got the Grant!
Grant Agreements
Progress Reports
Sorry, Your Proposal Was Not Funded

Chapter 13: Professional Grantwriting

Is This the Life for You?
Certification
Licensing and Registration
Building Your Grantwriting Business
Grantwriting with Integrity
The Grantwriter's Scope of Involvement

Glossary
Online Resources
Index
About the Authors