Mastering the craft of grant writing opens up amazing growth opportunities for nonprofits of all sizes. But it can also feel like an uphill battle: complicated grant requirements, confusing jargon, unfamiliar research processes, and more.
For small, under-resourced, or brand-new organizations, stepping into the world of grant writing might feel more like a leap.
Grant writing is a learnable skill, and practice makes a world of difference. A bit of confidence (and some upfront grant writing knowledge) can give you the push you need to snag more successes and build momentum for your cause.
What are the specific things and resources that grant newcomers need to succeed? Here’s a handy checklist:
- Grant writing training
- A clear vision of your needs
- Access to grant research resources
- An aligned team
- An organized grant writing process
- Data about your nonprofit’s work
- Effective accounting processes
With these boxes checked, you’ll have what you need to begin making grant writing a sustained priority. Let’s take a closer look at each essential.
Grant Writing Training
Experience with the grant writing process and an understanding of common grant writing terminology will help you start strong (and not run into unnecessary roadblocks right off the bat).
Thankfully, grant writing training comes in all shapes and sizes today, and there are options for every budget. Viable possibilities include:
- Free introductory courses
- Online grant writing courses and curriculums
- University and continuing education courses
- Online certificate programs
To start, define your training needs before you begin your search for materials.
Some classes are geared toward working nonprofit professionals, while others may be better suited to grant writing freelancers. Some may offer certifications for those already working in nonprofits (like the approved grant writing training resources for CFRE certification) and others don’t. All will have varying levels of detail about different aspects of the grant writing process.
For instance, a class may include ample explanation of the parts of a grant proposal but skimp on instruction for how to find grant opportunities in the first place. By defining upfront that you want comprehensive training designed for nonprofits, you’ll set yourself up to find the best possible options.
A Clear Vision of Your Needs
Next, consider why your nonprofit is looking for grant funding. What’s the specific program or project that needs support?
Many grant newcomers make the mistake of thinking they’ll secure funding and then build a project to match its requirements. This is like putting the cart before the horse, and it’s unlikely to deliver the results you need.
Funders want to see that nonprofits have clear visions and strategies in place for funding their missions. You should already have a specific project in mind, whether it’s in progress or the early stages of development. Your plans can definitely change, and they likely will, but the vision has to start with you.
This will allow you to demonstrate greater specificity and all-around excitement in your proposal, ultimately making you more likely to win the funding. And, looking ahead to the next essential, a concrete idea that’s already been agreed upon is much easier to wrangle into existence with your team once it’s time to get started.
An Aligned Team
If this is your organization’s very first time pursuing grant funding, you’ll need to get on the same page about why it’s important. Make sure organizational leadership agrees that some amount of dedicated time and potentially budget should go toward grant seeking.
Then, be prepared to keep communicating with the team. Grant proposals have many sections and ask for specific details. Even in small organizations, all this information is unlikely to live with just one person. Budgets, program details, impact statistics, anecdotes from constituents, long-term funding plans—there’s a lot of information that you’ll need to gather and curate.
It’s often a good idea to start a new grant proposal with a kickoff meeting:
- Once you’ve identified a grant opportunity and taken a deep dive into its requirements, identify the people who’ll have the information you need for it.
- Schedule a meeting with them and send a quick agenda in advance.
- Walk through the requirements step-by-step as a team.
- Make a plan for when information should be delivered and when you’ll follow up about it.
This simple step of aligning the team can go a long way to streamlining the rest of your grant writing process. Rushing to gather last-minute details (or, worse, forgoing them entirely because you can’t find them in time) won’t happen when you plan ahead!
Access to Grant Resources
Finding the right grant opportunities can be tricky. The landscape can be a bit jumbled, and there’s no one unified source to use that covers all types of grants from all funders.
However, there are plenty of databases and online tools that can still help clue you into new opportunities. Some of the most notable include:
- Grants.gov – The source of truth for government grants
- Foundation Directory Online – Previously known as Candid
- Instrumentl – An online platform that gathers comprehensive grant opportunities and includes helpful planning tools for grant writing
- GrantStation – One of the most well-known and comprehensive paid options
Note that some grant databases are paid, meaning you’ll need to cover a monthly or yearly subscription fee. Your budget may not allow for a paid platform right away, but finding the right fit should be an eventual goal for your grant program.
Having the right information upfront will allow you to find new opportunities faster, and many modern options include tools that help you better organize and prioritize your efforts.
If you can make the investment now, do your research and test out a few options. If not, learn the lay of the land and use a mix of free grant databases. Learn Grant Writing’s roundup of grant databases offers a helpful starting point to learn more.
An Organized System
Once it’s time to begin working on a grant proposal, you’ll need an organized process in place. Build out a workflow that helps you accomplish these essentials:
- Compile data and details. You’ll likely need to coordinate with other team members to gather this information. Create organized folders where other teams can easily save it and then notify you.
- Stay on track. Deadlines and team coordination mean you’ll need a clearly organized grant writing calendar.
- Draft a proposal. A collaborative document that saves to the cloud in real-time and is easily accessible by others for proofreading is often the best choice.
A Google Drive-style setup works well for many nonprofits to store and collaborate on documents, and project planning tools like Trello or Asana help to simplify team coordination and deadlines.
If you’ve invested in grant writing training or database tools, don’t forget to explore their full range of features, too. Many offer project management options that make it easy to upload documents, notify team members, and more.
Whichever route you take, be intentional and consistent—stick to your process, keep track of your deadlines, and send regular progress updates on what’s been done and what’s still needed.
Data about Your Nonprofit’s Work
It’s been mentioned a few times so far, but it bears repeating: Grant proposals can and will ask you for concrete details about your nonprofit’s work, constituency, past programs, their impact, and more.
Data collection might not be top-of-mind for growing nonprofits as they work hard to drive impact with limited resources, but it’s critical for long-term growth. Make it an ongoing practice to whatever degree you’re able.
Using a dedicated CRM platform to gather data points from donations, constituent interactions, and programs will help you lay the foundation you need. Any tools you consistently use to run programs or collect donations can help you fill gaps in your data, so familiarize yourself with their reporting features. Use data hygiene best practices to start building a holistic, useful trove of information for future grant proposals.
External data will be valuable for grant seeking, as well. This includes research and statistics about your mission area and community, for instance, historical poverty rates in your state, county, or city.
Conduct some online research to learn about the reputable government and nonprofit sources generating this data. When all fails, take a trip to your local library and ask for guidance navigating the research you find!
Effective Accounting Practices
Like data collection about donors, constituents, and programs, streamlined accounting procedures are another logistical must-have that will set up your grant program for success.
Grants almost always ask for budget information. Funders need to be clear about what they’re offering, and they need to see that you understand how that funding will fit into a reasonable, responsible financial plan for the project you’re proposing.
For each proposal, you’ll need to be able to provide details about the cost of your proposed project or program. Zooming out, this will require bigger-picture accounting clarity. What are your nonprofit’s revenue sources? How is your annual budget allocated? From what source or allocation are you planning to fund this project, and how much of an impact will the grant funding make?
A clear line of sight into your nonprofit’s finances is particularly crucial for some types of grants, including federal and matching grants. Grants from government sources require extra-detailed financial information and often trigger financial audits to ensure funds are used appropriately. Grants with matching structures (in which the grant covers a set portion of the project’s cost) naturally have tight financial reporting requirements, as well.
While you certainly don’t need a sprawling accounting team and top-of-the-line accounting software to check all the boxes, you do need effective and compliant accounting practices in place to succeed with grants in the long run.
Before devoting a lot of time to grant seeking, it’s a good idea to review your current financial practice, identify improvements, and perhaps consult with professionals. This will ultimately save you time and money (and protect your nonprofit’s reputation) over time.
Effective grant writing programs, even those just starting out, can transform nonprofits for the better, but they take work and preparation.
First, understand what will be needed by and from your nonprofit at all stages of the process—initial research practices, grant writing workflows, grant reporting requirements, financial statements, and more. This knowledge will allow you to start your funding search with confidence.
Start small, take your time, and ask for help when you need it. You’ve got this!