Winning Grants Step by Step

The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing, and Writing Successful Proposals

Tori O'Neal-McElrath, Lynn Kanter, Lynn Jenkins English

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781119547365
• Edition: 5
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Organizzazioni non profit e di beneficenza
• Index: Business

Strong grant proposal writing made easy

From small startups to established national organizations, nonprofits large and small depend on grant funding to survive and thrive. Winning Grants Step by Step: The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing, and Writing Successful Proposals has long been the go-to resource for individuals and organizations looking for a clear, easy-to-follow approach to tackling the grant-writing process and winning funds. Now, in this revised Fifth Edition, changes and developments in the not-for-profit sector are integrated into the time-tested grant-writing formula that has proven effective time and again.

New to this edition, you'll find an expanded discussion of the importance of relationship building, social media, and online resources to successful nonprofit funding. The text has also been revised to include guidance for nonprofit program budgets for both foundation and public funding grants. Never before has Winning Grants Step by Step been so easy to comprehend. Updated worksheets and forms will improve your comprehension and make your grant proposals stronger and more successful than ever.

• Learn the proven step-by-step approach to writing strong grant proposals for foundation grants and public funds
• Complete worksheets and activities to practice your grant-writing skills and break the process down into easy pieces
• Understand how to integrate your ideas and insights with research and facts to demonstrate your organization's potential

• Learn the best approaches to building relationships and networking both in-person and online to push strong grant proposals into the winner's circle

This guide is perfect as an introduction for the novice grantseeker or a refresher for the more experienced. Whether your organization needs only a thousand dollars or several million, following this step-by-step process will improve your ability to transform an idea that needs financial support into a proposal that deserves to be funded.

Step 1
Developing the Proposal Idea

TIME TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP. This section is dedicated to zeroing in on some key questions to help develop the proposal idea. Before the proposal writing process can begin, you must first determine which organizational programs are the most “fundable.” That is, which programs have the best chance to garner the most interest from grantmakers?

Many funders indicate a preference for investing in new and expanding programs over general operating support or program continuation. Thorough research of prospective funders is critical so that grantseekers understand each funder's programmatic priorities, geographic focus, and issue areas. Funders might also have an interest in a special project, a capacity-building idea, a set of technology improvements, or building up specific capacities within organizations. This workbook focuses on a general operating support request as the model for developing a proposal.

To start developing a proposal idea, begin with the end in mind. Use the proposal included in this workbook as an example (see Resource A). Alyson Eats is an organization that has identified and is successfully meeting an unmet need in a well-defined community. As an already existing organization, rather than a start-up nonprofit, Alyson Eats is clear on its issue focus, the community it serves, its goals and objectives, and its strategies for success. Additionally, the organization wants to pilot a program targeting a specific demographic within its current community. In the case of Alyson Eats, the executive director will drive the development of the organization's annual operating plan, inclusive of the concept for a pilot program targeting teens, and will involve other staff, clients, and volunteers as appropriate. The annual operating plan for the organization will serve as the basis of the entire proposal.

The importance of having the right people at the table when the proposal plan is developed cannot be overstated. Nonprofit organizations sometimes make the serious mistake of securing funding for a program that they do not have the ability to implement or – worse yet – a program that does not meet the identified needs because it was developed without the appropriate staff people involved.

When preparing a proposal, most grantwriters start with the planning sections (problem statement, goals and objectives, strategies, evaluation, program sustainability, and budget) because these sections form the core of the proposal. Following that, they craft the organizational background section, finishing with the proposal summary and the cover letter. This workbook follows that format, keeping in mind that most foundation proposals are now submitted via online portal and with limited space. The limited space on portals means being even more succinct with grant proposal copy. Every word, space, and punctuation mark counts. (Please refer to the Helpful Hint provided in the section titled How to Use This Workbook in the frontmatter.)

The planning sections of the proposal deserve careful attention; without a clearly articulated plan, it is nearly impossible to get funding. Writing a clear, goal-oriented, thoughtful proposal is crucial. If a grantseeker can't explain who they serve, what they want to do, why they're doing it, and how they're going to do it (and measure their success in doing so), foundation staff will not have what they need to (1) understand the request and why it is worthwhile, and (2) advocate on the organization's behalf.

A general guideline is that nonprofits should...