Nonprofit Kit For Dummies, 6th Edition

Chapter 18

Writing an Award-Winning Grant Proposal

IN THIS CHAPTER

Navigating the grant proposal writing process

Researching and writing the different sections of the grant proposal

Varying your grant proposal for specific situations

Saying thank you and reporting after receiving a grant award

Even though grant-seeking is a highly competitive activity, writing a good grant proposal isn’t particularly mysterious or difficult. First you identify a problem and make it compelling, and then you set goals for solving that problem, and, last, you propose a possible solution and a way to test the results. In the course of laying out the plan, you should also assert the special strengths of your organization and a sensible financial plan for the project — in the near term and later. You present your proposal in a readable form that tells a story and conveys your vision in terms both inspiring and practical.

Some proposals are quite long and elaborate. Some are just a few pages. Some are presented on paper, but most are submitted online in a text copy-and-paste format. Your research into ...