Category Archives: grant writing

Grant Writing Success through Thoughtful Planning and Preparation

Grant Coach MaryEllen Bergh knows a few things about achieving grant writing success through planning and preparation. In this post, she shares some of her valuable knowledge and experience with you:

A successful grant proposal is one that is thoughtfully planned, well prepared, and concisely packaged. When you have found a funding source that is a good fit for your proposed project, the temptation is strong to immediately begin writing; however, your proposal will be much more effective if you take some time up front to plan.  Thorough planning helps you determine where to start, where you want to go, how to get there, and how to know you have arrived. Grant writing success requires that you communicate your proposed project effectively and in enough detail so the funder has a clear understanding of all the components of your project, how it fits their funding priorities, and how you will carry out your program or service over the project period. Writing successful grant proposals requires preparation, attention to detail and a great team with passion and perseverance. Here are 3 tips to prepare for a successful grant proposal:

  1. Gather your proposal team. Most successful proposals are written by teams. The team members each contribute specific expertise, so that the organization can prepare its proposal more efficiently.
  2. Read the funding guidelines. The most important step in writing a successful grant is thoroughly reading the funder’s Request for Applications (RFA) or Request for Proposal (RFP) before you start. Since you will be responding to the guidelines established by the funder, you want to make sure that each member of the team understands the funder’s priorities and instructions for submittal. If the RFA includes a reference to a website or publication, it is often helpful to read that as well.
  3. Complete a proposal outline. The outline gives you and your team a roadmap to follow. Establish a timeline for gathering information and input needed to complete each section of the proposal.
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Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

The Best Ways to Learn Grant Writing

Let’s face it.  Grant writing is not rocket science, but people are always asking me how they can learn grant writing.. I consider it a craft because it includes elements of both skill and art, but anyone with good basic writing skills can learn to be a decent grant writer.  Of course, there are some notable characteristics and “secrets” of really successful grant writers, but those, too, can be learned for the most part. The most important thing is a willingness to learn.

So, what are the best ways to learn grant writing?

I learned grant writing by jumping in and writing one.  I was fortunate enough to be successful on the first try, but I would have kept trying anyway.  After a while, I found a grant writing mentor, an expert in the field who took me under his wing and taught me the craft. I learned many things from him beyond writing. While I strongly encourage people to take grant writing seminars and workshops, I didn’t take my first one until I was already a professional grant writer.  The individual attention, instruction, and support I received from my mentor was exactly what I needed.

If you don’t know someone you can ask to mentor you, you may want to take a grant writing course first.  That will increase the chances that you’ll meet a mentor (your instructor) and it will provide you with the basics of what you need to know to be successful, allowing you to maximize your time.

There are many grant writing workshops you can take; however, if you are serious about really learning the trade, I recommend that you take a full-blown course.  Our Grant Writing 101 course is an example of a comprehensive course that will give you an excellent foundation.

Once you have the basic foundation, the best way to improve your skill is to write.  Write grants.  Write many grants.  I suggest that you start with mini-grants.  They are quick and easy and you’ll get to experience some success quickly.

As you move on to larger grants, be sure to review the feedback from the funding source (regardless of whether or not you were funded) to learn from your mistakes as well as what you did well.

If you focus on taking advantage of the available learning opportunities, you’ll be able to learn grant writing in no time.

——————————–

Online seminar – Secrets of Successful Grant Writers.

Sign up now for Grant Writing 101. Start anytime you’d like, progress at your own pace, and learn in the comfort of your own home or office.

The Best Ways to Learn Grant Writing

Let’s face it.  Grant writing is not rocket science, but people are always asking me how they can learn grant writing.. I consider it a craft because it includes elements of both skill and art, but anyone with good basic writing skills can learn to be a decent grant writer.  Of course, there are some notable characteristics and “secrets” of really successful grant writers, but those, too, can be learned for the most part. The most important thing is a willingness to learn.

So, what are the best ways to learn grant writing?

I learned grant writing by jumping in and writing one.  I was fortunate enough to be successful on the first try, but I would have kept trying anyway.  After a while, I found a grant writing mentor, an expert in the field who took me under his wing and taught me the craft. I learned many things from him beyond writing. While I strongly encourage people to take grant writing seminars and workshops, I didn’t take my first one until I was already a professional grant writer.  The individual attention, instruction, and support I received from my mentor was exactly what I needed.

If you don’t know someone you can ask to mentor you, you may want to take a grant writing course first.  That will increase the chances that you’ll meet a mentor (your instructor) and it will provide you with the basics of what you need to know to be successful, allowing you to maximize your time.

There are many grant writing workshops you can take; however, if you are serious about really learning the trade, I recommend that you take a full-blown course.  Our Grant Writing 101 course is an example of a comprehensive course that will give you an excellent foundation.

Once you have the basic foundation, the best way to improve your skill is to write.  Write grants.  Write many grants.  I suggest that you start with mini-grants.  They are quick and easy and you’ll get to experience some success quickly.

As you move on to larger grants, be sure to review the feedback from the funding source (regardless of whether or not you were funded) to learn from your mistakes as well as what you did well.

If you focus on taking advantage of the available learning opportunities, you’ll be able to learn grant writing in no time.

——————————–

Online seminar – Secrets of Successful Grant Writers.

Sign up now for Grant Writing 101. Start anytime you’d like, progress at your own pace, and learn in the comfort of your own home or office.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

Eight Things a Grant Sample Can Teach You

Writing a grant is always a challenging exercise. People who aren’t grant writers always ask me if I can’t just take a previously written grant sample and rewrite it for another client. They think grant writing can be more efficient like building a successful template and then rearranging the pieces for a new competition. It sounds logical, but it simply doesn’t work.

The “bear” of grant writing is that each grant MUST be a unique creation. It is for a specific client with a specific set of needs, and those needs dictate a specific set of remedies, that are dictated by the specific talents and resources of the specific agency making the application, and on and on…

In short, there is no one-size fits all grant template. “Well,” one inquisitor pressed, “surely when it is the same grant competition for the same client, the grants must be almost identical” (after all, he was thinking, their address and phone number haven’t changed). NOT necessarily so! Even the same grant competition revises the request for application (RFA) each year before it is issued to better represent the desires of the issuing agency. So no, resubmission involves a whole lot more work that merely changing the dates on an application.

So what about the title of my article and how does all this apply to grant samples? Well, the point of collecting and reading grant samples is not to copy a previously successful grant because as I’ve already stated, the formats will be different, the requirements will be different, and probably everything else you will write is going to be different.

Here are 8 things that grant samples CAN provide you that are very valuable:

  1. You can learn a lot about the style of language that is effective in your writing.
  2. You can learn ways to show data in tables and graphs that emphasize the right things.
  3. You can learn how other applicants portrayed concepts or processes in a graphic that might be useful to telling your story.
  4. You can review evaluation plans that might inform your evaluation design to make it more comprehensive.
  5. You can see how the various sections of the grant were addressed, numbers of pages used, integration of data, research cited, etc.
  6. You can learn more about the topic of the proposal including applicable research, funding statutes, applicable regulations where indicated, etc.
  7. You can learn about specific populations and regions of the country where grants are given and approaches to the grant purpose that you may not have thought of but which might be applicable to your situation.
  8. You can also learn formatting, style, tricks of word processing that save space, utilize non-narrative portions of the application to clarify and extend concepts.

There are many great benefits to reading successful grant samples and these are just a few. We work hard to collect as many grant samples for each type of competition as we can and we read through them to educate ourselves on best practices and best programs. It has been a worthwhile effort on our part as our clients can attest.

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Get help with your grant writing.  Check out a grant sample or grant outline.
 
Find more great grant writing resources at GrantGoddess.com!

Eight Things a Grant Sample Can Teach You

Writing a grant is always a challenging exercise. People who aren’t grant writers always ask me if I can’t just take a previously written grant sample and rewrite it for another client. They think grant writing can be more efficient like building a successful template and then rearranging the pieces for a new competition. It sounds logical, but it simply doesn’t work.

The “bear” of grant writing is that each grant MUST be a unique creation. It is for a specific client with a specific set of needs, and those needs dictate a specific set of remedies, that are dictated by the specific talents and resources of the specific agency making the application, and on and on…

In short, there is no one-size fits all grant template. “Well,” one inquisitor pressed, “surely when it is the same grant competition for the same client, the grants must be almost identical” (after all, he was thinking, their address and phone number haven’t changed). NOT necessarily so! Even the same grant competition revises the request for application (RFA) each year before it is issued to better represent the desires of the issuing agency. So no, resubmission involves a whole lot more work that merely changing the dates on an application.

So what about the title of my article and how does all this apply to grant samples? Well, the point of collecting and reading grant samples is not to copy a previously successful grant because as I’ve already stated, the formats will be different, the requirements will be different, and probably everything else you will write is going to be different.

Here are 8 things that grant samples CAN provide you that are very valuable:

  1. You can learn a lot about the style of language that is effective in your writing.
  2. You can learn ways to show data in tables and graphs that emphasize the right things.
  3. You can learn how other applicants portrayed concepts or processes in a graphic that might be useful to telling your story.
  4. You can review evaluation plans that might inform your evaluation design to make it more comprehensive.
  5. You can see how the various sections of the grant were addressed, numbers of pages used, integration of data, research cited, etc.
  6. You can learn more about the topic of the proposal including applicable research, funding statutes, applicable regulations where indicated, etc.
  7. You can learn about specific populations and regions of the country where grants are given and approaches to the grant purpose that you may not have thought of but which might be applicable to your situation.
  8. You can also learn formatting, style, tricks of word processing that save space, utilize non-narrative portions of the application to clarify and extend concepts.

There are many great benefits to reading successful grant samples and these are just a few. We work hard to collect as many grant samples for each type of competition as we can and we read through them to educate ourselves on best practices and best programs. It has been a worthwhile effort on our part as our clients can attest.

—————————-
 
Get help with your grant writing.  Check out a grant sample or grant outline.
 
Find more great grant writing resources at GrantGoddess.com!

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

What is a Grant Writer?

Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, answers the question “What is a Grant Writer?” in his own unique way:

So many times, in response to the standard “guy” question, “So, what do you do?” I get this deer in the headlights response to my answer, “I’m a grant writer.”  The predictable follow-up question is, “Really?  What’s a grant writer?” 

Most people (not all) have heard of grants but most people think it’s a gift-wrapped gold bar that Uncle Sam sends out to undeserving people who make obscene artwork.  So I explain what a grant is first.
What is a grant?
Basically, a grant is an effort on the part of the government to solve a problem, improve a condition, demonstrate the validity of an idea, and sometimes – it’s true (I wish it weren’t) – pay back a political favor. 
The government goes about this by organizing a grant competition.  This competition is assigned a budget and the size of the grants is usually pre-determined, and so the budget allocated to the program determines the number of grants to be given out.  Applications are developed and made available, deadlines for submission of applications are set, and criteria for scoring the applications are created. 
When all of the applications come in, they are sorted and checked to make sure the writers followed all the rules, those that did not are tossed into the trash can and the rest are scored.  The highest scores win the dough, everyone else gets zilch and has to wait for another round of competition.
What is a grant writer?
After I get the person to understand what a grant is, then they often must be helped to understand what the application entails.  This is when in the conversation they glaze over and their minds stray off into “I like pizza” mode.  So I usually cut it short with “A grant writer writes the applications for grants,” which is really all they wanted to know and more than they wanted to know all at the same time.
Guys usually ask you what you do because they’re trying to gauge your level of success to see if you’re someone they can relate to, aspire to be like or perhaps give a dollar to.  But being told that someone is a grant writer is impossible to quantify. 
Being a doctor or a lawyer implies one is making a substantial income but a grant writer is such an unknown that people who care about that stuff – and guys often do – really have a hard time wrapping their head around what it means.
I like that part of being an inscrutable grant writer, apparently savvy about the mysterious inner-workings of government, apparently owning the ability to help others access a trickle of the government wealth, and having an occupation with no common point of reference with which to determine my income level. 
I am a Grant Writer. With this title, I can remain somewhat of a social-class enigma at events and social functions (at least until I go out to the parking lot and fire up my ’97 Honda Civic).

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Free Letter of Inquiry Outline

Free webinar on Writing Good Letters of Support for Grants

What is a Grant Writer?

Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link, answers the question “What is a Grant Writer?” in his own unique way:

So many times, in response to the standard “guy” question, “So, what do you do?” I get this deer in the headlights response to my answer, “I’m a grant writer.”  The predictable follow-up question is, “Really?  What’s a grant writer?” 

Most people (not all) have heard of grants but most people think it’s a gift-wrapped gold bar that Uncle Sam sends out to undeserving people who make obscene artwork.  So I explain what a grant is first.
What is a grant?

Basically, a grant is an effort on the part of the government to solve a problem, improve a condition, demonstrate the validity of an idea, and sometimes – it’s true (I wish it weren’t) – pay back a political favor. 
The government goes about this by organizing a grant competition.  This competition is assigned a budget and the size of the grants is usually pre-determined, and so the budget allocated to the program determines the number of grants to be given out.  Applications are developed and made available, deadlines for submission of applications are set, and criteria for scoring the applications are created. 
When all of the applications come in, they are sorted and checked to make sure the writers followed all the rules, those that did not are tossed into the trash can and the rest are scored.  The highest scores win the dough, everyone else gets zilch and has to wait for another round of competition.
What is a grant writer?

After I get the person to understand what a grant is, then they often must be helped to understand what the application entails.  This is when in the conversation they glaze over and their minds stray off into “I like pizza” mode.  So I usually cut it short with “A grant writer writes the applications for grants,” which is really all they wanted to know and more than they wanted to know all at the same time.
Guys usually ask you what you do because they’re trying to gauge your level of success to see if you’re someone they can relate to, aspire to be like or perhaps give a dollar to.  But being told that someone is a grant writer is impossible to quantify. 
Being a doctor or a lawyer implies one is making a substantial income but a grant writer is such an unknown that people who care about that stuff – and guys often do – really have a hard time wrapping their head around what it means.
I like that part of being an inscrutable grant writer, apparently savvy about the mysterious inner-workings of government, apparently owning the ability to help others access a trickle of the government wealth, and having an occupation with no common point of reference with which to determine my income level. 
I am a Grant Writer. With this title, I can remain somewhat of a social-class enigma at events and social functions (at least until I go out to the parking lot and fire up my ’97 Honda Civic).

—————————————–

Free Letter of Inquiry Outline

Free webinar on Writing Good Letters of Support for Grants

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

In the Grant Writing Business, the Customer is Always Right…Even When He’s Not

We got some really good news this weekend.  I learned that one of the federal grants I wrote last spring was funded. This was not the only good news we have received or will receive from the latest grant writing season, but it was particularly satisfying because of how much this client really needs the program we wrote.

Because the client is in such need to get the program going, the program administrator hit the ground running today to get the budget in the system and get the program up and running as soon as possible.  His plan hit the skids, though, as soon as it hit the desk of the head of the fiscal department who informed him that the amounts we had budgeted for personnel and benefits were too low.  So, he set up a conference call between me, the fiscal person, and himself to try to work it out.  I gave the best advice I had for revising the budget quickly so they could get going.

Then my client (the program administrator) said something interesting.  He said,”I don’t know how this happened because I know we gave you the correct numbers when we were in the grant development process.” That’s one of those moments when what you want to say and what you know you have to say are different. What I wanted to say was, “Are you kidding? I can prove that we used the numbers you sent.  I have the old emails….”  But no, that’s not what came out of my mouth.  I knew this was a “fall on your sword for your client” moment.  I really hate those moments, but I said it anyway, “I’m really sorry.  I can’t explain how we made such an error, but I can certainly help you move forward from here and I’ll do my best not to put you in this position again.”

Like in every other business, in grant writing, the customer is right, whether or not he really is.  Preserving the relationship is the important part, not being right.

This has been a particularly hard lesson to learn for me because I really, really like to be right.  Don’t get me wrong – I have no problem standing up to my clients when they need some corrective direction in the planning or evaluation processes, but those of in business for ourselves need to be able to discern when it’s appropriate to correct the client, and when it’s appropriate to help them look better with their own organization so the relationship can continue smoothly.

——————————–

Want some free grant writing tips on your iPhone?  Check out our FREE Grant Tips iPhone App!

Free webinars – The Basics of Program Evaluation, Parts 1 and 2.

There is still time to sign up for Grant Writing 101, our online grant writing course.  Learn grant writing on your time, in the convenience of your own home or office. Get a free e-book, 12 Secrets of Successful Grant Writers, just for looking into it.

In the Grant Writing Business, the Customer is Always Right…Even When He’s Not

We got some really good news this weekend.  I learned that one of the federal grants I wrote last spring was funded. This was not the only good news we have received or will receive from the latest grant writing season, but it was particularly satisfying because of how much this client really needs the program we wrote.

Because the client is in such need to get the program going, the program administrator hit the ground running today to get the budget in the system and get the program up and running as soon as possible.  His plan hit the skids, though, as soon as it hit the desk of the head of the fiscal department who informed him that the amounts we had budgeted for personnel and benefits were too low.  So, he set up a conference call between me, the fiscal person, and himself to try to work it out.  I gave the best advice I had for revising the budget quickly so they could get going.

Then my client (the program administrator) said something interesting.  He said,”I don’t know how this happened because I know we gave you the correct numbers when we were in the grant development process.” That’s one of those moments when what you want to say and what you know you have to say are different. What I wanted to say was, “Are you kidding? I can prove that we used the numbers you sent.  I have the old emails….”  But no, that’s not what came out of my mouth.  I knew this was a “fall on your sword for your client” moment.  I really hate those moments, but I said it anyway, “I’m really sorry.  I can’t explain how we made such an error, but I can certainly help you move forward from here and I’ll do my best not to put you in this position again.”

Like in every other business, in grant writing, the customer is right, whether or not he really is.  Preserving the relationship is the important part, not being right.

This has been a particularly hard lesson to learn for me because I really, really like to be right.  Don’t get me wrong – I have no problem standing up to my clients when they need some corrective direction in the planning or evaluation processes, but those of in business for ourselves need to be able to discern when it’s appropriate to correct the client, and when it’s appropriate to help them look better with their own organization so the relationship can continue smoothly.

——————————–

Want some free grant writing tips on your iPhone?  Check out our FREE Grant Tips iPhone App!

Free webinars – The Basics of Program Evaluation, Parts 1 and 2.

There is still time to sign up for Grant Writing 101, our online grant writing course.  Learn grant writing on your time, in the convenience of your own home or office. Get a free e-book, 12 Secrets of Successful Grant Writers, just for looking into it.

Published by Creative Resources & Research http://grantgoddess.com

To Do Lists Keep This Grant Writer on Task…Sometimes

Making a list of things to do at the beginning of the day is usually a useful exercise for me, especially when I am extremely busy like now with web work, or when I am in the middle of grant writing.

If I don’t make myself a list, I find myself blundering about chasing windmills and perhaps not finishing something important or failing to finish something from the day before.

I like my lists and I draw a blue line through finished tasks with a highlighter as I complete each one. It makes me feel more competent to finish things and be able to cross them out throughout the day.

Of course there are days like today when things not on my list intrude and rudely insert themselves into my neatly ordered agenda for the day. I have fourteen things on the list today and I’ve only crossed off two of them. And besides my walk I have worked steadily. I’m not sure what all I did or why it was so important, but I got it done and it’s not on the list and now I am a little panicked that I haven’t made nearly as much progress on what I decided was important at the start of the day.

What to do, what to do? I could refocus and begin a new eight hour shift working into the night, but I’ve already eaten the last piece of fruit in my lunchbox and the rest of my provisions are far away in my kitchen.

So I’ll probably have to start with the same list (-3 now, this blog post is another item HA!) tomorrow that I am finishing with today. I don’t feel as competent as I do on days when there is only one leftover task.

But that’s life isn’t it? Sometimes things just go the way they’re expected, sometimes good planning is interrupted by new realities, and sometimes, work simply has to end in order to answer the call of the grumbling stomach and drive home for some chips and salsa.

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This post was contributed by Non-Profit Consultant and Expert Grant Writer, Derek Link.

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