Resources and Tips for Successful
Grant Writing
In-Depth Grant Writing Guides
- The Non-Profit Guides organization designs grant writing tools to help nonprofits
win grant funds. The "10-Point
Grant Writing Guide" is specifically aimed at nonprofit organizations
and provides sample inquiry letters, cover letters, and budgets.
- "A
Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing" (PDF) by Lynn E. Miner explains
what motivates grant makers, where to find out about public and private grants,
and how to get started.
- The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance has a guide for "Developing
and Writing Grant Proposals." This guide provides another perspective
on grant seeking.
- The Minnesota Council on Foundations provides a guide for "Writing
a Successful Grant Proposal." Although specifically geared for Minnesota,
this guide helps grant seekers understand what information funders want and provides
some guidance on how to answer these questions. Also visit the Grantmaking
Basics section where you will find articles like "A Day in the Life of
a Program Officer," "The Truth About Site Visits," and "Trustees:
Who Are They Anyway?"
- Purdue University has developed a set of Proposal
Enhancement Tools. These tools were designed to help writers develop a strong
grant proposal by clearly identifying the audience and the potential impacts to
that audience. This set contains seven worksheets and can be downloaded in PDF
format.
- The Environmental Protection Agency has developed an on-line
grant-writing tutorial. Although this tutorial is designed to address questions
regarding environmental justice, education, and pollution prevention through the
EPA's grant programs, the information you will find here is helpful when applying
for any federal grant. For instance, this site showcases various required forms
and provides tips on filling these out correctly. The mock grant-writing activity
is also widely applicable.
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