What is Grant Writing? Talking with Friends and Family

   When I first took an interest in working with nonprofits, I poured over the endless roles that make a nonprofit work. Months later, when I finally started talking with friends about nonprofit development and fundraising, the question that inevitably dominated the discussion was- what exactly is a grant writer?

What Is Grant Writing?

   First, it is important to clarify that a grant and a grant proposal are different. However, a grant proposal is commonly referred to as “a grant” for brevity and simplicity. 

   A grant is a donation of money awarded to a nonprofit organization. This donation is made by another formal organization such as a government agency, club, or a foundation ( an organization created by companies, individuals, and/or families specifically to acquire money to award to nonprofits through grants.) These donations are unlike those made by individuals because they come with conditions. 

   A grant maker, or funder (companies, foundations, governments) says ‘We have this amount of money that we are going to give to a nonprofit that meets these specific qualifications, in order to to complete a project or program that meets these additional qualifications.’ The qualifications usually relate to the cause that the nonprofit is working towards. Do they work with children? Seniors? Animals? Is their mission to improve the environment or education, to alleviate poverty? Where do they carry out their work- locally or globally? 

   A grant proposal is the story-telling, persuasive, informational report that details a request for funds from a specific grant funder. They are clearly structured formal requests for a specific amount of money to fund a specific project with a specific budget... that must also catch the grant makers attention and tell the nonprofit's heartfelt and deserving story. 

What Does A Grant Writer Do?

   The first step for any grant writer is to study the nonprofit and the cause area it falls under. They must thoroughly understand every aspect of their organization in order to eloquently and comprehensively "sell" their nonprofit to grant funders. This includes the nonprofit’s mission and purpose, the budget, the programs and their individual purposes and budgets, the clients and their environment, the staff and board members and their affiliations, vendors, past and future funding sources, future expenses and planned projects, and of course, successes and failures. They must also stay connected with the cause that the nonprofit works in, the economics of and developments in that area, in order to address these issues in grant proposals. 

After this, a grant writer: 

  • Researches potential grants that the nonprofit may qualify for and the source of that funding, such as the foundation.

  • Networks, hosts meetings, and builds relationships with sources of potential funding. From past funders, to financial institutions, local social clubs, and business owners, meeting with a grant funder and establishing a relationship is often a welcome first step.

  • Reads (and rereads) the grant qualifications for complete understanding. Submitting a proposal can take anywhere from days to weeks, and much longer for government funding, which means there is no time to waste on creating proposals that will be discarded due to missing even minor details in the stated qualifications and requirements.

  • Crafts the perfect letter of intent, a brief document often requested by funders as the first introduction to the nonprofit and its intentions for the funds requested. Many funders use this step to screen which organizations they will invite to submit a full proposal.

  • Creates the grant proposal that connects with the funder’s mission and grant purposes.

  • Follows up with all potential funders after submitting the proposal or receiving the decision. If the proposal won the grant award, it is usually on the condition that follow up reports on the progress of the project are submitted at certain times. If it was not chosen for funding, it is still important to follow up in order to better position the nonprofit for getting the award next year, through relationship building and finding out what needs to change in the next proposal.

  • Works closely with multiple departments within the nonprofit to get all of the accurate information on funding priorities, budgets, program plans, and overall purpose of individual proposals.

 

 

Christine Crumpler-Graf

Contact Me: Christine.Crumpler@outlook.com