Starting the process of grant writing can be a daunting and overwhelming experience if you’re learning through trial and error. To save you the trouble, and a lot of stress, we outlined five steps that you should take to get started writing grants

By sharing this information, we hope that you can start writing grants efficiently and successfully. 

1. Funding Priorities: What specifically are you seeking funding for?

Your organization may have a long list of operational expenses, capital projects, and programs you are seeking funding for. Having a clear idea of the specific projects you are writing grants for (and ensuring this aligns with the funder’s priorities) is essential to making sure you are identifying the right grant opportunities and not wasting your time.

This process can be overwhelming due to diverse needs, limited resources, competing interests of board members and executive staff, and the stress and urgency that comes with immediate needs in comparison to the emotional investment in long-term goals.

When determining which funding needs to start writing for, we suggest the following process…

First consider what programs, personnel, and overhead expenses are essential to your organization’s ability to achieve its mission. When looking ahead to the next few months or few years, can you currently confidently name where the funds will be coming from to cover those expenses? Once you have this list, you can prioritize your funding needs into Immediate, Short-term, and Long-term categories to help you identify what grants you will be pursuing first.

Categorize Your Funding Priorities:

Let’s take an example of a small nonprofit that operates a Community Gear Library where community members can buy a low-cost membership that gains them access to a supply of equipment for people of all ages and bodies to go hiking, camping, rock climbing, cycling, fishing and more.

It is important to consider that the different funding priorities may involve writing proposals for different kinds of grants. For example, you will need to apply for grants that specifically award funds for General Operating Support or “unrestricted funding”. If you are seeking funding for upgrades to your organization’s building, you will need to identify grants for Capital Funding which are typically for building purchases, construction, expansion, renovation, and/or land acquisition.

We recommend checking out our blog on the Three Types of Grants for Small Nonprofits once you’ve finished this article for a full understanding of these options.

2. Your Ask: How much do you need to successfully accomplish your goals?

Ensure you’re going into the writing process with a specific ask in mind based on the funder’s stated grant ranges. Grant applications will commonly require a project/program budget, and you’ll want to have these amounts handy for the writing process. 

To learn how to calculate your fundraising targets Unlock our FREE Fundraising Workshop that walks you through the process.

Grant Applications commonly ask what other source of funding you have secured or plan to apply for to show they are not the only source of potential funding. Consolidate this information so you can show you have a strategy to secure funding from multiple sources.

Side Note:

Grants may not be the best fundraising strategy for one or more of your funding needs. In general, we are witnessing a shift away from funders seeking to support General Operations and a greater focus on supporting programs and initiatives with clear objectives, timelines, expected outcomes, and plans for evaluating impact. If you have been repeatedly hitting the same roadblocks consider exploring other Types of Fundraising for Nonprofits. Hosting a dedicated fundraising event, running a crowdfunding campaign, or participating in a regional giving day may be a better fit to raise funds for certain funding needs.

3. What is the problem being addressed through this work?

A concise and compelling problem statement will use data to explore the problem your project addresses and uses storytelling and creative writing to create a clear understanding on the issue at hand and the vision your organization has for the future.

A problem statement will be an essential piece of every grant application you write, and can often be used for multiple grant applications. We do encourage you to make adjustments to your problem statement if there are opportunities to highlight the ways your work aligns with different funders’ funding priorities. In the writing process you will need to consider not just why this problem is important to you, but why it should be of importance to the grantmaking body.

You can read our blog post on How to Craft a Powerful Problem Statement to get more guidance on this process.

4. What data exists to validate the existence and severity of this problem?

Prepare for the grant writing process by finding some recent, relevant, and moving research on the problem. Bolster your argument with data by weaving it throughout your grant narrative. Every month or so dive back into research to see if there is any new information that could strengthen your position on the existence and severity of this issue, as well as the effectiveness of your approach to making change.

Collecting this relevant data for future use will save you time when writing future grants!

5. How is your program/project uniquely positioned to create this desired change?

Gather information about your partnerships, collaborations, any experts involved in your programs, and anything else that bolsters the credibility of those involved and the effectiveness of your approach. 

Consider exploring what makes your organization stand out from other similar organizations in your region? Whether it is something about your organization’s origin story and/or testimonials about your success stories – having this information brainstormed ahead of time will make the writing process much smoother.

Having prepared for the grant writing process by taking these steps, you will be ready to start writing and winning grants! 

If you are looking to get professional guidance on the process of sitting down and writing the grant we encourage you to consider joining us for our GrantCraft Pro Course in which you’ll learn:

• Winning proposal design using A.C.T.I.V.A.T.E. method (you will not want to miss this!)

• How to write a problem statement - blending stories & data

• Persuasive writing techniques & grammar refresher

• Building budgets and justifying expenses

• Organizational and financial documentation to support grant applications

• Tips and tricks for finding grant opportunities without using expensive databases

• Determining which grants are worth applying for

• Optimizing your time and energy around an efficient grant seeking plan

• And so much more!

If you’re not ready to take this step, we hope these steps have set you up for more ease and less stress in your grant writing journey!