Blog Topics
Click the “+” sign to see the list of posts under each category or scroll down to view all posts organized by publication date.
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Answers to the Most Commonly Asked Questions We Receive about Grants
What Should You Be Doing: Fundraising or Pursuing Grant Money?
Setting Yourself Up to Win a Foundation Grant Before the Funding Opportunity Comes Out
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Using Evaluation Criteria to Prepare a Stronger Grant Proposal
Is It Possible to Submit the Same Proposal to Multiple Funders?
Good, Better, Best: Three Tips for Transforming a Mediocre Grant Proposal into a Great One
The Fastest Way to Prepare a Compliant, Responsive Grant Proposal
How to Increase the Odds that Your Grant Application Will Be Funded
Tips for Creating an Organizational Chart for a Grant Proposal
How to Write a Grant Proposal Part II: What Will You Need to Prepare?
6 Strategies to Make the Grant Proposal Submission Process Less Stressful
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Three Options for Managing References in Grant Proposals and Other Documents
Track the Latest News Related to Nonprofits & Grant Writing without Cluttering Your Inbox
Productivity Tools to Stay On Top of Proposal Management Tasks
The Grant Writer’s Digital Toolkit for Writing, Researching, Creating & Collaborating
The Grant Writer’s Digital Toolkit for Writing, Researching, Creating & Collaborating
The traditional grant writer’s toolkit used to consist of a core set of tools: Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and Adobe Pro. Things have changed, and nonprofits and grant writers have many options for writing, sharing, designing, and collaborating beyond Microsoft and Adobe. We’ve profiled several options below, all produced by companies based outside the United States.
What Happens When Grant Proposals Gloss Over the Facts
Most grant writers have been asked at some point to “massage” unfavorable facts into preferred ones, or have seen their fact-based prose reworked by others into something that has the essence of truth but is not strictly true, or is at least less transparent. To some, this may sound like business as usual and what you need to do to win a grant. However, these little acts of truth-stretching, which can take the form of exaggerations, omissions, and misrepresentations, can exact a cost.
The Research Phase Grant Writers Can't Afford to Skip
Background research is a necessary step in the proposal process. The research produces information that can guide and support the project design while also demonstrating to the donor that the applicant has an understanding of the broader context behind the issue the project will address.
In this post, we review what is typically meant by background research. In particular, we discuss what is meant by a literature review in the context of proposal writing and describe a process for conducting it. At the end of the post, you’ll find resources and templates you can adapt and use for your own research needs.
Writing (or Is It Reading?) Your Way to Better Grant Proposals
Training sessions on writing frequently do not improve proposal writing skills. In this post, we talk about what habits contribute to better writing skills and how organizations can offer more proposal writing opportunities to their staff without the risk of submitting substandard proposals.
Lessons for Grantseekers from USAID’s Closure
If you work for an organization outside of the U.S., or if you are based in the U.S. but rely on grants from private foundations and not federal sources, the closure of USAID may seem like an unfortunate event, but one unrelated to your grantseeking. Although USAID’s dismantling may not affect you directly, some lessons from USAID’s shuttering apply to all grantseekers. In this post, we cover four lessons that we believe are universally applicable.
Getting Past Proposal Writing Blocks
Proposals come together in fits and starts, and sometimes, the writing just does not flow. How do you get unstuck when this happens so that you can meet the submission deadline? Below are five suggestions for getting past writing blocks.
Using AI to Write Grant Proposals
Can you use artificial intelligence (AI) to write your next grant proposal? New companies like Grantable and Grant Assistant believe the answer is yes. But can you truly step away from the process and rely on an AI tool to do all the work? Probably not—at least not yet. However, AI tools can reduce the work associated with writing a proposal.
Using Evaluation Criteria to Prepare a Stronger Grant Proposal
Courses on proposal writing typically focus on the importance of writing clearly and avoiding jargon. While important, these tips alone will not lead to a winning proposal. Writing a high-quality proposal also involves remembering that proposals are scored, not read. If you write a well-written proposal but fail to consider how the reviewers will read and evaluate it, your proposal may not score well.
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