1. Grant Writing: PROCESS AND TECHNIQUES
Laurie Roemmele, Ph.D.
Successful grant-writing involves solid advance planning
and preparation. It takes time to coordinate your planning
and research, organize, write and package your proposal,
submit your proposal to the funder, and follow-up.
WHEN PURSUING AN AGGRESSIVE GRANTMAKING INITIATIVE, FOCUS ON
BUILDING YOUR ORGNANIZATION VERTICALLY NOT HORIZONTALLY!
Organize your proposal, pay attention to detail and specifications, use concise,
persuasive writing, and request reasonable funding. Clearly understand the
grantmaker's guidelines before you write your proposal. Make sure the grantmaker's
goals and objectives match your grantseeking purposes.
It is not wise to just start dropping proposals in the mail or filling out online grant
applications. You will save a lot of time and error if you make a call to, or email, the
foundation and speak to a program officer. Briefly explain your project and ask if it is the
sort of thing the foundation is currently interested in. This might lead to unexpected
information and, at the worst, will simply alert you that this particular foundation is not a
good match for your grant proposal. You might find out that the foundation's interests
are worth thinking about for a future project and proposal.
Preparation is vital to the grant-writing process. Solid planning and research will simplify
the writing stage. A well-written proposal follows the basic steps outlined below.
1. Prove that you have a significant need or problem in your proposal.
2. Deliver an answer to the need, or solution to the problem, based on
experience, ability, logic, and imagination throughout your proposal. Make
sure your proposal describes a program/project for change.
3. Reflect planning, research and vision throughout your proposal.
4. Research grantmakers, including funding purposes and priorities, and
applicant eligibility.
5. Determine whether the grantmakers' goals and objectives match your
grantseeking purposes.
6. Target your proposal to grantmakers appropriate to your field and project, but
do not limit your funding request to one source.
7. Contact the grantmaker (if appropriate), before you write your proposal, to be
sure you clearly understand the grantmaker's guidelines.

2. 8. Present your proposal in the appropriate and complete format, and include all
required attachments.
9. State your organization's needs and objectives clearly and concisely. Write
well. Do not waste words. Use active rather than passive verbs. Use proper
grammar and correct spelling. Be clear, factual, supportable, and
professional. A well-written proposal is a key factor in the grantmaker's
decision-making process.
10.Be clear about why you are seeking a grant, what you plan to do with the
money, and why you are a good fit with the grantmaker's priorities. Prepare
an interesting, persuasive and unique proposal.
11.Always cover the following important criteria: project purpose, feasibility,
community need, funds needed, applicant accountability and competence.
12.Answer these questions: Who are you? How do you qualify? What do you
want? What problem will you address and how? Who will benefit and how?
What specific objectives will you accomplish and how? How will you measure
your results? How does your funding request comply with the grantmaker's
purpose, goals and objectives?
13.Demonstrate project logic and outcome, impact of funds, and community
support. Be specific about broad goals, measurable objectives, and quantified
outcomes.
14.Always follow the exact specifications of the grantmakers in their applications,
Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and guidelines.
15.Follow-up with the grantmaker about the status, evaluation, and outcome of
your proposal, after it is submitted. If possible, request feedback about your
proposal's strengths and weaknesses.
It all starts with your organization's funding priorities.
Your organization should identify, on an annual basis, what your funding needs are for
the near future. You will have all the programs and activities that you currently operate
plus ideas for new programs or the expansion of existing ones. Each activity or program
will have a funding source or group of sources, such as your current grants, annual
fund, product sales, admission fees, etc. At this point you will identify those plans or
projects that are likely to translate well into grant proposals, and start the process of
developing them.
Fundraising Fundamentals
Preparing a draft grant proposal.
Before you go much further, it is wise to put together a draft grant proposal for one of
the projects or programs that you've identified as a candidate for funding by a funding
entity such as a foundation. At this stage your will assemble the detailed background
information5 you'll need, decide who will write the proposal6, and draft the key

3. components of the grant proposal such as the executive summary, statement of need,
project description, budget, and organizational information.
Finding potential funders for your grant proposal.
At this point, with a draft grant proposal in hand, it is time to look for appropriate
funders. Develop a list of criteria so that you can find funders that fit with your proposal.
You'll want to identify funders that are interested in your particular location, the program
area in which you work (education, poverty, health, etc), and funders that are willing to
provide the amount of funds your project will need. Develop a broad list of potential
funders and then winnow it down to those that best fit with your needs.
6 Steps to Finding Funders for Your Grant
1. Identify your search criteria.
Your criteria can include key words, subject matter, geographic area, target audience,
gender, race, and any other parameters that fit your interests. Do this in advance so you
can refine and target your search.
2. Use the subject index of each directory to find your subject/type of support.
Predetermine your subject areas and the type of support you want, such as new
program, capital, general operating, etc. Your strongest prospects will be those
foundations and corporations that have an interest in one of your subject areas and that
fund the type of support you are seeking. Look for funders located in your geographic
area...they will be hot prospects for you.
3. Learn all you can about a prospective grantor.
Study all the information on each prospect you identify so you can determine just how
good a match your organization and the grantor's will be.
4. Visit prospective grantor websites to learn even more.
Once you have developed a list of likely funding sources, visit their websites to get to
know them. Look at their annual reports, success stories of previous grants, staff
biographies, and anything else they are sharing with the public. Check out their current
guidelines. These change frequently and often have not found their way into the online
directories.
5. Use the information to craft a proposal that "speaks" to each individual funder
With all of this information, you should have a good idea of how to target your proposals
for each funder, in the language its program officer will likely be attuned to. You will also
have a sense of about how much you can reasonably request from each funder. Do not
just put together one proposal and send it to everyone.
6. Create a prospect grid.
A prospect grid lists every prospect you have identified; the program of your
organization that most closely aligns with each prospect's funding interests; your

4. proposed request amount; deadline dates; and any other pertinent information. Use this
prospect list to seek input from your board and staff to see if anyone connected to you
also has a personal connection to one or more prospective funders.
5 Steps to Getting Your Grant Proposal Funded
What makes one grant proposal successful while others fall miserably short despite
lovely prose, ingenious grants searching techniques, and stunning adherence to
grantmaker guidelines?
Thomas Wolf, author of How to Connect With Donors and Double the Money You Raise
(Emerson & Church1, 2011), provides some clues in his chapter, "Grantmakers Need
Attention Too."
1. Write the grant proposal with real people in mind.
Wolf says that certain grant applications stand out because it is obvious that the
grant writer understands that real people are behind the grants, and that they have
opinions and feelings. Grant proposals that speak directly to those people are
usually successful. They are not the grants that are "cut and pasted or assembled by
formula."
2. Find ways to get to know the people behind the grant giving apparatus.
Wolf suggests that once you decide to seek a particular grant, the focus must be on
the people who will make the decision. He asks, "Who are they? What can you learn
about them? What excites them? What kinds of organization are they funding and for
what? Is there a pattern? Is there some way you or a member of your board or a
volunteer can get access to them? Is there a strategy to build a relationship?"
Wolf relates how, when he was a grant seeker, he would not submit a proposal until
he had talked with someone at the foundation or company to which he was applying.
If there was any chance that he might be able to meet with an individual personally,
he would put off submitting a proposal even if it meant waiting for months.
3. Make sure that grantmakers are part of your professional and social circles.
Wolf points out that there is a new trend in philanthropy called "initiative" grant
making. The old way (and still the one many foundations follow) was "responsive"
where foundations basically posted their interests on their websites and then waited
for charities to send in proposals.

5. The "initiative" approach is completely different. Grantmakers identify an area to fund
and then seek out nonprofit partners they think will do a good job in addressing that
priority. There is no application process for the first round. Rather, proposals are
invited from a pre-selected group. Not on that foundation's radar scope? You're out
of luck. The only way to be in that loop is to find ways of interacting with the funder
on a regular basis.
4. Find out who really calls the shots and to whom you should be addressing
your appeals, questions, and friend-making efforts.
With small foundations, that is fairly simple, but for large, more complex foundations,
it can get pretty difficult. The program officers are often good bets although not
always. Again, if you have already made some contacts with the foundation's board
members, program officers, and even other grantees, it will be easier to figure out
who are the most important people.
The most important does not always mean the most highly placed. Wolf recounts
sitting in on a grantmaker session and found that the receptionist was at the table.
When one nonprofit's name came up, the receptionist related that the contact person
there had been rude, insistent, and difficult. Guess whose proposal was squashed?
5. Always follow up after a grant proposal rejection or acceptance.
Never burn your bridges even if your proposal is at first rejected. Most first time
proposals do get turned down. Instead call and say "thank you for considering my
proposal." Then ask for some constructive criticism. You may learn something
crucial that will make your second proposal click. You may also learn about other
grantmakers that might be more appropriate for your needs.
If your proposal is funded, do a dance through the office and then call with a sincere
thank you. Follow that up with a written thank you. Remember, grantmakers are
people. They like attention as much as your regular donors do.
YOUR NETWORK
My own experience is that nothing is more effective than using the name of another
grantmaker-colleague. If such a person is willing to make an introduction for you, so
much the better. Unless your organization has never received a grant, you have a built
in place to start by discussing your challenge with the grantmakers who have already
funded you.
Another approach is to look at the contacts that your own board has with people in
philanthropy. Still another is going to grant-maker sessions at conferences and

6. introducing yourself at the end of a presentation to line up a follow-up. The strategies
are endless and are only limited by time and energy.
Packaging the grant proposal
Once you've determined that your proposal is a match for a particular funder, tailor your
basic proposal to that funder's priorities. Make sure you understand the funder's
guidelines for grant proposals and that you follow them. Add a cover letter and any
accompanying documents the funder requests and make sure the proposal is accurate
and easy-to-read.
If your grant proposal is accepted, take responsibility for the follow up. This will be
crucial to your ongoing relationship with the funder. Take care of the letter of agreement
or contract as soon as possible. Have your board president or ED send a personal note
of thanks. Schedule updates and reports. Develop a relationship that will endure.
PLEASE PLEASE note: GRANTS MANAGEMENT is crucial in maintaining and
(perhaps receiving again) a grant with the same organization. I have been part of
mediocre and/or poor grants management, after writing a successful grant (big ones
too) when they “lost” the grant on YEAR TWO or had to return the money (I had one
that had to return $6 million to the NJ Department of Education).
If your grant proposal is rejected, respond graciously. Do contact the funder to ask if you
might try to submit again with appropriate changes or if they might still be interested
later in a different project. Never complain. Never call a board member. Don't become a
pest. Don't burn this bridge. You may well need it later.
Securing grant monies for a non-profit organization is a
highly competitive process. To successfully obtain private
foundation, corporate or government grants, a non-profit
must be able to clearly outline its target population, scope of
services, near- and long-term sustainability and overall
organizational capacity and effectiveness. And this is only
the beginning. Applying for grants is also a numbers game,
and your organization's mission must be in line with current
funding priorities. A well-researched and constructed grant
proposal is imperative. The process can be grueling, but it is
a way of life for new non-profits as well as long-standing
organizations.

8. Who does what in the grant writing process?
Program Person/Staff:
Role of the Program Person:
• Operatesthe program,andannually,ormore
often,appliesforgrants.
• Knowsspecificprogramareaand funder.
• Knowsneeds/problemsprogramaddresses;what
constitutesasignificantorinnovative approachin
the specificdiscipline orfield,andwhatlanguage
couldbe “politicallyincorrect”withthe funding
agency
Respective Tasks of Program Person:
• Designsprojectswhichaddressneedsina
particularprogram/discipline areaorthose of a
particularsub-population.
• Collectsdemographicandotherdata,pertaining
to the program area,for use whenapplyingfor
grants.
• Maintainsa calendaror 3-monthtickle file alerting
availabilityof upcomingpotentialgrants.
• Arrangesformarket-value appraisals,availability
and permissionforuse of space,facilities,
equipmentandpersonnel useful tothe specific
program to meetinkindmatchingrequirements,as
necessary.
Whenrespondingto a Request-for-Proposal the
Program Person:
• Callsfundingagencyforadditional information.
• Designsproject.
• BeginspreparingNeeds-Objectives-Methods-
Evaluation-BudgetorotherRFP-specificchart.
• Linesupadministrativepermissions,cashmatch,
inkind,partnershipagreementsandlettersof
support.
• Pullsfromthe filesdemographicandotherdata,
boilerplateproposal sections,etc.,appropriate for
thisproposal.Obtainsanynecessaryadditional data
or information.
• Writesproposal,guidedbyplanningchart,seeking
periodicadvice,review andfeedbackfromgrant
officer.
• Completessecuringagreements,permissionsand
signedforms.
• Assemblesandworkswithteamof mock
reviewers.
• Revisesorrewritessectionsbasedonscoringand
feedbackfrommockreview team.
• Assemblesnecessarycopiesfordistributiontothe
state clearinghouse [single-point-of-contact],
internal grantsoffice andothers.Sendsthe original
and requirednumberof copiesbyregisteredmailto
the fundingagency.