Basic Grant Proposal Writing For Nonprofits

Tags: Grant Writing , Fundraising , Nonprofit Startup

Crafting Winning Proposals that Get Funded, with Effective Outcomes Statements and Proven Communications Methods

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.8

- Building your case for fundraising
- Types of foundations and other funders
- Types of proposals and submissions

What you'll learn

Building your case for fundraising

Types of foundations and other funders

Types of proposals and submissions

Key elements of successful proposals

What funders are looking for in a proposal

Understanding outcomes versus outputs

Story telling for grant seekers

How grants fit into your fund development plan

* Requirements

* No prerequisites
* but note: This course is geared toward grant writing for 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organizations in the U.S.

Description

An in-depth look at it takes to craft winning grant proposals for nonprofit programs. The course covers building your fundraising case, to learning about different types of foundations and other funding sources, to the seven essential elements of a fundable proposal. We'll take a close look at crafting strong outcomes statements, the use of storytelling to make an impact, and what funders are looking for.

This online course is adapted from the instructors' fifteen years of experience teaching grant proposal writing in a classroom setting to over 1,000 nonprofit professionals.

Who this course is for:

Those new to the nonprofit sector
Those new to fundraising

Course content

11 sections • 18 lectures

Introduction 2 lectures

Introduction and Welcome Preview 05:11

This introductory lecture includes the background of the instructor, information on the format of the class, and the goals for those who complete the course.

Initial survey: Getting to know you

Getting to know your goals and background for taking this course, and providing some things to think about as you begin.

Lesson 1: The Charitable Giving Landscape 2 lectures

Charitable Giving Landscape Preview 27:18

This introductory lecture gives the students background on how grants fit into their fund development plan, other sources of nonprofit income, the types of foundations, and why a diversified funding stream is important.

Quick Quiz: Fundraising Landscape

A few questions about the first lecture...

Lesson 2: Making Your Fundraising Case 2 lectures

Making Your Fundraising Case Preview 24:49

Students will learn to create an assets inventory, write a strong mission statement, understand the role and importance of success stories, and put them all together into a strong case statement for supporting their organization.

Case Statement Readiness Exercise

A few questions to see if you're ready to write your (internal) Case Statement

Lesson 3: Getting Ready for Grants 2 lectures

Getting Ready for Grants Preview 27:34

Students will learn what makes a project fundable (what foundations are looking for), how to research foundations, and about the different types of submittals and funding categories.

Grant Readiness Exercise

A few questions based on the presentation to see if you're ready to start writing grant proposals.

Middle Stretch 1 lectures

Middle Stretch Preview 01:57

A quick check-in and review of the first portion of the class. Take a self-check and make sure you're comfortable with all we've learned so far before diving deep into grant proposals in the next sections.

Lesson 4: Starting Your Proposal 1 lectures

Starting Your Proposal Preview 17:19

Students will learn about the seven standard narrative components of a successful grant proposal and the story arc, and then dig deep into the first three sections.

Lesson 5: Goals and Outcomes 2 lectures

Goals and Outcomes Preview 17:40

Students will learn the difference between counting outputs and measuring true oucomes, how to write SMART goals, and see examples of strong outcome statements.

Goals and Outcomes Quiz

How well can you identify good outcomes statements?

Lesson 6: Methodology, Evaluation, and Sustainability 2 lectures

Methodology, Evaluation, and Funding Sustainability Preview 17:43

Here we go through the final three elements of a successful proposal, Act III in our story arc: Methodology, Evaluation, and Sustainability, and learn what we mean by each.