In 2017, The National Philanthropic Trust estimated that 12% of charitable dollars are contributed to grant-making foundations - that’s a whopping 77.7 billion dollars!
If you are unfamiliar, grant-making foundations are non-profit organizations that provide financial support and donations to charitable organizations - typically through an application process that can involve a lot of writing.
For grant writers, the entire process may seem overwhelming - but it doesn’t have to be!
The following 5 tips will help grant writers (both experienced and new) write strong and effective grant applications:
1. Read over the grant guidelines carefully
The first step you should always take prior to grant writing is to carefully read and review the application guidelines.
WHY?
- To ensure eligibility
- To confirm the grant is well suited to your organization’s program objectives.
- To make sure you follow all directions and instructions listed in the guidelines
- To help steer your writing
- To take note of important dates and submission deadlines (tip: put them in your calendar!)
Remember, grant writing takes time and the last thing you want to do is spend time writing an application for a grant that will not be a good fit, or for one you are not even eligible for.
2. Use clear language
A good storyteller showcases impact in an understandable way.
You never know who in the granting organization is reading your application, so it needs to be written in a way that is straightforward and uncomplicated. The strongest applications are going to be the ones written in a clear and direct manner.
Ask yourself: Would someone outside of the non-profit sector understand this?
Skip the fancy buzzwords and jargon and take care to ensure your answers are reflective of the questions being asked.
3. Stand out with numbers
Your goal when writing a grant application is to convince the grantor to fund your project. For this to happen, you have to stand out among the other applicants and leave a lasting impression on your application reader. Inputting numbers, quantitative data, and statistics within your application is a good strategy to differentiate your organization’s work from others. Think about your past, present, and future impact numbers and sprinkle them within your application:
How many people did your organization help last year? How many programs, services, workshops, or classes did you run? What are your projected numbers for this year? Did you hit your fundraising goal last year? By how much? What are your social media engagement numbers like? Did you have any viral posts? How many staff did you hire this year?
4. Be solutions focused
When answering application questions, be sure to place emphasis on how you are going to spend the grant funds, not just on why you need them.
Of course grantors want to know the reasoning behind applying for their grant in the first place, but more than anything they want to ensure their money will be spent thoughtfully with great impact.
Include not just your planned objectives and outcomes, but a detailed budget as well to show grantors that your proposed solution is a well thought out and viable project.
Tip: You do not have to be an accountant or finance manager to write up a good budget. Check out this example budget from The Greater New Orleans Foundation.
5. Proofread and get feedback.
It goes without saying, you should always read over your grant application multiple times prior to submitting. You’ll want to check for spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes, along with answer clarity and relevance.
Tip: copy and paste your application into a text to speech reader and listen back to it.
Once you feel like it’s ready for submission, have someone else read it over as well. Be sure to leave enough time prior to the submission deadline to collect their feedback and make any necessary changes.
Now that you know how to write a strong grant application check out Grants Every Non-Profit Should Know About to find the perfect grant to apply for!
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Account Executive at Raisely.
