Becoming a Nonprofit Grant Writer: Considerations
- Pat Kelsaw
- Apr 8, 2024
- 9 min read
While writing grants for nonprofit organizations can be a
demanding role, it offers the opportunity to make a significant contribution to and meaningful impact on causes you care about deeply. In this blog post, as I reflect on my personal grant writing path, I'll explore what this work entails to determine if it aligns with your interests and goals. Assessing your interest in writing grants involves a careful examination of your skills, motivations, and personality traits; it will also challenge you to explore ways to strengthen and reaffirm your “why”.
To revisit your “WHY” you can use my bonus resource “It Starts With Why” from a previous post.
Here are some important considerations about becoming a nonprofit grant writer:
Desire to Make an Impact: It seems to start with the “why”. My grant writing path was fueled by my desire to leave an individual, a group, or a community/town in a better place than when I arrived; My desire was to impact maternal & child health problems related to access: health care, education, social services. My way to give back to my community, each one, teach one - by learning and sharing my knowledge for future generations to thrive and heal. Here’s a tip: Your work is your greatest project.
Consider whether you find satisfaction in knowing that your efforts could secure vital funding
for programs that address pressing social issues. My grant writing efforts have secured over
$10 million in funding and expanded access to services to thousands of children and families
across the country. This does not factor in the countless dollars from those who have taken
my courses and were successful in procuring dollars from individual donors or funders.
2. Passion for the Cause: One of the most significant factors in determining your
interest in grant writing for nonprofits is your passion for the cause. Many times, new grant writers will explore a number of topics of interest, all related to their overall passion for a cause. For example, my grant writing portfolio relates to my subject matter expertise: ethnic health disparities, education, food insecurities, and socioeconomic challenges - all related to access to basic needs: food, clothing, shelter.
Your passion for the cause comes through your style of writing. You are telling a story.
Working on behalf of an organization whose mission resonates with you can provide intrinsic
motivation and a sense of purpose. Here’s a tip: Ask yourself whether you're genuinely
committed to supporting their goals and making a difference in the community they serve.
3. Understanding the Role: Assess your strengths. Before delving into whether grant
writing is right for you, it's essential to understand the multilayered role itself. This role involves communicating the organization's mission, goals, and programs effectively to potential funders. It requires good organizational and time management skills, while adhering to strict guidelines and deadlines. It may involve communicating with local stakeholders and partners. Here’s a tip: It may require building a grant writing team, comprised of people with varying degrees of investment in the project’s completion.
Grant writers are responsible for researching funding opportunities, crafting compelling
proposals, and managing the grant application process. The process of writing grant
proposals includes your ability to understand basic fiscal terminology and accounting
principles (I've had to strengthen my knowledge in this area). This is where you need to assess your skills. Effective grant writing requires a diverse skill set. Assess your abilities in areas such as research, writing, communication, and project management. Building your grant writing team can strengthen areas where you may need additional support/help. Here’s a tip: People who enjoy articulating a vision but have shortcomings in the finance/budget arena but knows someone who loves numbers, creating spreadsheets etc. can encompass an ideal, dynamic duo to articulate the project to grant reviewers. In other words, you’re speaking “both languages” to left/right-brain people!
4. Research and Learning: Stay informed on societal changes, trends, and policy interests. Successful grant writing requires ongoing research and a thirst for learning. You'll need to stay updated on funding trends, grant making priorities, and best practices in the field your field(s) of interest.
If you enjoy conducting research and expanding your knowledge base, you may find the
constant learning curve of grant writing stimulating and rewarding. As a macro social worker,
who loves data, graphs, and charts, grant writing provides a vehicle to share information about social conditions and policies that negatively affect communities where I live, work, or reflect the populations that I represent. Here’s a tip: Be comfortable with data and its interpretation, articulating the results to others who may not know much about your issue or problem.
5. Collaboration and Communication: While grant writing often involves independent work, as a newcomer to grant writing, find ways to gain effective collaboration/team building skills. You'll need to work closely with program staff, finance personnel, and other stakeholders to gather information and ensure that your proposals align with the organization's strategic priorities. Here’s a tip: Good, clear verbal and written communication skills are also essential. Know how to delegate to use other’s strengths.
As a grant writer, you are the project manager to ensure that the grant is submitted in a timely fashion. This may include the need to gather support and obtain approvals from stakeholders before the application deadline! If you enjoy collaborating with others and can communicate effectively across different groups or teams, you'll thrive in the grant writing process.
Thanks for reading!
And special thanks to those who joined me at Big Mama’s Table to Celebrate Social
Work Month! Thank you for your support!
Join me at Big Mama’s Table:
“Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox”
Date: Saturday, April 20, 2024
Time: 1:00 - 2:00 (ET)
Location: Virtual and FREE!
Registration is open!
At this free 1-hour webinar, you'll learn how to avoid the fundraising pitfall of relying on a
sole or single source of funding, such as a grant, that is time-limited; funds are restricted
to supporting some program activities, while not addressing your organization’s operational or capacity-building needs.
Register by Thursday, April 18th 5:00 PM (ET) to ensure that you receive your
confirmation email with Zoom instructions!
From Big Mama’s Playbook:
Grant Tip: Think fundraising is hard now? It’s about to get harder. Consider these on charitable giving:
Decline in charitable giving, in general, and in the number of donors at all levels
Volunteering declined steeply during COVID-19, worsening a years-long decline
Increase competition among nonprofits, a widening gap of decreasing revenues and
increasing demands and costs
There is no magic solution for this, but we can continue to work together to improve nonprofit sustainability. Join me for “Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox” to learn basic fundraising strategies!
Learn why it’s important to understand fundraising basics to strengthen your board! “Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox” free webinar!
Are you new to fundraising and grant writing?
My free 1-hour webinar:
Diversify Your Fundraising Toolbox offers a basic introduction to fundraising designed for non- profit staff and board members, especially those new to fundraising, who want to learn about and develop a clear strategy to diversify funding streams your organization’s needs.
Date: Saturday, April 20 th - 1:00 – 2:00 EST Registration is open now!
*Featured Grant Opportunities This Week:
Community:
(new) Los Alamos Community Foundation (Los Alamos, New Mexico) invites applications for its various grant programs – capacity building, youth sports, music organizations, and preserving history. Grant requests range from $600 - $5,000
Deadline: April 30 th at 5:00 PM (MT)
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
(new) The U.S. Bank Foundation’s Community Possible Grant Program supports nonprofit
organizations that create stable jobs, affordable housing, and vibrant communities in U.S.
Bank’s 26-state geographic scope: AZ, AR, CA, CO, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MT, NE,
NV, NM, NC, ND, OH, OR, SD, TN, UT, WA, WI, and WY
Grants are provided in the following areas: workforce education and economic prosperity;
neighborhood stability and revitalization, including safe, affordable, energy-efficient housing;
and artistic and cultural enrichment, learning through play, and protecting and enhancing
outdoor places to play. Priority is given to organizations with an intentional mission to promote equity by serving those facing barriers to economic success, including low- and moderate- income communities, women, and communities of color. From the website: “New and emerging organizations bring balance to our grant making through our Letter of Interest (LOI) application. We ensure funding is set aside each year to explore new opportunities. Nonprofit organizations new to the U.S. Bank Foundation may submit an LOI at any time during the year.”
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
Seattle Foundation invites applications for its Neighbor to Neighbor Fund (N2N). Funding
supports grassroots efforts in South Seattle, White Center, and Kent that increase the
engagement, power, and influence of community members affected by poverty and racial
disparities. Quarterly deadlines – next deadline: April 30 th
Grants of up to $7,500.
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
Education:
The NEA Foundation invites applications for its Learning and Leadership grants. Learning and Leadership grants are intended to provide resources for educators hoping to engage in
professional learning that can be implemented in their classrooms. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded in support of the professional development of NEA members.
Deadline: May 1, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
The Greater Washington Community Foundation invites applications for its LEARN Foundation Scholarship, to support Prince George’s County youth, high school seniors residing in the vicinity of FedEx Field stadium in Landover, Maryland. The minimum scholarship amount is
$1,000.
Deadline: April 30 th
San Diego Community Foundation seeks applications from community-based organizations that provide college success programming to one or more of the identified priority student
populations to join the Community Scholars Initiative (CSI) as partners. Each partner will be part of the CSI cohort and will receive a four-year conditional funding commitment from San Diego Foundation. Grant awards up to $150,000+ over four years.
Next Deadline: April 18 th at 3:00 PM (PST) NOTE: There are four funding cycles in 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
Health/Safety/Environment:
(new) CareQuest Institute for Oral Health seeks to address oral health disparities “by investing strategically and providing collaborative, capacity-building support…” CareQuest Institute is currently offering two calls for proposals focused on oral health:
Veteran Oral Health - Expanding Access and Equity request for proposals, funding will be
provided for ten projects addressing system-level barriers to oral health for veterans. the
School-Based and School-Linked Initiatives grants will be provided for ten projects that are
engaging schools to address oral health, inclusive of access, for children and their families.
Grant awards up to $125,000
Deadline: May 1, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, follow the link:
The Duke Energy Foundation will provide $500,000 in grant awards through the South Carolina Emergency Preparedness and Storm Resiliency Grants to invest in emergency preparedness organizations across South Carolina. The aim is to increase organizations’ resiliency to major weather events through advanced preparation, planning, equipment, and training. Grand awards
up to $20,000
Deadline: April 12, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions visit:
Racial/Economic/Environmental Justice:
The Nathan Cummings Foundation is a multigenerational family foundation, rooted in the
Jewish tradition of social justice, working to help create a more just, vibrant, sustainable, and
democratic society. The foundation has an approximately $17 million grantmaking budget for 2024 and seeks applications for funding in three categories: Venture, Advancement and
Enterprise. Grant awards from $100,000 up to $250,000.
Deadline: April 30, 2024
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the website.
Women/Girls:
(new) The Lalor Foundation funds initiatives that bring women information and access to
reproductive health care, contraception, and pregnancy termination to help broaden and
enhance their options in life. Grants awarded through the program typically range between
$10,000 and $35,000, with an average grant size of between $15,000 and $25,000.
Deadline: Concept papers are due by May 1, 2024, and selected applicants will be invited to
submit a full proposal.
For complete program guidelines and application instructions, see the website.
*This listing primarily focuses on regions of the country and targets communities: urban/suburban/rural where I have lived or worked, or other places that touch my life – where I know people are working hard to make a difference. And besides regional and state-specific grants, national and Federal grant opportunities related to the health and well-being of communities and families will also be included in this listing.
*Featured Career Opportunities:
John Rex Endowment, Raleigh, NC – Director of Partnerships and Communication
Equal Justice USA (EJUSA), Restorative Justice Strategist (2 positions), Remote
For these positions and other remote listings at this organization, look for the “Jobs and
Internships” tab at:
*(listings included here are not a personal endorsement or for promotional purposes, just sharing…)
Weekly wisdom, in their own words:
“If people were silent, nothing would change.”
— Malala Yousafzai (1997 - )
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