There is an art to writing nonprofit grants. And just like with any art project, you need to have the right tools to create a masterpiece that gets noticed!
We’ve gathered up some of the most popular grant writing resources out there so you can write a proposal that’s sure to knock the socks off of the grantmaker!
Grant Writing Resources: Learning Nonprofit Grant Writing
Even the most seasoned nonprofit grant writer might want to level up their skills. And if that’s the case, we’ve got you covered!
Whether you’re looking for free trainings to get your grant writing process started, or you’re ready to take it to the next level, these grant writing resources will help you:
Free Nonprofit Grant Writing Trainings:
Maybe this is your first venture into the world of nonprofit grant writing (and if so, welcome! We have cookies in the back).
Before you start diving head first into all of the certifications and courses you can take to become the best nonprofit grant writer ever, you might want to dip your toe in.
Check out these free nonprofit grant writing resources:
1. CharityHowTo
CharityHowTo is a hub of nonprofit trainings and resources. And yep! That includes grant writing. They have plenty of free training videos and webinars you can access to start learning how to write nonprofit grants.
If you’re looking to get started with this new adventure, check out this free training:
2. LearnGrantWriting.org
The majority of the resources on LearnGrantWriting.org are paid. But that doesn’t mean they’re leaving you high and dry! They do have some fantastic free grant writing resources including free templates and a free grant writing class to get you started.
3. Instrumentl Partner Workshops
Instrumentl is a grant management software that helps you get organized throughout your entire nonprofit grant writing experience.
But they also have free workshops to help you learn the art of grant writing! These workshops are usually 1-hour long. And they offer a couple of bonus raffles for those who attend!
Paid Nonprofit Grant Writing Trainings:
At a certain point, it’s time to level up the skills you’ve already got under your belt. And that often means investing in some awesome nonprofit grant writing classes or workshops!
Check out these paid nonprofit grant writing resources to elevate your skills:
1. CharityHowTo
While they have free trainings, CharityHowTo also has some more advanced courses to take your grant writing to the next level.
Whether you want to take live courses or you want to stream courses on-demand, they have plenty based on grant writing!
You can choose classes based on topics like:
- Making Your Grant Application Stand Out
- Federal Grants: How to Feel Confident and Competitive as You Click Submit
- How to Successfully Tell Your Story in Your Grant Application
And they even have courses on how to build relationships with grant makers to give your nonprofit more of an opportunity to stand out from the crowd.
The best news with CharityHowTo is that all of their courses are taught by experienced professionals who have years of knowledge to share.
2. Federal Grant Writing Bootcamp
If you want live trainings from one of the top nonprofit grant writing educators, then this may be a good choice for you!
You can sign up for four half-day training sessions in the Federal Grant Writing Bootcamp.
3. The Grantsmanship Center
The Grantsmanship Center has plenty of nonprofit grant writing learning opportunities for you! And they also have a couple of options depending on your learning style.
You can take single video workshops based on specific topics to increase your knowledge and skills in certain grant writing areas.
Or, if you’re looking for a more comprehensive program, you can enroll in their multi-day courses. Depending on what you’re looking for, they have course programs from 2 days to 5 days long!
Grant Writing Resources: Tech Tools to Use for Nonprofit Grant Writing
After you know how to write grants? It’s time to get started! But you wouldn’t want to walk onto the scene without having the right tools in your pocket.
These tech tools are excellent grant writing resources to use:
Grant Seeking:
Before anything can start, you have to find grant opportunities. But there’s not much worse than spending hours pouring through Google page after Google page.
And while we’ve got a list of some of the top technology grants available, you may need other opportunities, too.
Take a look at these grant writing resources:
1. GrantStation
GrantStation is a central hub that helps you with a large part of your nonprofit grant writing process.
From finding grantmakers to building your grant strategy. And from public resources to helping you write proposals, this tool is great to have in your stash!
2. GrantScape
GrantScape is another subscription program that helps you find the right grant opportunities for your nonprofit.
Find local government agencies, federal government agencies, and other foundations that want to help fund your mission.
Grant Management:
You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. And that means you probably want to diversify your nonprofit grant proposals!
But when you start tackling more than one grant proposal at a time, you might find yourself a little bit flustered.
Keeping track of everything when it comes to grants is hard work! You have to manage deadline dates, who you’ve spoken to, who you need to follow up with, and more.
That’s why grant management software is crucial to the entire grant writing process!
1. GrantHub
This is a cloud-based grant management software, which means it’s perfect for wherever you’re working. Plus, it was designed specifically with nonprofits in mind!
And that means you get all of the features you need to streamline the entire grant writing process.
Track your funding history and all of your opportunities from the dashboard. And snag access to GrantStation’s funder search so you don’t have to spend countless hours in front of Google.
Our sister site, Nonprofit Library, is teamed up with Foundant and their software, GrantHub. So you can watch a free, zero-obligation training of the GrantHub software to see if it’s the right fit for you!
Grant Writing Resources: Tech Tools for Nonprofit Grant Writing
You’ve nailed down which grants you’re writing proposals for. You’ve created your workflow in your grant management system.
Now? It’s time to get to work writing!
These grant writing resources will help you pack the punch your proposal needs:
Writing Tools:
First up, the rough draft! You can lay out all of your notes. You can get all of your thoughts down on paper.
And this is what you need to do it:
1. Google Docs
Although there are other resources out there to help you write your proposal online, none compare to Google Docs.
With easy sharing access and the ability to make notes on the page, it’s the best tool to use for your grant writing process.
Plus, you can use it on any device as long as you have access to the internet. No having to worry about “Does this computer have Word?”
Editing Tools:
Once it’s written up, you don’t want to send your grant without proofing it. And while you might have team members who can go back over your work (which you should have them do!), sometimes you need extra eyes.
1. Grammarly
Grammarly is an excellent tool to use to catch small errors that might go unnoticed. Plus, it will tell you how readable your grant proposal is. Because keeping the attention of your grantmaker is crucial to receiving the grant itself!
And Grammarly offers a nonprofit discount, too!
Visual Storytelling Tools:
An entire book’s worth of nothing but words can be yawn-inducing – and that has nothing to do with your writing skills!
It’s just the name of the game. But there’s nothing that says you can’t spruce up your proposal with some incredible graphics and visual storytelling.
Try these grant writing resources:
1. Canva
Canva is the graphic design tool that’s perfect for those of us who never went to school for design.
You don’t need a degree to learn how to use this platform. And you’ll still be able to make amazing graphics that are sure to keep your grantmaker’s attention!
Our sister site, Nonprofit Library, has a free, zero-obligation training on this awesome grant writing resource!