Free Grantwriting Resources
Here are some no-cost resources to help you find funders and write great grants.
Learn online and on your schedule.
- Check out slides from our A Map to Successful Grantwriting class for an overview on how to find funders, write proposals, and manage the process.
- Watch YouTube videos on our @CommunityGrantwriters channel
- Read Funder Follies, a weekly newsletter on why grantwriting can be so hard. If it feels tough, you’re not alone.
Use templates to create compelling language for your proposals.
- If you’re starting at the very beginning, here’s an interactive form to help you define your nonprofit’s work and the unique impact you make. (You’ll get an email with your answers.)
- Use our Master Proposal Template to make your case (the language you put into the form above will make it easier!) This template guides you through the basic language to use in applying for grants.
Talk with leaders and peers in your field.
- Regional Community Foundation – Ask for an informational meeting with the grantmaking program officer at your local community foundation (here’s a map to find yours) to discuss how you might build grants capacity (and also to let their donors know about your work: sometimes they have a form to fill out). Be sure to look at their website first, to make sure they fund your type of work. Use this resource wisely.
- Look for issue-focused networks – A quick Google search will help you find professional networks in your issue area. Attend a meeting to connect with and learn from your peers.
- Join fundraising networks – Development Executives Roundtable is a great regional network. Association of Fundraising Professionals is national. Grant Professionals Association has a specialized focus. All have affordable online learning, membership, events, and the chance to get to know others working at nonprofits. Fundraising can feel lonely, but you’re not alone!
- Use LinkedIn to connect with colleagues and potential funders – Be respectful, honest and always “add a note” to your request to connect so they have some context. Remember that old adage: When you ask for money, you get advice; when you ask for advice, you get money. So ask for advice!
Low-Cost Resources
- Download the Master Proposal Template and watch our video to guide you in research that gets you to the right funder.
- Sign up for a grantwriting class tailored to your organization’s needs!
Recruit a volunteer grantwriter.
Grantwriting is a virtual opportunity where you can attract talent beyond your local area. Here’s how:
- Create a sentence or two “job description.” What kind of help do you need? You can cut-and-paste from another nonprofit’s listing for a grantwriter on one of the sites listed in Step 3 below. Include a link to…
- Gather replies online. Direct interested volunteers to a (free) Google form that you create to get additional info (name and contact info, why they’re interested, availability, projects where they’ve written grants; you can even have them upload a work sample or send an automated reply). Then you’re not bombarded by emails or calls. Better yet, have a board member check responses and follow up. Include a link to this form wherever you post the job description. (See Step 3.)
- Post the volunteer job listing on volunteer sites. Catch-a-Fire* and Volunteer Match are national listings, and Volunteer Now is a regional example (northern California). *Ask the local community foundation if they will pay for your nonprofit’s Catch-a-Fire registration fee; they often do!
- (Optional) Add the volunteer job to your website. Consider cutting and pasting that job listing into a page on your website, so you can link to the volunteer “job” listing anytime you want to share it.
- Promote in your social media. Send a simple eNews to your list, post on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram. You can add an eye-catching free graphic from Canva, Unsplash, Pixabay or MyStock. (Include that link to the application form you created in Step 2.)
- Review, interview, select, start and train! You will need to spend some time here to get the right person and get them up to speed. Have a shared folder with any information they’ll need to learn about your work or see past proposals you’ve written. This can be a very rewarding role for a volunteer, if given proper guidance and direction.
Can you promote from within? Is there a part-time or administrative staff member who could learn grantwriting. Use our resource! A newsletter editor or staff member with excellent communication and project management skills can be a great grantwriter.
