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September 30, 2004

Getting Started in Grant Writing

I received a very nice e-mail yesterday from someone who is interested in writing grants for a living. He was wondering how to get started. I thought I would post a response here, since I've received a number of similar inquiries over the years. So here are my suggestions:

1. Read, read, read. There are numerous books on grant writing that are available online and at local bookstores and libraries. Here are a few that have been suggested by some of the professionals participating in Charity Channel's e-mail list (see below for info on Charity Channel):


  • "Writing for A Good Cause" by Joseph Barbato and Danielle Furlich.

  • 'I'll Grant You That' by Jim Burke and Carol Ann Prater.

  • "Demystifying Grant Seeking" by Larissa Golden Brown and Martin John Brown.

  • "Grant Writing for Dummies" by Bev Browning.

  • "Proposal Planning and Writing" by Miner & Miner.

  • The Grantseeker's Toolkit: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Funding" by Cheryl New and James Quick.

  • The "How To" Grants Manual: Successful Grantseeking Techniques for Obtaining Public and Private Grants'" by David G. Bauer.

  • "Program Planning & Proposal Writing" by Norman Kiritz.

  • "Getting Funded: The Complete Guide to Proposal Writing" by Mary Stewart Hall and Susan Howlett.

2. Enroll in a grant writing course or workshop. Start out with the Foundation Center's free Proposal Writing Short Course. The Grantsmanship Center (TGCI) offers one of the best training programs in the country, though it is quite expensive. Other organizations such as Zockgrant provide workshops and training. You'll find numerous other courses and workshops by doing Google searches. Contact your local community college(s) -- many of them offer grant writing workshops.

3. Subscribe to Charity Channel's e-mail discussion list on grants and grant writing. This is a great list for beginners, experts, and everyone in between. It's a wonderful group of professional, knowledgeable folks.

4. Search the Charity Channel's grants e-mail list for a thread called "Back to Basics". This is a long-running discussion on getting started with grants and grant writing.

5. More reading. Articles on grant writing abound. You'll find links to many good articles on my site, along with some sample grants you can read.

6. Volunteer to help write grants for a local non-profit organization. Many small non-profits are seriously understaffed and would welcome your assistance. In return, you'll get actual hands-on experience in grant writing -- something you can put on your resume.

Posted by Deborah at September 30, 2004 06:27 AM





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