Making Grant Writing Easy – How to Write a Grant for Nonprofit

If you’re a non-profit looking to empower your dreams, one grant at a time, then you’ve come to the right place. This year alone has been tough. From economic changes to growing political instability and ever-worsening health crises and natural disasters, the world is in disarray.

And if you’re running a non-profit, you’re not just acting as a beacon of hope in one way or the other, but perhaps more so struggling to keep up and self-sustain amidst this chaos.

So, it’s time we tell you how to write a grant for a non-profit so you can ease up the burden and empower dreams, one grant at a time because this is precisely the right time to ask for funds through grants and turn things around.

Now, let’s start with the basics first.

What Is Grant Writing for Non-Profits All About?

Well, when it comes to writing grants for non-profits, it essentially involves asking foundations, government bodies, and corporations for funding. These grants can range from monetary compensations to contributions and kind contributions of different sorts.

Quality, well-written, and successful grant writing asks for coordination and alignment between both your and the grantor’s aims and objectives. Once you master this art and can find the perfect point of commonality between the two, you’ll be getting the grants you need guaranteed.

But, just like all other forms of grant writing, it takes skills and practice. Generally, grants are aimed toward certain corporations in order to address ongoing issues, improve the circumstances of some population groups, and achieve some goals.

Nevertheless, the strictness and non-profit grant regulations tend to vary for all different corporations and the different areas in which they operate. So, it’s always good to do some in-depth research on the entity you’re approaching so you get it right and get the chance.

How To Write a Grant for A Non-Profit – The Process

Now that you’re up to speed with just why your non-profit might do well with a successful grant, it’s time you find out just how to write a grant for a non-profit. So, let’s take it step by step and take you along.

Key Components of a Grant Proposal

First of all, your non-profit’s grant will come as a result of a successful, well-written grant proposal. A grant proposal is essentially a formal request issued to the company or organization you’re hoping to get the grant from.

Let’s give you the layout for your non-profit grant proposal.

1. Title of Program
2. Executive Summary
3. Formal Description and Organizational Background
4. Problem Statement or the Program’s Need
5. Program Description
6. Objectives and Goals
7. How to Implement the Plan: The Activities, Timelines, and Staff Details
8. The Evaluation Plan
9. Budget

Now, if we talk about how to write a grant for a nonprofit, here’s how you articulate it.

1.      What Does Your Organization Need?

Before you go any further into writing for your grant, think clearly about what your organization truly needs and is on the lookout for. Since you’re asking for assistance, you must be very clear about precisely what it is that you need help with in the form of funding or any other means.

It’s always good to be honest and realistic with your goals and program or plans that you have related to the funding.  

2.      Setting Your Match

It would be best if you match your organization’s needs with those of the company you’re looking to secure the grant from. This is perhaps one of the most important things because they’ll only be willing to lend you the help if both visions align.

So, it would be best if you started with planning how the program that you’re proposing will help the company with its own goals and mission while helping you out, too. This will help you grasp their attention while also letting them understand your vision and targets.

Then, you should also not devise an entirely new plan for a specific grant’s eligibility criteria. It comes off as desperate and unoriginal. In fact, it’s a better idea to tweak your program slightly to match the criteria.

3.      Have An Outline Ready

It’s incredibly useful and helpful to have a pre-made time, time-sensitive, and tested strategy ready for you to not just follow but also show the funders just how serious you are and how much planning you’ve already done to achieve the targets set seriously.

Make sure to make all topics subheadings even if you perhaps remove them later on. This way, your proposal will be well-structured.

4.      Convince Them With A Compelling Story

It’s all about convincing them with a story that moves. You need to convey the passion and reason behind why you’re doing what you do and just how important it is. Focus on presenting yourself as unique because it’s important to stand out from the crowd and shine a light on why you’re different and deserve to get the grant amongst all others.

5.      Review and Edits

Lastly, it’s time to check for any errors or whether you’ve missed something and prepare your fantastic grant proposal for submission.

Just like any other editing or reviewing process, make sure there aren’t any grammatical errors or informal tones, and get it peer-reviewed if possible. And with that, your non-profit grant proposal is good to go. So, there you have it, folks. Now you’re up to speed with just how to write a grant for a non-profit the right way. But, if there’s any confusion, you can always look into hiring a professional grant writer who can write you up a successful grant, hassle-free and guaranteed.

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