Securing grant funding can be a game-changer for nonprofits—it’s the lifeblood of scaling your mission, creating meaningful impact, and turning big ideas into tangible outcomes.
But let’s be real: learning how to write a grant for a non profit can feel like staring at a jigsaw puzzle with a million tiny, frustrating pieces.
From sifting through endless funding opportunities to crafting an application that’s equal parts strategy, storytelling, and precision, grant writing is anything but straightforward. That’s where we come in. At Written Progress, we’ve helped nonprofits secure over $40M in funding with our proven approach.
This guide is your blueprint to not just surviving the grant-writing process but mastering it.
Why Grants Matter for Nonprofits
Grants do more than fund your nonprofit’s projects—they’re the keys to unlocking broader opportunities. They allow you to:
- Fuel Your Mission: Grants make it possible to align funding directly with your organization’s core values and priorities.
- Expand Services: Whether it’s launching new programs or scaling existing ones, grants help you do more with what you have.
- Enhance Credibility: Winning grants signals to stakeholders that your nonprofit is trustworthy and capable of delivering results.
- Build Long-Term Stability: Beyond one-time funding, grants often lay the foundation for long-term financial resilience.
Take, for instance, organizations focused on community conservation or carbon capture. Strategic grant funding doesn’t just support these projects—it amplifies their visibility and multiplies their impact.
Learn How to Write a Grant for a Non Profit: The Steps
Crafting a successful grant application requires more than just filling out forms. It demands strategic planning, a compelling narrative, and meticulous attention to detail. If you need help with your grant writing how to, here’s a closer look at each step in the process:
Step 1: Define Your Grant Strategy
Before you begin writing, it’s crucial to develop a clear strategy that aligns with your nonprofit’s mission and goals.
- Assess Your Needs
- What’s the funding for? Is it for a new initiative, operational support, or expanding an existing service?
- Define clear goals and measurable outcomes that align with the grantor’s expectations.
- Don’t forget the long game – how does this funding fit into your broader strategy?
- Research Opportunities
- Use grant databases like GrantStation, Candid, or Foundation Directory Online to find grants that match your cause, geographic focus, and organizational size.
- Network at nonprofit events or attend webinars to uncover lesser-known funding opportunities.
- Analyze the priorities of past grant recipients for clues on what makes applications stand out.
- Set Realistic Goals
- Map out a timeline for application submission with ample buffer for revisions.
- Focus on high-impact opportunities instead of chasing every grant under the sun.
- Ask for an amount your organization can manage without becoming overwhelmed – too many reporting requirements can be a bad thing for a small team.
- Assess Your Needs
Step 2: Articulate Your Mission
Crafting a compelling grant application starts with a well-articulated mission that resonates with funders and demonstrates your nonprofit’s impact.
- Define Your Theory of Change
- Explain how your work creates measurable impact and aligns with broader social or environmental goals.
- What specific issue are you addressing, and why does it matter?
- Detail the activities and strategies that will lead to desired outcomes.
- Link your efforts to tangible changes in the community, environment, or sector. Use data and case studies to make it real.
- Build a Detailed Project Plan
- What are the key phases, milestones, and deadlines?
- What staff, materials, or partnerships are required to succeed?
- Highlight Contributing Partners
- Highlight partnerships with organizations, experts, or stakeholders that amplify your reach.
- Be clear about who is responsible for what, demonstrating accountability and coordination.
- Define Your Theory of Change
Step 3: Understand the Funder
Here’s the secret: Winning a grant isn’t just about what you want—it’s about aligning your goals with the funder’s vision.
- Do Your Homework
- Study the funder’s website, mission, and previously supported projects to pinpoint their priorities.
- Pay attention to buzzwords they use and mirror that language in your application.
- Tailor Your Proposal
- Connect the dots between their values and your project goals.
- Be explicit about how your work complements their mission, whether it’s equity, sustainability, or innovation.
- Highlight Contributing Partners
- Highlight partnerships with organizations, experts, or stakeholders that amplify your reach.
- Be clear about who is responsible for what, demonstrating accountability and coordination.
- Do Your Homework
Step 4: Tell a Story That Sticks
A strong narrative is the backbone of any grant proposal. Funders want to understand not just what you do, but why it matters and how their support will make a difference.
Many grant applications provide strict guidelines on what sections to write and word limits for each. If they don’t, here’s a good framework to follow:
- Start Strong with an Executive Summary
- This is your elevator pitch in print: Who are you? What’s the problem? Why is this grant essential?
- Keep this section concise—think one page max.
- Dive Deep with a Problem Statement
- Use concrete data to describe the issue your nonprofit tackles.
- Emphasize the urgency of the problem and its relevance to the community or stakeholders you serve.
- Propose a Clear Solution
- Outline your nonprofit’s approach to tackling the problem, including detailed activities, timelines, and deliverables.
- Highlight what sets your approach apart and why it’s a no-brainer for success.
- Make Impact Measurable
- Lay out specific metrics for success. Think beyond numbers—talk about ripple effects on the community or stakeholders.
- Include both short-term milestones and long-term benefits to drive home the project’s sustainability.
- Integrate Storytelling
- Share real-life examples or anecdotes that help the funder imagine your impact.
- Use visuals, such as charts or infographics, to keep grant funders engaged.
- Start Strong with an Executive Summary
Step 5: Build a Rock-Solid Budget
Numbers matter. A transparent, well-structured budget helps funders know that their money will be spent wisely.
- Itemize Expenses
- Break down costs into categories like salaries, materials, travel, and administrative overhead.
- Be specific to show that you’ve carefully planned how funds will be used.
- Ensure you budget enough to cover costs even when prices fluctuate. Funders aren’t looking for the cheapest proposal: they are looking for the most effective one.
- Justify the Spend
- Explain why each expense is crucial to your project’s goals.
- Show the grant funder how you plan to maximize resources, whether through partnerships or in-kind contributions.
- Demonstrate sustainability
- Highlight other funding sources, like matching funds and donor support to show funders that you have a diverse funding base.
- Include a contingency plan to reassure funders you’ve thought through potential challenges.
- Itemize Expenses
Step 6: Follow Submission Guidelines
Even a stellar grant proposal can miss the mark if it doesn’t follow the funder’s guidelines to the letter. This stage requires superhuman attention to detail.
- Prepare a Checklist
- Make sure you’ve included all required documents, such as tax-exempt letters, financial statements, and letters of support.
- Confirm that your proposal sticks to the word or character limits and formatting guidelines.
- Double-Check Details
- Make sure that all information in your proposal is consistent and accurate.
- Proofread for errors or inconsistencies that could take away you’re your professionalism.
- Submit Early
- Avoid last-minute technical issues by submitting your application well ahead of the deadline.
- Keep a copy of your submission and confirmation for your records.
- Prepare a Checklist
Pro Tips for Streamlining the Grant Writing Process
- Start Writing Before You Find a Grant: A lot of the heavy lifting of writing about your organization and initiative can be done in advance. Designate a writer to create a Grant Template of ready-to-go language customized to your organization.
- Don’t Delegate: Young organizations often haven’t taken the time to formalize knowledge transfer, and there’s one key person – often the founder – who is by far the best person to advocate for and write about the initiative. This is the person who needs to be doing the writing, or at the very least, providing plenty of feedback on the drafts from Day 1.
- Leverage Expert Resources: Try a Grant Writing Accelerator to refine your skills, or full-service grant writing if you find you don’t have the time to focus on high-stakes opportunities.
Overcoming Common Challenges
Grant writing can be an overwhelming chore, especially for nonprofits that juggle limited resources and tight deadlines. When you’re thinking about non profit grant writing, being aware of these common challenges in advance can help you address them before they become unmanageable. Here are the two most common obstacles we see and strategies to overcome them:
Articulating Impact
Effectively conveying the significance and measurable outcomes of your nonprofit’s work is critical to securing funding. However, many organizations struggle to present their impact in a compelling way.
Strategies:
- Grant Writing Accelerator: Get professional support to skip the trial-and-error while you learn to write grants that resonate with funders.
- Combine Data with Storytelling: Pair hard numbers with testimonials or case studies to illustrate both the tangible and emotional impact of your work.
- Track Initiative Outputs and Outcomes: Collect and organize data on your impact and results so that you have a robust repository of metrics and success stories on hand.
Finding Opportunities
With thousands of grant programs available, identifying the right opportunities can feel overwhelming. Many initiatives focus exclusively on the biggest and most competitive opportunities because they are too strapped for time to find the lesser known ones.
Strategies:
- Utilize Databases: Use resources like GrantStation, Candid, or Instrumentl to narrow your search to funders who align with your mission, location, and size.
- Build Relationships: Attend networking events, webinars, and workshops to connect with funders and learn about available opportunities.
- Leverage Professional Support: Most grant writers and grant researchers have paid subscriptions to grant databases. They can find the grants that are a great fit for you.
Pro Tips for Writing Winning Grants
- Ditch the Jargon: Write like you’re talking to a smart friend—not a fellow expert.
- Focus on Collaboration: Highlight partnerships to show you’re not going it alone.
- Iterate, Iterate, Iterate: Feedback is your best tool for refining your proposal.
By presenting a well-rounded narrative of your mission, project, and partners, you’re not just applying for funding—you’re inviting the grantor to be part of a transformative effort.
How Written Progress Can Help
Whether you’re drowning in deadlines or just need a nudge in the right direction, Written Progress offers support at every stage of the grant writing process.
Custom Grant Template
- Make your future applications more consistent and less time consuming.
- We refine your strategy, articulate your mission, build your opportunity list, and create your ready-to-go customized application template.
Grant Accelerator
- Perfect for nonprofits building internal capacity.
- We offer writing assistance software, expert reviews of your drafts, and an anytime grant coach to answer your urgent questions.
Full-Service Grant Writing
- From research to submission, we handle the heavy lifting.
- Our tailored approach aligns every application with your mission.
Results That Speak for Themselves
- $40M+ in Funding Secured: Our clients have successfully funded transformative projects across sectors.
- 95% Client Return Rate: Organizations trust us to deliver impactful results.
- Empowering Communities: From climate adaptation to employment, our work drives meaningful change.
Next Steps
Great non profit grant writing is essential for getting you the funds you need to succeed. With Written Progress by your side, you’ll have the tools, guidance, and expertise to turn your nonprofit’s vision into a funded reality.
Whether you’re ready to learn how to write a grant for a non profit or you want a pro to do the heavy lifting, contact us today to start crafting proposals that make a difference.