Securing environmental grants is (thankfully!) more than filling out templates. In a competitive field, where everyone vies for the same limited resources, applicants need to stand out to reap the rewards. At Written Progress, we craft compelling, funder-aligned narratives that secure the funding needed to make a measurable difference. With over $40 million secured for sustainability-focused initiatives, we know what it takes to deliver winning proposals for grants.
Why Grants Matter
Grant funding is the lifeblood of initiatives that tackle urgent global challenges, from climate change to biodiversity loss. For organizations of all sizes—nonprofits, local governments, and businesses alike—these grants provide the resources needed to turn bold ideas into actionable solutions.
Key Areas of Focus for Environment Grants:
- Climate adaptation and carbon reduction strategies.
- Innovations in renewable energy and energy efficiency.
- Community-driven sustainability projects.
- Advancements in water resource management.
- Conservation of endangered ecosystems and species.
But there’s a catch: funders aren’t just handing out money. They want to collaborate with initiatives who align with their mission, provide detailed plans, and deliver clear, measurable impact. That’s where Written Progress steps in.
What Sets Written Progress Apart?
Applying for grants is overwhelming—an endless checklist of research, writing, and compliance. That’s why we offer more than generic grant-writing help; we offer solutions tailored to your unique mission.
Here’s How We Do It:
- Targeted Research to Find the Perfect Fit
Applying for environmental and sustainability grants isn’t about casting a wide net—it’s about precision. Our process begins with an in-depth analysis of potential funding opportunities, using advanced tools and insider knowledge to match your project with funders who share your vision. - Building Your Theory of Change and Project Plan
Funders want to see the bigger picture: what change your project will create and how you’ll achieve it. We work with you to articulate a compelling theory of change, complete with measurable outcomes, pathways, and evidence. Alongside this, we help you develop a robust project plan with clear timelines, budgets, and milestones to demonstrate feasibility and impact. - Creating a Reusable Grant Template
To streamline your grant applications, we’ll build a customized template that captures the key elements of your organization’s story, capacity, and objectives. This living document saves time and ensures consistency, allowing you to respond to opportunities faster and with greater ease. - Crafting the Proposal
Your proposal is your first impression. Our team develops proposals that not only meet funder guidelines but also go above and beyond. Every section—from the problem statement to the budget—is carefully crafted to maximize your chances of success. - Review, Refine, Repeat
We don’t submit anything until it’s perfect. Our iterative review process ensures your application is polished, consistent, and clearly communicates your potential impact. - Post-Submission Support
Some grants require additional follow-ups, such as presentations or responding to reviewer feedback. We stick with you through every stage of the process, ensuring no opportunity is left on the table.
Flexible Service Packages to Meet Your Needs
- Custom Grant Writing Templates: Reusable templates and an opportunity shortlist that save you time and ensure consistency in your proposals.
- Grant Writing Accelerator: Software-assisted writing and actionable guidance from experts to fine-tune your proposals.
- Full-Service Grant Writing: We handle everything from identifying opportunities to submitting applications.
Each package is designed with flexibility in mind. Whether you need help crafting a single application or want ongoing support for multiple grants, we’ve got you covered.
Real Grant Results
$1M Secured to Empower Smallholder Farmers
The Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT faced a daunting challenge: securing $1M in funding to support smallholder farmers in Uganda and Zambia—primarily women—as they grappled with the growing impacts of climate change. Enter Written Progress, where we specialize in turning ambitious ideas into funded realities.
Our team, led by Isabelle Le Marois, designed a data-driven and funder-aligned proposal that resonated with the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The resulting $1M grant is more than just funding—it’s a lifeline for thousands of smallholder farmers.
Common Challenges in Securing Environmental Grants (And How We Solve Them)
1. Overwhelming Competition
Everyone wants a piece. Environmental funding often draws a large pool of applicants, each vying to align their project with funder priorities. Standing out requires more than ticking boxes—it demands a proposal that connects with the funder’s goals and showcases a compelling theory of change.
Solution: At Written Progress, we specialize in crafting applications that resonate by blending storytelling with robust data, ensuring your submission captures attention in a crowded field.
2. Limited Internal Resources
There’s too much to do and too little time. Many organizations juggle grant writing alongside other priorities, leaving little time to dedicate to the application process.
Solution: Our team steps in to handle the workload, offering end-to-end support or targeted assistance. From crafting detailed proposals to managing deadlines, we let you focus on your mission while ensuring the grant-writing process doesn’t fall by the wayside.
3. Speaking A Language Foreign to the Funder
The devil’s in the details. Environmental initiatives often come with intricate technical details that can overwhelm grant reviewers.
Solution: Translating your technical lingo into accessible, compelling language is our specialty. We distill the complexities of your project into clear, impactful narratives, backed by visual aids and data that make your case impossible to overlook.
By tackling these challenges head-on, Written Progress transforms obstacles into opportunities, giving your application the edge needed to succeed.
Current Priorities in Environmental Funding
Environmental funding is shifting to meet today’s most pressing challenges. Funders are focused on:
- Climate Resilience: Projects that address or minimize the impacts of floods, droughts, and extreme weather are gaining traction, from innovative flood mitigation systems to drought-resistant agriculture.
- Community-Led Conservation: Funders often set aside a portion of funds for underserved communities and tribal nations. They know that grassroots solutions often create the most sustainable outcomes.
- Carbon Sequestration: Grants targeting carbon removal methods—like reforestation or emerging capture technologies—are growing, with funders eager to support scalable approaches.
Expanding the Scope of Grants
Grants that champion the environment aren’t stuck in the past—they’re shifting gears, aiming at the big, messy challenges we’re all up against. Funders are stepping up their game too, seeking projects that bring fresh ideas and serious impact to the table. So, what’s catching their eye right now?
- Tech That Turns Heads: Satellite imagery for deforestation? Blockchain making carbon offsets legit? AI tracking wildlife? Funders are leaning into tech-driven solutions. They want projects that show you’re not just keeping up—you’re ahead of the curve.
- Justice Front and Center: Sustainability isn’t sustainable if it leaves people behind. Environmental justice is no longer a side note; it’s a headline. Funders are looking for plans that ensure underserved communities aren’t just included—they’re leading. Whether it’s bringing solar to low-income neighborhoods or addressing climate risks in at-risk areas, equity matters.
- Big Ideas That Scale: It’s not enough to fix one corner of the world. Funders are asking, “Can this grow?” They want to see the blueprint for taking a local success and making it a regional or even global model. Scaling up isn’t just smart—it’s essential.
This isn’t about throwing buzzwords into your application—it’s about showing you get what funders care about. And staying ahead of these trends isn’t optional; it’s your ticket to the table.
At Written Progress, we’re here to make sure your application doesn’t just check the boxes—it jumps off the page.
We help you take these funder priorities and turn them into a story they can’t ignore, highlighting the innovation, equity, and scalability in what you do. Because when the stakes are this high, playing it safe just won’t cut it.
Additional Grant Considerations
The Role of Partnerships
Teamwork makes the dream work. Collaboration is often a huge factor in winning grants for environmental projects. Funders want to see a diverse coalition of reputable, accomplished stakeholders working together, from universities providing technical expertise to local governments driving community engagement. Highlighting strong partnerships can significantly boost your application’s credibility.
Sustainability Beyond the Grant
Funders value projects with long-term viability. Demonstrate how your initiative will sustain itself after the grant period ends, whether through additional funding streams, community buy-in, or scalable solutions.
Integrating Equity and Inclusion
It’s worth mentioning again — funders increasingly prioritize projects that center equity and inclusion. We’ve seen otherwise excellent projects neglect community engagement, or try to check the box without actually letting the locals have a say in their initiative. Needless to say, that doesn’t cut it. Highlight how your project will engage underrepresented groups, build local capacity, and address the unique needs of vulnerable communities. Plan to use participatory action planning from the earliest stages of your work. An equity-focused approach aligns with many funders’ goals — and better yet, it enhances your project’s overall impact.
Major Environmental Grant Funders
The political environment in the U.S. has dramatically shifted away from prioritizing environmental and social goals, and we anticipate this will impact the availability of federal grants. However, private and family foundations, prize competitions, and state-level opportunities continue to offer robust funding for transformative environmental projects.
- National Science Foundation (NSF): While federal funding is expected to become more competitive, the NSF remains a key resource for research-driven environmental initiatives, offering grants from $50,000 to millions depending on the scope of the project.
- Earthshot Prize: This prestigious global award provides multi-million-dollar prizes to innovative projects that offer scalable solutions to the planet’s biggest environmental challenges.
- XPRIZE: With a focus on incentivizing breakthrough innovations, XPRIZE competitions award significant funding for transformative solutions in areas like carbon removal, biodiversity, and clean energy.
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund: A leader in supporting climate change mitigation, energy access, and ecosystem protection through grants aimed at systemic change and equity.
- Packard Foundation: Known for funding initiatives that address global climate challenges, marine conservation, and sustainable agriculture.
- Superfund Grants: These EPA-administered grants are aimed at cleaning up hazardous waste sites, with a strong focus on protecting human health and the environment.
- Local and State Grants: While federal funding may shrink, many states and municipalities offer grants for local climate resilience, renewable energy, and sustainability projects. These grants often target small-scale, community-based initiatives and are worth exploring.
Attention economy CEOs are quickly aligning with the new presidential administration, raising questions about whether their funds—traditionally strong supporters of climate and sustainability initiatives—might shift focus away from priorities that lack the administration’s backing. Notably, this includes:
- Bezos Earth Fund: They currently support large-scale projects tackling climate change and restoring biodiversity, offering substantial funding for innovative and scalable solutions.
- Zuckerberg-Chan Foundation: To date, this foundation has focused on creating a sustainable future and providing funding for environmental research, education, and community-driven initiatives.
Environmental Grant Metrics
Securing funding isn’t just about what your project aims to achieve—it’s also about how you measure success. Funders prioritize clear, quantifiable metrics to evaluate the impact of your initiative. These might include:
- Tons of Carbon Reduced: Demonstrating greenhouse gas reductions through renewable energy projects or reforestation efforts.
- Acres/ Hectares of Land Restored: Highlighting tangible outcomes for biodiversity and ecosystem restoration initiatives.
- Community Members Engaged: Showing the social impact of your project by detailing the number of participants, clients, or beneficiaries.
At Written Progress, we help clients define and estimate these metrics in ways that align with funder priorities and remain manageable to measure throughout the life of your project.
Whether through robust data visualization or translating complex technical data into accessible language, we showcase your work’s full potential.
How Written Progress Can Help
Securing funding for environmental challenges takes more than meeting basic guidelines. It demands a laser focus on what funders want to see in key areas of concern. Here at Written Progress, we tailor grant proposals to amplify the unique strengths of your project.
Climate Change Mitigation:
When tackling climate issues, we center on measurable impacts—like cutting emissions or boosting energy efficiency. We frame your work as both urgent and impactful, ensuring funders see how it aligns with global sustainability goals.
Biodiversity and Habitat Conservation:
For projects focused on preserving wildlife and ecosystems, our narratives highlight species recovery, ecological health improvements, and the power of community-led efforts. Funders want to see both measurable progress and collaboration.
Renewable Energy Initiatives:
Renewable energy projects demand clear metrics on scalability and innovation. Our approach shows how your initiative leads the charge in clean energy adoption while driving real environmental and economic benefits.
Water Resource Management and Conservation:
Water projects often face complex technical and social barriers. We make the case for your solutions by focusing on tangible improvements—cleaner water, better access for underserved communities, and the protection of aquatic ecosystems.
By homing in on these topics, we craft proposals that reflect the values of funders while showcasing the distinct potential of your project.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grants
Who Can Apply?
Such grants are open to a variety of applicants, including nonprofits, educational institutions, local governments, and private companies. Always review eligibility criteria to ensure alignment with funder requirements.
What Can Environmental Grants Fund?
Typical expenses covered include project implementation, equipment, labor, and sometimes operational costs. Funders will explicitly state if they are looking to support research, community outreach, piloting, scaling, and education initiatives.
Can Indirect Costs Like Operations and Marketing Be Funded?
Many grants allow for indirect costs, such as administrative overhead or marketing, but they often put a low cap on the percentage that can be allocated to these expenses. Most initiatives need other sources of funding to cover operational expenses. Check the funder’s guidelines for specifics and consider leveraging in-kind contributions to cover additional indirect costs.
Can I Use the Grant Winnings to Pay the Grant Writer?
Very few grants allow you to include the cost of professional grant writing services as part of the grant budget, and very few grant writers are willing to work on commission only — there’s plenty of other clients out there who are happy to pay them hourly or per-project.
I Have a Grant Due in a Few Weeks. Can You Help?
We may be able to assist with short deadlines depending on our availability and the extent to which you already have a clearly developed project plan and theory of change. Please plan a call with us so we can determine how we can support you.
How Long Does the Process Take?
Timelines vary widely. Government grants can take several months to a year for both the application and approval process, while private foundation grants often have shorter timelines. As a general rule, begin applying for grants at least one year before the funds are needed.
What if My Project Changes After Receiving the Grant?
Grant terms vary, but most funders require approval for significant changes to your project scope, budget, or timeline. Like any good relationship, open communication with the funder is essential to maintaining compliance and continuing your partnership.
Partner With Written Progress to Secure Environmental Funding
Securing environmental grants requires strategy, expertise, and persistence. At Written Progress, we provide the tools and support you need to navigate this complex process and achieve your funding goals. Ready to amplify your impact? Let’s collaborate.