MTGA Trails Toolkit

Fifteen innovative tips on grantwriting.

Grant writing for all its mystique, is essentially a form of communication. As in all good communication, the grant writer needs to know whom to connect with, what must be accomplished in the process and what to include to support the objective with the identified audience.

Writing grants, like any kind of writing, recalls the old saw about “10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.” While there is an element of strategy, writing successful grants generally depends more on meticulously following the grantors’ instructions and analyzing their true desires. Whether you are applying for funding of construction, training, advocacy efforts, or volunteer support, you will find that most grant programs have significant aspects in common. Here is a checklist with important questions to ask when writing applications for grants

Many “how-to” guides focus on the mechanics of grantwriting. If you’re not sure about your writing skills, by all means take a good class. But generally it’s not that hard to write a good proposal—assuming you have a strong program to back it up. The core elements are usually the same: a summary (or abstract), statement of need, goals and objectives (keep them specific, attainable and measureable!), strategies (or methods), evaluation, bios/background and budget.