Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Getting Started as a Grant Writer 1
Where Do Grant Writers Come From? 3
A Variety of Backgrounds 3
A Highly Transferable Skill Set 4
Who is this Book Intended to Help? 6
Jobseekers with Good Writing Skills 7
Experts Who Lack Writing Experience 7
Educators Interested in Career Advancement 8
Individual Grant Seekers 9
Where Are Grant-Writing Positions Found? 9
Colleges and Universities 10
Hospitals and Clinics 13
Sponsored Research Offices 14
The Nonprofit World 15
Local Government and Tribal Entities 16
Chapter 2 Finding and Securing a Grant-Writing Position 23
Searching for a Position 24
Online Search Engines 26
Developing Online Search Methods 29
Sites Oriented to the Nonprofit World 30
The Chronicle of Philanthropy (philanthropy.com) 31
The Chronicle of Higher Education (chronicle.com) 34
Idealist.org 34
Association of Fundraising Professionals (afpnet.org) 35
HigherEdJobs.com 36
Foundation Center 38
Create a Favorites Folder for Job Search Links 41
Networking 42
Applying for a Position 43
Communicating with Your References 45
Making a Good Impression 45
Crafting a Resume 45
Writing Your Cover Letter 47
Preparing for Interviews 48
Interview Formats 48
Writing Samples 50
90-Day Checklist for Finding and Securing a Grant-Writing Position 51
Chapter 3 Expertise 53
Knowledge of Your Subject Area 55
Knowledge of Your Organization and Its Needs 56
Sources of Institutional Knowledge 56
Long-Range Planning Processes 57
Public or Media Relations Information 58
Identifying Needs 60
Restricted and Unrestricted Support 61
New Program and New Project Support 62
90-Day Checklist for DevelopingExpertise 63
Chapter 4 Research 65
What Is Grants Research? 68
Internal Research 69
Research on Past Support (Quantifiable Data) 69
Research on Relationships (Qualitative Data) 71
Researching the Competition 72
Researching Foundation Support 73
Foundations and the Public Good 73
Building Background Knowledge about Foundations 74
Categorizing Foundations 75
National Foundations 76
Regional and Local Foundations 76
Family Foundations 77
Community Foundations 78
Non-Grant-Making Foundations 79
Finding IRS Form 990-PF 80
Using the 990 Finder 80
Analyzing IRS Form 990-PF 83
Foundation Publications 90
Researching Corporate Support 93
The Culture of Corporate Philanthropy 93
Understanding Corporate Philanthropy and Grant Making 94
Building Your Knowledge about Corporations 95
Identifying Corporations for Research 96
Researching Corporate Foundations 98
Researching Corporate Giving Programs 99
Grant-Seeking Resources 100
Conferences and Workshops 101
Managing Grants Research 102
Developing Grants Research Priorities 103
Managing Grant Opportunity Files 103
Using Spreadsheets and Databases to Manage Research into Grant Opportunities 104
Presenting Grants Research Internally 105
Developing Internal Reports 105
Your 90-Day Grants Research Checklist 107
Chapter 5 Managing Relationships 109
Relationships with Colleagues 110
Getting Off to a Good Start 111
Outreach Beyond Your Immediate Circle 112
Relationships with Grant Makers 114
Cultivation Strategies 115
Do Your Research First 117
Communicating by Letter, Phone, and Email 117
Making Personal Visits 119
Coordinating Visits for Others 120
Documenting Contacts with Grant Makers 122
Hosting Grant Makers 124
Managing Team-Driven Proposals 124
Developing a Mentoring Plan 126
Your 90-Day Checklist for Managing Relationships 127
Chapter 6 Writing 129
Words 130
Sentences 133
Paragraphs 136
The Writing Process 137
Brainstorming 138
Organizing 140
Drafting 140
Editing 141
Proofreading 142
Peer Review 143
Writing Purposes 144
Writing to Inform 144
Writing to Persuade 145
Connecting with Your Audience 145
Who Will Read Your Grant Proposal? 146
References 146
Your 90-Day Writing Skills Checklist 148
Chapter 7 Organizing Information 151
Organizing Information to Make a Case 152
Developing a Proposal Outline 152
Thinking in Sections 153
Introductory and Summary Sections 155
Executive Summary 155
Abstract 156
Background 158
The Body of the Proposal 159
Statement of Need 159
Project Description 159
Goals and Objectives 160
Project Narrative or Implementation 161
Dissemination Plan 161
Sustainability 163
Replication 165
Evaluation 167
Budgetary Information 168
Appendices and Attachments 169
Organizing the Submission Process 172
Pre-Proposal Stage Clearance 173
Clearing Submissions Internally 175
Developing a Proposal Submission Calendar 175
Outlining the Proposal Submission Process 176
90-Day Proposal Organization Checklist 177
Chapter 8 Queries and Short Proposals 179
Query Letters 180
Determining the Author and Recipient 182
Elements of a Query Letter 183
Potential Next Steps 183
Other Letters Seeking Support 185
Cover Letters 185
One-Page Letter Proposal 187
Concept Papers 190
When and When Not to Use a Concept Paper 190
90-Day Checklist for Writing Queries, Letters, and Concept Papers 193
Chapter 9 Proposals for Projects, Programs, or Bricks and Mortar 195
Proposals for Projects or Programs 196
Every Proposal Has a Story 196
Project Proposal Scenario: Human Services Staff Development 197
Cultivating a Grant Opportunity 197
Outlining and Drafting the Proposal 198
Project Proposal Scenario: Education Program Development 203
A Need for External Funding 204
Cultivating an Opportunity for a Proposal 204
Project Proposal Scenario: Library 210
Matching Need with Grant Opportunity 211
Drafting and Sending the Proposal 212
Bricks and Mortar Proposals 218
Bricks and Mortar Proposal Scenario: Renovation of an Athletic Training Facility 225
A New Proposal Opportunity 225
Outlining Your Proposal 226
From First Draft to Final Draft 227
Bricks and Mortar Proposal Scenario: Renovation of the College Union 231
Cultivating a Grant Opportunity 231
Outlining Your Proposal 232
From First Draft to Final Draft 233
Chapter 10 Proposals for Endowment Support 241
Proposals for Endowment Support 242
What is Endowment? 243
Learning about Your Organization's Endowment 246
Endowment Proposal Scenario: Endowed Lecture Series 247
Cultivating a Grant Opportunity 247
Outlining and Drafting Your Proposal 249
Endowment Proposal Scenario: Endowed Chair 255
An Opportunity Arises for an Endowment Proposal 256
From Opportunity to Outline 257
From Outline to Proposal 258
Finishing a Final Draft 260
Chapter 11 Federal Grants 265
An Introduction to the World of Federal Grants and Cooperative Agreements 268
Finding a Federal Grant 268
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 269
Agency Program Announcements 270
Federal Register 270
Know Your Regulations 271
Cost Principles 271
Administrative Requirements 275
Building the Application 278
Federal Grants Accountability 280
Preparing for a Successful Audit 281
Maintenance of Records 283
Your 90-Day Checklist for Federal Grants 283
Chapter 12 Managing Grant Awards 285
Managing Successful Proposals 286
Acknowledgement Letters 286
Managing Rejection Among Colleagues, Staff, and Volunteers 287
Publicizing Grant Awards 289
Working with Public Information Staff 289
Writing and Distributing Press Releases 290
Internal Releases on Grant Awards 291
Managing Grant Reports 293
Tracking Reports 295
Project Implementation 295
Using Interim Reports for Cultivation 297
Preparing Final Reports 299
Reporting for Challenge Grants 300
Your 90-Day Checklist for Managing Grant Awards 303
Chapter 13 Tracking Your Successes 305
CRM and xRM 306
What is Microsoft Dynamics CRM? 308
Why Would a Grant Writer Use CRM? 308
What Can a Grant Writer Do with Microsoft Dynamics CRM? 308
How Can Microsoft Dynamics CRM Be Used to Document Productivity? 311
Index 317
