Practical Grant Writing with Mentor

Course Name

Practical Grant Writing with Mentor

Contact Hours: 24 (an estimated time frame devoted to a course of study from start to finish that can vary from student to student)

Course Description

What is commonly known as grant writing is in fact a process that also includes research, planning, and collaboration. This course is a step-by-step guide to understanding the essentials of that process. Participants will develop the skills necessary to identify potential funders, gather organizational information, create a budget, write a proposal, and develop a complete package for a grant submission. By the end of the course, participants will have had the opportunity to create a submission-ready package. If students do not have a real grant to work on, they can create a mock application based on a standard format.

A brief text is required. In addition, web links to relevant information will be provided.

To keep the cost of this course low, interaction will be limited. One hour of mentoring is included in the price. The mentor’s role is to advise and coach you as you move through the lessons. Additional mentoring may be purchased for $15/hour. If you would prefer more input throughout the course, please consider taking Practical Grant Writing II with Instructor instead.

Outcome

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Conduct a needs assessment to clarify your organizations funding needs
• Do research on potential funders
• Determine which funders are good prospects for your subject area
• Identify community partners
• Understand the parts of a grant application
• Analyze a funder requirements
• Create a realistic timeline for completing your submission
• Draft the parts of your proposal
• Create a budget for your grant
• Pull the parts together into a cohesive, professional package

Assessment

Your progress will be assessed based on the written package you produce.

Outline

Chapter One

Grant-Getting Overview: The Writing is the Easy Part

• Needs Assessment: Why do we need the money? What do we intend to do with it?
• Funder Research: Who funds this sort of thing? Might they fund our project?
• Collaboration: Who are our natural partners? How can we work together to maximize resources and minimize duplication of efforts?

Chapter Two

The Proposal and its Parts: Analyzing a Funder’s Requirements

• Preliminary Letters (Intent and Inquiry)
• Organizational Background
• Project Summary
• Statement of Need
• Expected Outcomes
• Plan of Action
• Evaluation Strategy
• Budget
• Sustainability Plan
• Support Letters and Memoranda of Understanding
• Organizational Documents

Chapter Three

Planning and Preparing: Things to Consider Before You Begin to Write

• Creating timelines and addressing deadlines
• Engaging the people who will carry out the project
• Doing the research
• Determining project costs and creating a budget

Chapter Four

Finally, the Writing!: Drafting the Proposal Parts

• Organizational Background
• Project Summary
• Statement of Need
• Expected Outcomes
• Plan of Action
• Evaluation Strategy
• Sustainability Plan

Chapter Five

Pulling it All Together: Perfecting and Packaging

• Reviewing funder requirements
• Filling out forms
• Getting input
• Editing and proofreading
• Finalizing the budget

Chapter Six

Completing the Process: Submission and Follow-Up

• Electronic submissions
• Hard copies
• Answering funder questions
• Rewrites and resubmissions
• What next?

Books