There are three cardinal rules to grant writing:

1. Provide all that is asked for, exactly as it is asked for.

2. Make the grant narrative as straight-forward as possible, then clarify and simplify it.

3. Submit the grant by the deadline.

There is no guarantee that a non-profit following these three rules will receive grant funding, but the odds of getting money without heeding the rules is abysmally low.

Do what is asked of you.
The most basic implication of the rule is overlooked all too often: write a grant in the area of interest to the grantor. Applicants just waste everyone’s time when they submit, say, an art grant to an educational organization.

Doing as asked also means addressing every issue requested in the grant guidelines, providing the right number of copies of the grant proposals, and adhering to deadlines. After all, if the person applying for a grant cannot follow directions, why should a potential grantor trust that person, and his or her organization, with money?

Sometimes the minute details that grant applications call for can be frustrating. But often, the legwork required to fill out a grant not only makes for better grant writing, but also for a stronger program. For instance, a grant writer must often include how a program will be evaluated or what the plans are for sustaining it after the grant monies are gone. Not only will providing this information, if requested, help the grant, knowing the answers will also increase the effectiveness of the program.

Write simply and clearly.
A grant writer must make a clear and compelling case for the proposed project. This is achieved by clearly outlining:

•What the grant monies will be used for
•Why (what the need is)
•How (which may include when and by whom, if requested in the grant guidelines)
A grant writer should seem knowledgeable and experienced without drowning the grant reader with minute or repetitive information. If the grant narrative confuses or bores someone familiar with the project, imagine what a stranger will think. Before submitting a grant application, have one or two people unfamiliar with your program read through the proposal. Everyone who reads the grant narrative needs to understand what the proposal is about and why.

Submit the grant.
The third rule may seem like the most obvious one, but in reality, it is often overlooked. This is a shame, because it is the most important grant writing rule. Yes, on occasion people and organizations have a pile of money fall on their lap, but that is only because they have track records that speak for themselves. Everyone else should write grant applications not only because they won’t get money otherwise, but because very often they will get funded for their efforts.

Countless people talk themselves out of writing grants because they haven’t done it before, it seems too hard, it takes too long, and the payoff is uncertain. The reality, though, is that while there are a few granting organizations out there that are overwhelmed by the number of applications they receive, many lesser known grantors will often at least partially fund any worthwhile project they see.


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