4 things standing between you and a submitted grant that have nothing to do with writing: A program stat you haven't received yet, a budget that isn't finalized, a board list that's out of date, a colleague who's out of office...
Grant writing is step 5 of 7 in the grants management process — and by the time you sit down to write the grant, the hard part should mostly be done. (Grab the 7 Essential components of grants management)
You may have already done this in your Grant Research step (you can use Grant Frog for grant research and management), but start by reviewing those guidelines, the deadline, and the application itself again.
The guidelines remind you why your organization is a fit for the funder's grant. The deadline gives you a specific timeline for completing the grant. The grant application provides you with the questions you'll need to answer and the documents you'll need to submit.
2 - Collaborate internally
Once you've reviewed the application, you know what you information you need to start gathering from Programs and Finance. This could include updated program statistics and demographics, a budget for the project, or the new board member's information.
Start requesting this information early and before writing to ensure there are no last-minute requests right before the deadline.
Now, we get to the meat 🥩 and potatoes 🥔- writing the grant proposal and completing the application! You determine what you want the Grant funds to support and the Amount you want to request.
Some common grant request questions include the mission and history of the organization, qualifications, program overview and details, who you serve, what success looks like, goals, etc. This is where the Grant Content Library really comes in handy.
Not sure where to start? The free grant executive summary generator can help you draft one of the most common application sections. Some applications also require a cover letter — here's how to write a grant cover letter that stands out.
4 - Final review of the Grant Application
You’ve done all the hard work - gathered all the vital organization information, program data, budgets, and added it to the grant application. Now it’s time to give it a full final review.
Most grant portals allow you to download the entire application. You might even want to print it or have a colleague look over to ensure you don’t miss anything. ✓ Grant Amount ✓ Program requested ✓ How you’ll be successful - looks good!
5 - Submit the Grant Request
It's the most exciting AND nerve-wracking part of the process - hitting that Submit button! If you've followed the first few steps and the 7 steps of the grants management process, you're ready to go.
If you've done your research, collaborated internally, written the grant, and done a final review, you've got this!
Once you've submitted, your next responsibility will be grant reporting — it's worth planning for that now so you're not scrambling later.
___ To manage all of your grants, find foundations, and work with your team, get a free demo of Grant Frog, grants management software for organizations.
Hannah is the Founder and CEO of Grant Frog. She's a seasoned fundraiser and grants director with 15+ years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She has helped nonprofits secure millions in funding. She leads Grant Frog with a mission to simplify how organizations and grant professionals find new funders and track their grants process.
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Find Grants, track your grant deadlines, and work with your team with Grant Frog
Grant Frog is grants management software helping organizations find grants, track their grant deadlines, and work together with their team in one place.
