Tips for Putting the Right Words in a Grant Proposal

Grant writing is about presenting a compelling case for why a particular foundation should help fund your nonprofit’s mission. Creating that case requires an understanding of the funding requirements, a clear purpose that matches those requirements and the right words.

Dr. John Porter, executive director of the American Grant Writers’ Association, says the first thing an organization should do when it’s interested in getting funded by a foundation is find out if and when the foundation is going to have an information meeting in which it will discuss what it’s looking for in potential grantees and the purpose of the grant. These meetings are helpful because they can clue nonprofit grant writers in to the type of language to use in the grant.