How can I learn about proposal writing?

Proposal writing is just one step in the grantseeking process. To quote Jane Geever, author of The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing, "The proposal does not stand alone. It must be part of a process of planning and of research on, outreach to, and cultivation of potential foundation and corporate donors." Far more time should be spent developing the program or project and researching and cultivating donors than on the actual preparation of a proposal.

Electronic Resources for Proposal Writing:

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Short Course is a free online course covering the basic components of a proposal, as well as the research process involved in writing a proposal. (Also available in Spanish, French, Chinese, and Russian.)

• Proposal Budgeting Basics, a free online tutorial offered by the Foundation Center, covers the basics of developing a project budget—an important component of the grant proposal. The course covers issues such as overhead costs, employee fringe benefits, and provides links to sample budget templates.

• Elements of a Grant Proposal comes from The Center for Nonprofit Management in Los Angeles.

• Grantproposal.com is devoted to providing free resources for both advanced grantwriting consultants and inexperienced nonprofit staff.

• Proposal Writing & Research Development Links is an excellent source provided by the Office of Research Affairs of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus.

• Non-Profit Guides Sample Grant Applications provides links to sample proposals, a letter of inquiry, cover letter, cover sheet, budget, and other items.

• A Guide to Proposal Planning and Writing provides guidelines and tips on planning and writing a grant proposal written by Jeremy T. and Lynn E. Miner.

• The Minnesota Council on Foundations has extensive information on Writing a Successful Grant Proposal.

• The Foundation Center's FAQs on Proposal Writing includes links to examples of "already-written" proposals and proposal templates.

Print Resources for Proposal Writing:

• Geever, Jane C. The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing. 4th ed. New York, NY: The Foundation Center, 2004. An in-depth treatment from pre-proposal planning to post-grant follow-up, which contains excerpts from grant proposals and interviews with foundation and corporate grantmakers about what they look for in a proposal. A sample proposal is included. Also available in Spanish (Guía para escribir propuestas)

• The Foundation Center's Guide to Winning Proposals. Includes actual cover letters, letters of inquiry, budgets, and vital supplementary documents needed to develop a complete proposal. Features grant proposals that have been funded by some of today’s most influential grantmakers. Each proposal – reprinted in its entirety – includes commentary by the program officer, executive director, or other funding decision maker who awarded that grant. Proposals are included from large and small, local and national organizations, and for many different support purposes, including basic budgetary support, special projects, construction, staff positions, and more.

• Barbato, Joseph and Danielle S. Writing for a Good Cause: The Complete Guide to Crafting Proposals and Other Persuasive Pieces for Nonprofits. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2000. Practical advice about the art and craft of writing related to fundraising proposals, as well as case statements, newsletters, and other communications devices used by a typical development office.

• Browning, Beverly A. Grant Writing for Educators: Practical Strategies for Teachers, Administrators, and Staff. Bloomington, IN: National Educational Service. 2005. An introductory primer on creating proposals that are suitable for government and private funders.

• Carlson, Mim. Winning Grants Step by Step: The Complete Workbook for Planning, Developing and Writing Successful Proposals. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2002. Includes information on how to research funders, write a letter of intent and evaluate a proposal from a funder's point of view.

• Clarke, Cheryl A. Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2001. Clarke puts forward the notion that proposals share much with great stories: characters, setting, and plot. She shows proposal writers how to craft documents that include elements of drama. The book also covers the research process and cultivation. Includes a sample letter of inquiry and a sample budget, as well as information on packaging the proposal.

• Frost, Gordon Jay, ed. Winning Grant Proposals: Eleven Successful Appeals by American Nonprofits to Corporations, Foundations, Individuals, and Government Agencies. Rockville, MD: Fund Raising Institute, 1993. A group of funded proposals with amounts ranging from $5,000 to $1 million dollars.

• Miner, Lynn E. and Terry Griffith. Proposal Planning and Writing. 3rd ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2003. Covers the proposal development process focusing primarily on protocols for federal government grants, but also covering the standard elements of proposals to private foundations and corporate funding sources. Presents many examples taken from successful proposals.

• Robinson, Andy. Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Grantseeking. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2004. Robinson presents a pragmatic look at how foundations function and how grantseeking fits in with an overall fundraising strategy for grassroots activists. Step-by-step guidance on how to achieve success is provided, and several sample proposals are included.

For other books and articles on proposal writing, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subject "Proposal development--handbooks, manuals, etc.".

Many of the books and articles found through CNL can be located in Center Libraries and Cooperating Collections. It is best to call ahead to verify a specific library's holdings. All articles, but not books, can be obtained through interlibrary loan at your local Cooperating Collection.

Foundation Center Training:

— Free One-Hour Classes

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Basics. Designed for new proposal writers representing nonprofit organizations, this free introductory one-hour overview instructs participants in the key components of a proposal to a foundation or corporation and responds to the questions first-timers often have about the process of applying for a grant.

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Basics in Spanish: Principios de la escritura de propuestas is a Spanish-language version of our popular Proposal Writing Basics class.

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Budgeting Basics. This one-hour class covers the essentials of budget preparation as part of a basic grant proposal, including compiling both financial elements and the budget narrative. Many grantmakers today consider the budget to be one of the most important pieces of the proposal package, and it is often the one they look at first.

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Seminar. The Center offers fee-based full-day proposal writing seminars in many cities across the United States. These in-depth courses are designed to help the novice nonprofit grantseeker gain the experience needed to secure grants from foundations and corporate sources.

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Seminar II: Tailoring Your Proposals to Maximize Success. This full-day course will demystify the process of shaping your master proposal to meet the funder's interests, thereby capturing their attention—and increasing your potential to get funds.

• The Foundation Center's Proposal Budgeting Workshop. The Center offers fee-based full-day proposal budgeting workshops in many cities across the United States. These in-depth workshops are designed for beginners or fundraisers with limited budgeting experience, our workshop will show you how to think strategically about the presentation of your organization's budgets.

• The Association of Fundraising Professionals' (AFP) Education & Career Development page lists professional advancement programs and courses.

• The Grantsmanship Center offers a number of trainings for organizational planning and funding.

• Indiana University Center on Philanthropy: The Fund Raising School was established in 1987 and is the largest and most comprehensive academic center focused on philanthropy and nonprofit management.

For additional information on classes and training in proposal writing in your region, see the "Events" area of the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Web site.

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