Proposal Writing:
A Resource List

Bibliography

Browning, Beverly. Perfect Phrases for Writing Grant Proposals. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2008.

The guide provides sample phrases to help proposal writers select the right wording to describe their organizations or projects. Call Number: 770 BRO PER

Carlson, Mim; O'Neal-McElrath, Tori. Winning Grants Step by Step. 3rd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2008.

Contains instructions to help with proposal development for foundation and corporate funding. Provides a number of sample documents and worksheets. Call Number: 770 CAR

Clarke, Cheryl A. Storytelling for Grantseekers: The Guide to Creative Nonprofit Fundraising. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2009.

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 sample budgets, as well as information on packaging the proposal. Call Number: 770 CLA

Clarke, Cheryl A.; Fox, Susan P. Grant Proposal Makeover: Transform Your Request From No to Yes. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2009.

Provides advice on the finer points of proposal writing, and includes many sample documents. Call Number: 770 CLA FOX

Collins, Sarah (ed.). The Foundation Center's Guide to Winning Proposals. New York, NY: The Foundation Center, 2007.

The book reprints in their original form 20 proposals and four letters of inquiry that succeeded in securing foundation support. Each proposal is accompanied by commentary by the funder who awarded the grant and proposal writing advice. Call Number: 780 FC WIN

Geever, Jane C. The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing. 6th ed. New York, NY: Foundation Center, 2012.

Guides from pre-proposal planning to post-grant follow-up. Incorporates excerpts from actual grant proposals and interviews with foundation and corporate grantmakers about what they look for in a proposal. Includes chapters on researching, contacting, and cultivating potential funders, as well as a sample proposal and a selected bibliography on proposal development. New chapters cover online applications, grantmaker proposal reviews (due diligence), and meetings with funders. Call Number: 770 GEE PRO

Geever, Jane C.; Sanusian, Silvia R. (trans.). Guia para escribir propuestas [in Spanish]. New York, NY: Foundation Center, 2008.

Spanish translation of The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing (above). Call Number: 770 GEE GUI

Johnson, Victoria M. Grant Writing 101: Everything You Need to Start Raising Funds Today. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

The author provides no-frills grant writing essentials and tricks. Chapters cover choosing the correct type of grant, preparation, researching funders, the waiting process, and handling acceptances and rejections. Includes a grant deadlines matrix template as well as sample letters, proposals (short, medium, and long) and budgets. With bibliographical references and index. Call Number: 770 JOH

Margolin, Judith B. (ed.); Lubin, Gail T. (ed.) The Foundation Center's Guide to Winning Proposals II. New York, NY: Foundation Center, 2005.

Guides from pre-proposal planning to post-grant follow-up. Incorporates excerpts from actual grant proposals and interviews with foundation and corporate grantmakers about what they look for in a proposal. Includes chapters on researching, contacting, and cultivating potential funders, as well as a sample proposal and a selected bibliography on proposal development. Call Number: 770 GEE PRO

Margolin, Judith B. (ed.); DiMaio, Elan K. (ed.) The Grantseeker's Guide to Winning Proposals. New York, NY: Foundation Center, 2008.

The third volume in the Foundation Center's Guide to Winning Proposals series includes 35 funded proposals in a variety of formats. Each proposal includes commentary from the grantmaker who approved the request, providing insight into how foundation executives evaluate proposals. The book reprints proposals for a range of requests including special projects, general operating support, program development, capacity building, evaluation, and staffing/salaries. In addition, there are separate chapters with examples of budgets and cover letters. Call Number: 780 FC WIN 2008

Miner, Jeremy T.; Miner, Lynn E.; Griffith, Jerry. Collaborative Grantseeking: A Guide to Designing Projects, Leading Partners, and Persuading Sponsors. Santa Barbara, CA: Greenwood, 2011.

This book delves into the humanistic aspects of designing and leading successful collaborative projects, and gives detailed advice on writing persuasive proposals to fund them. Chapters cover the types of collaboration, generating ideas for collaborative grants, program evaluation, and handling difficult people and situations. Provides analyses of four successful collaborative grant proposals responding to RFPs issued by corporate foundations and government funders. With bibliographical references and index. Call Number: 716 MIN

Miner, Lynn E.; Miner, Jeremy T. Proposal Planning and Writing. 4th ed. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2008.

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. Call Number: 770 MIN

New, Cheryl Carter; Quick James Aaron. How to Write a Grant Proposal. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003.

New and Quick include the key elements of standard proposal formats, including the executive summary, need statement, project description, evaluation, and budget. Each chapter contains examples and checklists. Call Number: 770 NEW

Payne, Mary Ann. Grant Writing Demystified. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2011.

This handbook provides step-by-step instructions to guide you through the proposal writing process. Discusses project definition and program design, budgeting, ethical issues, foundation fundraising, government grants, corporate and individual gifts, RFPs, submitting your proposal, and the follow up. Includes numerous activities to reinforce skills, worksheets, a glossary, and a list of Web resources. Call Number: 770 PAY

Robinson, Andy. Grassroots Grants: An Activist's Guide to Grantseeking. 2nd ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2004.

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. Call Number: 770 ROB

Teitel, Martin. "Thank You for Submitting Your Proposal": A Foundation Director Reveals What Happens Next. Medfield, MA: Emerson & Church, 2006.

Provides advice to grantseekers about proposal fundamentals, the use of letters of inquiry, site visits, communications with funders, and the reality of board decision-making. Call Number: 770 TEI

Internet Resources

Knowledge Base Articles

The Knowledge Base section in the "Tools" section of the Grantspace web site addresses a broad spectrum of questions about the nonprofit sector and the grantseeking process. Start with the article on Proposal Writing which includes resources for finding sample proposals.

Foundation Center's Links to Common Grant Applications

Nonprofit Guides

Presents sample proposals, a proposal cover letter, cover sheet, letter of inquiry and budget, and other useful items.

Proposal Writing Short Course

The Foundation Center's Proposal Writing Short Course is a free two-part course covering the basic components of a proposal and important elements such as budget and expenses, administration and the research process involved.

Spanish-Language Proposal Writing Short Course

Innonet (Innovation Network)

Step-by-step online help with program planning and evaluation. A simple, free registration process must be completed in order to use the site. A unique tool called the "Point K Learning Center" allows one to build a blueprint for designing, evaluating, and implementing a successful program.