In today’s grant writing environment, a successful proposal must match the needs of grant makers with the needs of grant seekers and vice versa. Essentially, there are two key strategies involved in developing successful proposals. First, there is the bringing together of well-matched grant seekers and grant makers; second, the crafting of meaningful proposals that will stand out from the scores of other applicants. Therefore, the starting point of any successful grant writing program is hard work and extensive research. While anyone can surf the internet and find a grant opportunity that looks attractive, professional grant writers build their proposals on well researched information about both the grant maker and the grant seeker and its programs.

Doing it yourself (DIY) or hiring professionals

There are pros and cons for both, largely depending on the amount and kind of resources that are available.

DIY approach requires a little money – a basic subscription to an online directory such as the Foundation Center costs $240 per annum, plus time and hard work. The majority of time is needed (and wisely invested) to sift through the potential grants, trusts and foundations (currently numbered at around 88,000 in the US alone), plus the thousands more government grants, found on various government web sites such as grants.gov.

Hiring a professional requires the money to cover their fees plus a little time to ensure you give them accurate, quality information on which to base grant research and proposals.

If funds permit, hiring a professional to do either all or part of the grant writing is probably the easiest, quickest and most effective option. Grant writing has become a highly competitive field, consequently market forces have ensured that most professionals have a similar range of services available at competitive prices.

With the time and commitment plus the necessary writing skills for a good proposal, then DIY Grant Writing is a very reasonable way to go. There are a host of resources available free on the internet at sites such as “Not Profit Guides” and in the end, a professional grant writer can be called in to help.

Many busy school and non profit boards and administrators lack the time to do it themselves but frustratingly, also lack the money to pay a professional to do it all for them. In these cases, most professionals will be willing to provide all or partial services. If your organization has some time and very limited money, investing in a professional to do the “grant maker” research and recommend potential matches and a little more money will pay for professional editing and feedback about the DIY proposal.

Grant Application & Securing Specialists

Grant Writers & Specialists

Grant Securing Specialists assist members to source untapped grants from a wide variety of sources. Some of these sources are researched and found in local states and not posted over the internet. Applying for “common knowledge grants” will often have greater competition. Grant securing specialists search for “not-well-publicized” grants and demonstrate the best way to successfully apply for these grants in writing.  This can potentially increase the chances of you receiving the grants you want. Read More >>>