How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal

A grant proposal for your non-profit must clearly define a specific problem you have identified in your community or an area of interest. It must describe a plan that will address the problem. And then your grant proposal must detail the plan in detail for the funding body.

Step 1: Identify the Problem

For your grant proposal to receive funding, the funding body must be thoroughly convinced that your plan, if funded, will have a positive, constructive and measurable effect on your community.
Involve All Stakeholders to identify a need. A funding body will look for a clear and concise description of the problem or situation that satisfies most of the stakeholders. Don’t forget to add in the possible cause or causes of the problem with details on how that will be addressed.

Step 2: What You Hope to Achieve

Now that you have identified the problem and its causes, you will need to focus on the solution or a desired outcome. Involve all your stakeholders and develop a consensus on your primary outcomes. These outcomes need to be realistic and achievable. You also need to know how you will measure and record the outcomes.

Step 3: Design Your Plan

The next step in preparing your plan is to determine your best path to get there. So, how do you decide? The first step is to talk to experts. Then look at what other organisations have done to address similar problems. Then do an internet search. Have you missed a solution?
Your completed plan should be a clear description of how you intend to achieve your desired outcomes, a timeline and a detailed workplan.

Step 4: Locate Funding Sources

Now that you have agreed on a solution and plan design, you will need to find the resources. This includes the people, any equipment, and, of course, the money to get your plan done. Locating an appropriate grant, requires time and careful planning. Funding bodies can have a lengthy process for reviewing all grant proposals.
www.grants.gov, the government’s central source for locating, reviewing and applying for grants from 26 federal grant-making agencies.

Step 5: Write Your Proposal

Once you have a written description of your plan and found suitable grants, it is time to write your grant proposals. Tailor every grant proposal to the individual funding body. If the funding body has requested a preferred style and format, use it. Study any previously winning grant proposals. Use them as templates for how to build your grant proposal. Ensure you follow every instruction.
If there is a five-page limit, stick to five pages. If there is a twenty-page limit, stick to twenty pages.
Use a checklist to make sure you have addressed the criteria and that your grant proposal is complete. Take your time to edit your grant proposal carefully. Small mistakes may have large consequences, such as rejection. And DO NOT miss the deadlines.

Consider Hiring a Professional Writer

Many organisations chose to hire a professional grant writer. The advantage with this is that the grant writer can invest more time to the proposal, which you might not have. Red Tape busters has a team of professional and experienced grant writers ready to help. Red Tape Busters has grant writers local to your area, with grant writer Melbourne, grant writer Brisbane and everywhere else across Australia, they are waiting for your call.