Grant Writing
What is a grant writer?
Branches of government, private foundations, financial institutions, and other large companies are willing to give large amounts of money to organizations in need. This money is called a “grant.” Typically, nonprofit organizations like museums or human service providers rely on grants for funding, and they need the help of a grant writer to develop a proposal that asks for that money.
To be a successful grant writer, you need to know how to educate yourself on a niche topic or issue, synthesize a rationale and evidence, and make a clear and compelling argument for why an organization needs funding. In other words, an English or writing degree is great preparation. While an English degree is not an end-all be-all requirement, if you’re used to close reading, writing critical essay, and creative thinking, then you’ve already gained the experience needed to start writing grant proposals.
In March 2022, I was hired on as an administrative assistant by HomeAid Orange County, a nonprofit that assists in the development of housing projects for people experiencing homelessness. Knowing my skills in writing, my supervisors gradually gave me more and more assignments that had to do with technical writing. It was a natural fit as I transferred skills that I obtained with my English degree. Mainly, I learned new information, mostly by reading, and then restated it with the intention to win over a new audience. The key difference is that this new audience is judging whether to give money to the organization I represent.
Grant writing is a rewarding occupation for a writer because it gives you the chance to use your skills to directly help a cause. Depending on where you work, in 2022, a grant writer like me is making $60,000–$90,000 a year. This work can set you up to make a steady income while you pursue your own creative writing on the side.
Who’s hiring grant writers?
There are many nonprofits in need of volunteer grant writers, so if you would like to see if it’s right for you, there are plenty of opportunities for you to volunteer.
Almost every labor sector can benefit from someone who knows how to produce writing that is clear and persuasive. Companies may have in-house grant writers or, often, may hire freelance grant writers as consultants.
In the nonprofit world, grant writers are in high demand. There are several benefits from working in a nonprofit, and one of those is the sheer breadth of experience you can gain. In the less than one year that I worked for HomeAid, I’ve been given the chance to learn not only about technical writing, but also about event planning, property management, and finance.
All these skills are highly transferable to different fields in multiple industries. In other words, with grant writing, you are choosing a skill area, not a subject area.
What does a grant writer do?
Because grant writing is an essential position for many businesses, there are plenty of tutorials, how-to books, and even educational courses you can take to learn more about how to write a successful grant.
In general, grant writing begins with finding a grant that fits a particular organization’s needs. You need to have close reading skills to understand what the grant-making foundation is willing to fund. For instance, some foundations will only fund certain types of programs in the arts, which will not be a good fit if you are looking to fund an after-school recreation program.
Reading comprehension also becomes important when it comes to writing the grant itself. Generally, grant guidelines will appear as or with an application that needs to be filled out. You need to read and understand each question thoroughly and provide a thorough answer. The language of the answer should match the language of the question and follow the length restrictions. For example, if a question says, “Summarize your Organization’s Impact on our Community,” you might start by writing, “X Organization has impacted the community by Y.”
As you expand answers, it’s important that you are clear and concise. Grant writing is persuasive writing, so you must make solid claims and use appropriate evidence to back up your arguments. To stand out from other writers, it’s also important you write with passion. Anybody can describe the needs of an organization with facts and figures, but to grab the reader’s attention, you must use an appropriate amount of emotional appeal. The best thing to do is find balance between fact and emotion.
Also, it’s crucial to be detail-oriented. While filling out a grant application, you might be asked to add supplemental materials like your organization’s budget, a list of staff and board members, or testimonies from the clients you serve. It is your job to make sure that all the correct information is provided. Each grant maker gets hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants asking for money, so they will look for any reason to remove yours from consideration. If you make a typo or there are inconsistencies, yours might be immediately declined.
The work environment of a grant writer varies widely. Some freelancers work from home with individual clients, while others report to a director at a single employer. If the latter is the case, the director will likely review drafts. Either way, it’s important to accept stakeholder feedback that can improve the writing in the grant. If you don’t have a director to whom you report, then pass the draft to someone else in the organization who’s a sharp reader and writer. Working as a grant writer requires teamwork as you pull from all the resources you can to make sure your writing is as effective as possible, giving the organization the best possibility for funding.
Sticking with it
After you submit a grant, it’s important you keep track of what has been submitted and what other programs you might submit to by reorganizing the same work toward other opportunities. Some offices will want you to keep a tracker for grant proposals you submit. Even when working as a freelance writer, it’s important to take note of how many grant proposals you’ve submitted and how many of those were rejected/accepted. Organization and accountability are important skills to develop over the long term.
If you are a creative writer, you are probably used to the process of submitting a piece of writing and having it rejected. That’s also what happens as a grant writer. Many programs will want to fund your program, but they have to say no due to the sheer number of applicants. So, just as with your stories or poems, you should approach submitting grants with optimism and patience. Some foundations will not fund your organization until after you’ve submitted grants over a period of several years. If you truly believe in what you are writing for and if you put a lot of effort into making sure each application is as good as it can be, that puts you ahead of the game in the long run.
Grant writing is high-demand field for skilled writers. People who have studied English, writing, or communication have these skills—reading comprehension, clear writing, organization, patience, and more. If this might be a good fit for you, I recommend that you either seek out a volunteer opportunity or short-term internship to test it out or register for a freelance grant-writing webinar. If you find it rewarding, the jobs are likely around the corner.
Content by Sinclair Adams