Grant Writing for Congregations
Quick Tips
Writing a grant proposal doesn’t have to be difficult if you do your homework. Here are some suggestions gleaned from my own and others grant writing efforts.
- Spend time in discernment and prayer as a faith community or group. Having a sense of what direction God is calling you to do.
- Know your project/program. It is better to spend some time making sure you have a solid and well planned project/program before applying for a grant.
- Network and then Network more. The more people you have supporting the project, financially or other ways, the more the project will be better defined. Share the story of your project over and over again. Be prepared to answer questions and to listen to recommendations and suggestions.
- Have the support of your session or oversight board prior to applying for grants.
- Research for the appropriate grants. Don’t forget to check the denomination’s websites for possibilities. There are many online websites for research and the main public library also has great resources for research. Another is to read the local newspapers for announcements about grants. The research part does take time.
- Understand the purpose of the grant and its requirements- Seek grants that match the donor/foundations requirements and your program and project.
- Read the instructions thoroughly – Follow the instructions. One big mistake of grant writers is not following the instructions. Make sure you include all the information requested and do not include information they do not ask for.
- Be brief, concise and consistent.
- Do not miss deadlines. If it says 5 pm on a particular day, they mean 5 pm not 5:05.
- The appearance of your application does matter. Please make sure all margins, fonts and font sizes are consistent. Do not make the font to small or too big. Never submit anything that is handwritten.
- Be patient. Grant writing does take time as do the results.