Nonprofit grant writing 101: How to craft winning proposals

For many organizations, grants are a vital lifeline for sustaining their work, growing their impact, and diversifying funding sources. In fact, over 30% of U.S. nonprofits rely on government grants, and more than 25,000 nonprofits depend on these funds for over half of their total revenue. That doesn’t even factor in foundation and corporate grants!

No matter what type of grant you’re pursuing, a stellar proposal is a must. With competition growing, grant-seeking organizations cite it as one of their top challenges, making effective nonprofit grant writing key to standing out.

To help you win more funding, we’ll explore the essential elements of how to write a grant application for a nonprofit, share best practices to improve your chances of success, and discuss how grant writing technology can refine your approach.

The basics of nonprofit grant writing

What is nonprofit grant writing?

Nonprofit grant writing is the process of crafting a proposal to secure funding from private, corporate, or government grantmaking organizations to support a program or project.

Typically, grant proposals are written by a team within the nonprofit organization, which may include grant writers, fundraising professionals, executive directors, board members, and other key staff. In some cases, nonprofits may also hire external grant writers to bring additional expertise and capacity to the process.

Why is writing strong grant proposals important?

The national average success rate for grant proposals is approximately 10%, meaning only about 1 in 10 applications receive funding. ​Strong grant writing for nonprofits directly impacts your ability to secure funding for your research and programs.

Here’s an overview of why effective proposals matter:

• Stand out in a competitive field. Grant programs typically have limited funds and many applicants. A polished proposal helps you rise above the rest by clearly explaining your mission and making it easy for reviewers to understand why your project deserves support.
• Demonstrate credibility. A strong proposal clearly explains your goals and methods. It proves that you’re organized, knowledgeable, and capable of delivering results, which builds trust with funders.
• Clarify your vision. The process of writing grant proposals forces you to define your objectives, timeline, and budget. This helps you plan your project more effectively.

When you invest time into improving your proposals, you’ll win more funding, expand your revenue streams, and draw attention to your nonprofit’s programs. Ultimately, you’ll advance your mission and amplify your impact.

Key components to know when writing grant proposals

While specific requirements vary depending on the funder, most grant proposals include several common elements. It’s always important to review and follow the funder’s exact requirements.

Know that you might encounter these components:

Cover letter

Craft a brief, professional letter introducing your organization, explaining the purpose of your proposal, and expressing appreciation for the opportunity. Essentially, say who you are, what funds you need, and why you need those funds.

Think of this as your first chance to signal that your nonprofit is a perfect match for the funder. This letter forms your personal connection to the reviewer, so make it warm, clear, and respectful.

Introduction/Abstract/Summary

While your cover letter is like a handshake at a meeting, your abstract is like the meeting agenda that tells reviewers what to expect. This component is the opening section of your grant proposal that provides a high-level overview of your project.

You should summarize the problem you’re addressing, goals, and expected outcomes.

Organizational background

For this section, provide background information on your organization’s mission, history, and qualifications. Aim to build credibility and reassure funders that you have the experience and capacity to execute the project successfully.

Statement of need

Demonstrate your project’s importance by outlining the problem or opportunity you aim to address. Use data, research, and real-world evidence in your nonprofit grant writing to support your case and show why your work is timely and necessary.

Project or program outline, goals, and methods

Lay out what your project will accomplish and the benefits of reaching those goals. Include timelines and detailed implementation plans to show how you’ll turn your ideas into real-world impact. You should explain the specific activities that will empower your nonprofit to reach its goals.

Evaluation plan

In this section of your grant proposal, describe how you’ll measure the outcomes of your project. A strong evaluation plan shows funders that you’re committed to tracking impact and learning from your work. Include both quantitative and qualitative methods to provide a full picture of your results.

Depending on your mission, quantitative results might include:

• The number of participants served
• Pre- and post-surveys showing improvement (e.g., test scores, health metrics)
• Job placements or graduation rates
• Attendance or engagement data

Meanwhile, qualitative results might include:

• Participant interviews or focus groups
• Testimonials or case studies
• Field notes
• Staff or stakeholder feedback

Be sure to explain when and how you’ll collect data, who will be responsible, and how the findings will improve the current project or inform future programming.

Project budget

Present a detailed financial breakdown of how grant funds will be used. Your nonprofit’s budget should justify each expense as essential to achieving your goals. To understand your reliability in stewarding funds, the grantmaker may request supporting financial documents, such as your IRS Form 990.

Sustainability plan

How will your project continue once the grant runs out? When writing grant proposals, explain plans for future funding, whether that’s through community support, partnerships, individual donations, planned gifts, or other resources to maintain momentum. You may also explain who will be responsible for completing the activities after the grant period, such as volunteers or new staff members hired for the program’s long-term operation.

Appendices

These are supplementary documents to build your credibility, such as:

• Letters of support from partners or community leaders
• Official documents like your IRS determination letter or Form 990
• Charts, graphs, maps, or data visuals that support your statement of need or anticipated outcomes
• Impact reports that explain your nonprofit’s social, economic, or environmental achievements
• Budgets, such as your annual operating budget or project/program budget

The funder will request these, so pay careful attention to their instructions. Additionally, reference any supporting materials in your grant proposal.

Best practices for writing grant proposals

Effective nonprofit grant writing is about more than just following a format. It’s about telling a compelling story that resonates with funders.

By applying key best practices, you can improve the clarity, professionalism, and persuasiveness of each proposal. Here’s how to write a standout nonprofit grant application.

Tailor each proposal.

While you might be tempted to write a generic grant proposal and send it to multiple funders to save time, every grantmaker has different values, missions, and guidelines. Because of this, you should always tailor your grant proposals to each funder. 

When personalizing your grant narratives and drafts, try these strategies:

• Research each funder. Dig into their mission, funding priorities, and past grantees. Check sources like their website, recent press releases, and grant databases to gain insight into what they support and how your project aligns.
• Align your language and goals. Mirror the funder’s terminology and emphasize shared values or objectives. If they prioritize “community health,” use that phrase (when appropriate) in your proposal.
• Highlight relevant aspects of your work. Focus on the parts of your program or project that directly connect to the funder’s interests, and avoid devoting too much time or space to less relevant details.
• Follow instructions. Use their formatting preferences, required sections, and proposal structure. Following their requests shows professionalism and respect for their process.

If you’re having trouble, consider using AI to tailor your nonprofit grant writing. These tools can help you analyze funders’ preferred terminology, reframe your proposal to match specific priorities, and even draft content based on a funder’s mission or past giving.

Demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact.

Funders want to invest in organizations that drive results. Your nonprofit grant writing should communicate the difference your work makes in the community. Include specific outcomes, success stories, and relevant data to illustrate your effectiveness. For example, you might:

• Quantify your impact with statements like, “We served 1,200 youth in the past year with a 92% program completion rate.”
• Share testimonials or brief case studies that humanize your results.
• Highlight long-term change or systems-level improvements to communicate how your nonprofit creates sustainable solutions.

Remember, you can oftentimes include supporting documents with your nonprofit grant proposals. Visuals like charts, graphs, or infographics can make your data easy to understand.

Overall, be selective and focus on outcomes that align closely with the funder’s priorities.

Establish relationships with grantmakers.

Set your nonprofit up for success with grant writing by connecting with funders before submitting a proposal when possible. Early engagement helps you better understand their priorities, preferences, and funding criteria so you can build trust and strengthen your proposals.

Here are a few ways to start meaningful relationships:

• Reach out with a warm introduction via email or phone to express interest in their work and inquire about upcoming funding opportunities.
• Invite funders to your events, programs, or physical site so they can see your mission in action and get to know your team.‍
• Attend conferences or community events where funders will be present, creating opportunities to initiate conversations.

These touchpoints show funders you’re proactive, engaged, and genuinely aligned with their mission—making them more likely to view your proposal favorably. Additionally, funders will often award invite-only grants. If you identify a highly relevant funder but haven't been invited to apply to any grants, put yourself on their radar first using these strategies.

After winning a grant, stay in touch by following up with personalized thank-you notes and sharing periodic updates on your project’s impact.

Courses and tools to streamline nonprofit grant writing

The grant application process can be time-consuming and often pulls staff away from direct service work. That’s where nonprofit grant writing tools and training can make a big difference.

The right courses and technology will not only build your team's skills and confidence but also streamline the writing process, improve proposal quality, and increase your chances of winning funding.

Let’s explore helpful grant writing technology and courses that will boost the efficiency and quality of your proposals.

Grant Assistant by FreeWill

Grant Assistant by FreeWill is transformational AI technology that’s tailor-made to support all aspects of grant writing for nonprofits. Trained on 7,000+ winning grant proposals, our platform brings nonprofit-specific knowledge that all-purpose generative AI platforms like ChatGPT can’t match. While advanced, the features are user-friendly and can streamline your grant writing workflow.

Foundation grants may require between 15-20 hours to complete, while federal grants can take up to or over 100 hours. ​Grant Assistant speeds up this process — so much so that nonprofits report writing grant proposals in one-third of the time of what they historically have.

Cut down hours of work into just a few minutes by using Grant Assistant to:

Assess and prioritize available grant opportunities.

• Plan, research, and draft compelling grant proposals.
• Review requests for proposals (RFPs) and related documents to extract key requirements and create focused responses.
• Enhance your grant writing with the appropriate tone and details.
• Navigate varying funder guidelines.

With Grant Assistant, you can go from a blank page to a high-quality proposal quickly. This will save you valuable time you can put into polishing your proposal and adding your unique voice and insights that will make it stand out in a funder's inbox.

Grant Assistant is here to help you work smarter, not harder—explore the platform and see how it can support your nonprofit grant writing and management.

NonprofitReady.org's grant writing classes

NonprofitReady provides free courses on different areas of nonprofit management, including grant writing! These online courses cover essential topics such as identifying suitable grants, crafting compelling proposals, and understanding the overall grant-seeking process.

Popular courses include:

• Get Grant Ready: A short video that covers the basics of how to write a grant application for a nonprofit
• Acquiring Public Grants: An in-depth guide with strategies for securing government grants
• Proposal Writing: A course about writing effective and persuasive grant proposals

NonprofitReady also provides a free grant writing certification program. After completing the two-hour online training, you’ll be eligible for Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) Continuing Education Credits.

The Grantsmanship Training Program

The Grantsmanship Training Program is an intensive five-day workshop designed to teach both novice and experienced grant seekers to win grants. Participants learn valuable skills, such as how to:

• Use a proven proposal model.
• Craft strong grant applications.
• Conduct effective grant research.
• Understand the grant review process from a funder's perspective.
• Communicate their nonprofit’s capacity, mission, credibility, and objectives.

The program emphasizes hands-on learning, ensuring that attendees can immediately apply what they've learned. Graduates receive six months of follow-up support, including proposal reviews and access to GrantStation’s funder databases. This paid course is offered during select weeks throughout the year.

Peak Proposals: The Basics of Finding & Applying for Grants

This free, self-paced online course provides a comprehensive look at the grant writing process. Peak Proposals’ course is organized into three main chapters: Finding Potential Funders, Writing Your Grant Proposal, and Submitting Your Proposal. It includes additional reading materials and assignments to test your knowledge.

Since you can interact at your own pace, this is a flexible resource for improving your nonprofit grant writing skills!

Resources to level up your nonprofit grant writing

Mastering the art of grant writing for nonprofits is essential for winning funding and furthering important missions. Remember, it’s a learning process. You won’t win every opportunity, so it’s important to stay confident and keep trying. If a proposal is declined, request feedback and use any suggestions to strengthen future applications.

Also, make the most of technology when you can. For instance, use AI tools like Grant Assistant to understand funder requirements and draft compelling proposals faster. Then, stay on top of every opportunity you pursue with the right grant management software.

Finally, commit to continuous learning. Stay updated on best practices by taking courses and attending workshops when possible. For now, continue your research with these free resources:

• Grant management software: Buyer’s guide & top-rated options
• 20 best AI tools for nonprofits: Unlock efficiency & funding
• Using ChatGPT for grant writing: FAQ guide for nonprofits‍
• The 19 Best Online Grant Writing Classes for Every Learner