Foundations and government agencies fulfill their missions, in part, by providing funds for specific purposes in the form of grants. Grant proposal writing is the process of applying for funding in support of a project that provides a social good. Grants may be sought to begin a new activity, to support ongoing operations, to make capital improvements, to purchase needed equipment and supplies, and for other purposes that support a project. A primary goal of grant proposal writing is the demonstration of a match between the funder's mission and the project's purpose.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
AFP Consultants Directory
Database
Serves as a database of fundraising consultants. Services covered include grantwriting, board and staff training, database and web site development and much more. Searchable by consultant specialty and state.
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)
Database
Contains information on all available federal programs including grant eligibility, application procedures, selection criteria, and program deadlines.
Community Foundation Locator
Database
Community foundation names and contact information, searchable by name, region, state, or ZIP code.
Creating Good HRSA Grant Applications Focusing on Underserved Populations
Web site
Includes resources to help applicants understand the grant process and prepare better HRSA grant applications.
Department of Health and Human Services Grants Forecast
Web site
Database of planned grant opportunities proposed by its agencies. Each Forecast record contains actual or estimated dates and funding levels for grants that the agency intends to award during the fiscal year.
DUNS Request Service for US Federal Government Contractors and Grantees
Web site
Provides information about the D-U-N-S number, including how to apply for one.
Economic Impact Analysis Tool
Web site
Generates summary reports showing how grant spending can benefit a local, rural economy. Reports can reflect past, current and future grant spending.
Foundation Center FAQs: How do I establish a nonprofit organization?
Web site
Provides information and resources on how to start a nonprofit organization.
Foundation Finder
Database
Provide contact information and basic fiscal profiles for 70,000+ U.S. private and community foundations.
Got Funding?
Web site
Provides customized funding searches focused on minority health and related issues (1.800.444.6472). Includes information to support grant writing activities and lists links to government and private funding sources.
Grant Applications 101- A Plain English Guide to ETA Competitive Grants
Web site
Designed to help prospective grant applicants, in particular, smaller entities such as community-based and faith-based groups, as well as organizations that have not previously applied for Federal funding, to understand the process for applying for ETA competitive grants and develop high-quality grant applications.
Grant Information for Current and Prospective HHS Grantees
Web site
Includes an introduction to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services grants, with information about policies governing the award and administration of grant activities.
Grants.gov
Database
Serves as a single, comprehensive web site with information about finding and applying for all federal grant programs.
Guide to Community Preventive Services
Web site
A resource for evidence-based recommendations and findings about what works to improve public health.
Guide to Funding Your Community Health Initiative
Web site
Provides resources for funding community health projects including sections on readiness assessment, developing partnerships and identifying and accessing funding opportunities.
Health Funding Watch
Other
Newsletter covering news, resources, funding opportunities for individuals and organizations, and job listings focused on health topics.
HRSA Geospatial Data Warehouse
Web site
Provides access to HRSA program data and other health related - including rural health - raw data for download and permits the user to selectively filter, sort, and choose data columns to create customized maps and reports. Also, presents charts, reports and maps and tools that address specific health data topics.
HRSA Grant Awards by Major Program or State
Web site
Shows by state, the amount of HRSA grant dollars and number of grants by program.
HRSA Open Opportunities
Web site
Provides details on HRSA's competitive grant offerings for the current fiscal year.
Internal Revenue Service: Application for Recognition of Exemption under Section 501(c)(3)
Web site
Provides information for charitable organizations to apply for tax-exempt status, which is 501(c)(3) status.
NACCHO: Funding Opportunities
Web site
Identifies public health-related funding resources at the national and state levels from private foundations, governmental sources, and non-governmental sources.
Organizational Effectiveness Series Manuals Available for Download
Web site
A series of 14 organizational effectiveness manuals available for download in English and Spanish. Topics include: strategic planning, starting a nonprofit, program evaluation, board development, grantwriting, leadership development, volunteer management, technology development and needs assessment.
Proposal Budgeting Basics
Tutorial
Offers an online course covering the basics of developing a project budget. Most appropriate for those who have general knowledge of proposal development.
Proposal Writing Short Course
Tutorial
Online course introducing the proposal writing process.
RAC Funding Topic: Capital Funding
Database
RAC offers a list of available funding opportunities, which is updated daily from the Federal Register and other sources.
RAC Maps
Web site
Provides national maps on a variety of rural health and human services topics. Maps can be customized to focus on a specified state or county and to show additional labels, boundaries and data, for use in grant applications, reports and other publications.
RAC State Resources
Web site
Provides statistics, publications, contacts, success stories, and other resources related to rural health and human services for all 50 states, plus U.S. territories and commonwealths.
Rural Philanthropy Knowledge Center
Web site
Provides information on rural philanthropy. The Forum of Regional Associations of Grantmakers is a national philanthropic leader and a network of 33 regional associations of grantmakers.
Tips for Preparing Grant Proposals
Web site
Offers tips for writing proposals for HHS grants and cooperative agreements.
Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS)
Web site
Allows searching by agency, program, or year for HHS funded projects. Database is developed by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Grants.
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide
Web site
Provides information about using logic models to bring together program planning, evaluation and action to demonstrate the effectiveness of a program.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Foundations Address the Impact of the Economic Crisis
Author(s): Steven Lawrence
Sponsoring organization: Foundation Center
Examines how foundations have been responding to the economic crisis, based on early 2009 survey responses of more than 1,200 foundations.
Date: 04 / 2009
Fulfilling the Promise: A Guide for Board and Staff
Sponsoring organization: Fund for Innovation, Effectiveness, Learning and Dissemination
Identifies the steps that microenterprise programs must take in order to demonstrate and enhance their value to funders and investors, and to build a more sustainable future.
Date: 07 / 2005
Grant Writing Tips
Sponsoring organization: University of North Dakota Center for Rural Health
Offers tips and advice on grantwriting. Includes suggestions about the content and structure of the proposal, writing style, and more.
Date: 07 / 2006
Grantee Sustainability in the Rural Health Outreach Grant Program
Author(s): Walter Gregg, Astrid Knott, Ira Moscovice
Sponsoring organization: University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center
Describes a study of the post-grant experiences of 99 Rural Health Outreach Grant recipients. Focuses on the extent to which programs were able to maintain or expand services after their grants ended and characteristics that helped programs succeed in the post-grant period.
Date: 12 / 2003
Guide to Federal Resources for Youth Development
Sponsoring organization: America's Promise
A guide to help communities learn about and access federal resources. Provides organizations with the information they need to apply for federal funds. Each funding source is listed by the department that operates the program, and cross-references are made to one or more of the five key goals of America's Promise: 1) caring adults; 2) safe places; 3) a healthy start and future; 4) effective education; and 5) opportunities to help others.
Date: 2006
Program Manager’s Guide to Evaluation, Second Edition
Sponsoring organization: Administration for Children and Families
Explains what program evaluation is and its importance. Discusses conducting an evaluation, interpreting the results, reporting the findings and using the evaluation to improve programs.
Date: 2010
USDA Rural Utilities Service Borrower’s Guide: A How-to for Water and Wastewater Loans from USDA Rural Development
Sponsoring organization: Rural Community Assistance Partnership
Designed for small, rural communities and borrowers of Rural Utilities Service (RUS) funds to learn how to adequately administer their projects and understand other responsibilities of being a borrower.
Date: 2011
Journals
Chronicle of Philanthropy
Intended for charity leaders, fund raisers, grant makers, and other people involved in the philanthropic enterprise. Some newspaper articles are available free online, but the grants database and other tools require a subscription.
Federal Register
Official daily publication for Rules, Proposed Rules, and Notices of Federal agencies and organizations, as well as Executive Orders and other Presidential Documents. Among its numerous notices are notices of funding availability.
NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts
Contains notices for new grant announcements, availability of Requests for Proposals (RFPs), and Requests for Applications (RFAs), as well as ongoing program announcements.
Organizations
Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP)
National organization
Dedicated to advancing and promoting the health care development profession. Provides fundraising education and information to health care development professionals.
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP)
National organization
Works to advance philanthropy through advocacy, research, education, and certification programs.
Foundation Center
Nonprofit/Foundation
Collects, organizes, and communicates information on U.S. philanthropy. Provides free and fee-based information on grantseeking and foundation giving.
Grant Professionals Association (GPA)
National organization
Builds and supports an international community of grant professionals. Acts as a resource for the practice of grantsmanship in all sectors of the field.
Grantsmanship Center (TGCI)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Offers workshops and publications related to grantwriting. Also lists community foundations, federal funding programs, and other funding sources.
Society of Research Administrators International (SRA)
International organization
Dedicated to the education and professional development of research administrators and enhancement of public understanding of the importance of research and its administration. While SRA focuses on research grant administration, its information and tools could be applicable to all types of grants.
Terms & Acronyms
501(c)(3) Section of the Internal Revenue Service Code that designates an organization as charitable, tax-exempt, and nonprofit. Donors to 501(c)(3) organizations are entitled to a full tax deduction for their contributions.
Application Procedures Set of instructions issued by funders, listing the necessary steps for proposal review. These include submission deadlines, letter of intent, contact person and mail address. These vary among the different funding organizations.
Block Grants Grants administered by the federal government to provide states with funding for a particular purpose, for example the delivery of maternal and child health services.
Community Foundations Private funding from foundations involved in grant giving within a specific community, state or region.
Cooperative Agreement An agreement between a funding agency and grantee which allows the funder some control. These are often used by the government to conduct extramural clinical trials.
Corporate Foundations Private funding from foundations which receive contributions from a profit-making entity, for example a specific corporation.
Demonstration Grants Grants administered by the federal government to demonstrate or establish the feasibility of a particular theory or approach, for example rural health outreach, network development, and telemedicine grant programs.
Eligible Applicant This information is determined by the funder. If you have any doubt that you are an eligible applicant, contact the potential funder to verify eligibility. Sometimes, eligibility is specific to non-for-profit agencies or public institutions or academic organizations, etc.
Evaluation The systematic investigation of the value and impact of an intervention or program.
Evidence-based Programs that have undergone scientific evaluation and have proven to be effective.
Formula Grants Grants administered by the federal government to provide funding to specified grantees on the basis of a specific formula, using indicators, for example per capita income, mortality or morbidity rates, outlined in legislation or regulations such as certain substance abuse programs.
Grantsmanship The process of identifying funding needs and the steps in obtaining those funds.
Grassroots Nonprofit Takes a bottom-up approach to activities, decision-making and programming. May also be called a standalone nonprofit.
Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) Geographic regions that have shortages of professionals working in primary medical care, dental or mental health care. HPSAs may be urban or rural areas, population groups or medical or other public facilities. Geographically, HPSAs can be cities or towns, counties or groups of counties. HPSA designations are reviewed and revised annually by the Secretary of Health and Human Services based on criteria set forth in the Public Health Service Act.
Impact Effect of a program on the problem or condition that the program was intended to address.
In-Kind Support Nonmonetary contributions made by the grantee such as equipment, supplies, services, or technical expertise.
Letter of Intent/Inquiry The initial contact or letter with a funder outlining the proposed project or plan.
Matching Funds Money which "matches" the funder's contribution. This money can come from a third party or the grantee.
Medically Underserved Area (MUA) Medically Underserved Areas (MUAs) are federal designations derived from the Index of Medical Underservice (IMU). This index ranges from 0 to 100 and is based on four criteria: 1) ratio of primary medical care physicians per 1,000 people, 2) infant mortality rate, 3) percent of the population with incomes below the poverty level and 4) the percent of the population age 65 or older. An IMU of 62.0 or less qualifies an area to be designated a MUA. Geographic areas designated as MUAs can be a whole county or a group of contiguous (adjoining) counties, minor civil divisions (MCD), census county divisions (CCD) or census tracts.
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) A written document that describes the terms and details of the partnership agreement.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) A written document describing an understanding between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action.
Needs Assessment Evaluation of the requirements or demands for services by a population or community.
Private Foundations Private funding from foundations which receive income from an individual, family or group of individuals. The funding priorities of private foundations are usually based on the personal philosophies of the founding members.
Program Officer The representative of the funding agency who is responsible for the grant's administration.
Project Grants Grants administered by the federal government to support individual projects in accordance with legislation that gives the funding agency discretion in selecting the project, grantee, and the amount of award, for example Area Health Education Centers - Model Programs.
Proposal Written plan submitted to potential funders. This contains the program's goals, objectives, methods, budget, and evaluation.
Request for Application (RFA) Announcement inviting proposals for a specified contract in support of a particular project or service.
Request for Proposal (RFP) Announcement inviting proposals for a specified type of grant.
Research Grants Grants administered by the federal government to support investigation aimed at the discovery of facts, health services research, clinical trials, revision of accepted theories, or applications of new or revised theories. Research grants for individuals are usually referred to as fellowships.
Solicited Proposal A grantseeker's response to a request for a proposal issued by a funding organization.
Sustainability Ability of a program to continue after the period for which it has received grant funding.
Unsolicited Proposal A proposal which originates from the grantseeking organization. Some organizations do not allow unsolicited proposals.
Article Searches & Bibliographies
Catalog of Nonprofit Literature
Searchable database of publications on philanthropy, with over
25,000 entries, many of which include descriptive abstracts.
To find publications on grantwriting, enter "grantsmanship" as
a subject term.
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