Here are some links to sites that will help you write better proposals.

Why so many links to info on writing grant proposals? Isn't there one best way to do it? Not exactly. Many proposals, while sharing some common elements, still will differ from other proposals in some way and thus it's helpful to know what different authors believe constitutes a strong proposal. Also, it's frequently helpful to read how different authors approach the same topic.

Some links on this page are difficult to categorize as they contain different types of information related to the writing of grants. Thus you are encouraged to scroll through the entire page to identify resources of interest to you.

Writing Successful Grant Proposals

The Scholastic.com (on-line) Grant Seminar by Dr. Gary A. Carnow
If you've never written a grant proposal this is an excellent seminar to go through. You can do it at your own pace. Seminar sections include: Getting Started, Developing Need Statements, Developing Project Activities, The Grant Budget, Evaluating Your Proposal, Putting It All Together, Sample Grant Proposal. Each topic is explained well, but the real strength is in the examples Carnow includes of what he is talking about.
http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/scholgrantseminar.htm

Let's Write a Grant CD 

Most links on this page are to content related to writing better proposals and the content is very good. This link is to information about an interactive CD available for purchase. Donna Fernandez, of SchoolGrants.org has created a superb resource for both novice and experienced grant writers. While this CD would be useful for any grant writer,  Fernandez's focus is on grant writing for K-12 schools. Even nicer, the cost is a very reasonable, $49.95 plus $5 shipping/handling. If you want to write grants for K-12 schools, this is a very useful resource...it's the best $54.95 you will spend. http://www.schoolgrants.org/WriteGrant.htm 

Demystifying Grant Seeking – Larissa Golden Brown and Martin Brown

Now the first chapter of a book of the same name, this once was an article titled “Fearless Grant Seeking.” Provides some useful background info on what grants are and are not and dispels some misconceptions about them that you might have. You can write a grant!
http://brownandbrown.tv/pivot/entry.php?id=12

 
The Body, Heart and Soul of Grant Writing

A brief, but good, solid, down-to-earth guide to grant writing.
http://www.friendcalib.org/newsstand/f3grant.htm

A Proposal Writing Short Course

A two-part mini-course in writing proposals. Sections to be included in a grant proposal are identified and the content of each section described.
http://fdncenter.org/learn/shortcourse/prop1.html

A Practical Guide for Writing Proposals

A two-part mini-course in writing proposals. Sections to be included in a grant proposal are identified and the content of each section described.
http://www.dca.net/~areid/proposal.htm

A Short Course in Grant Writing

This online short course created by the School District of Palm Beach County's Office of Resource Development reflects many good ideas for you to consider when developing a grant proposal.
http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/ORD/Guide/Grant-Writing.htm 

The Scholastic.Com Grant Writing Seminar

An excellent and very useful on-line introduction to grant writing by Dr. Gary Carnow. It includes many examples of the different sections of a grant proposal and includes a complete sample proposal. http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/scholgrantseminar.htm

Proposal Checklist from the Center for Non-Profit Management

A brief list of what should be covered in each of the following sections of typical proposals:  summary/abstract, introduction/background, statement of need, objectives, action plan/methodology/project design, evaluation procedures, funding/budget, future funding/sustainability. Sections of grants may not always have the same names, but most will include similar sections and require similar information.
http://education.ti.com/us/resources/grants/proposalchecklist.html

Improving Specific Sections of Your Proposal

Not all proposals require the same information or sections, but if your proposal requires sections on Project Sustainability, Evaluation or Personnel, read these articles by Deborah Ward for helpful suggestions:

    Boost the Credibility of your proposal with a Powerful Personnel Section
    http://education.ti.com/us/resources/grants/articles/artboost.html

    Project Sustainability
    http://education.ti.com/us/resources/grants/articles/artproject.html

    Writing Effective Evaluation Sections
    http://education.ti.com/us/resources/grants/articles/artwriting.html

Tips/Hints for Improving Your Grant Proposal

The 10  Most Common Grant-Seeking Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Deborah Ward's list of the 10 most common mistakes made by grant-seekers in their proposals and her advice in how to avoid them. Her list is based on her experiences as a proposal writer and reviewer and conversations with funders.
http://www.agsnet.com/grants/rf5.asp

Grant Writing Tips

Hints that will help you as you begin to write your grant proposals.
http://www.schoolgrants.org/tips.htm

Reasons Why Proposals are Declined

http://www.t3ww.org/t3/granthelpful.htm

Writing a Good Proposal

General tips for writing your proposal and excellent information on what to include in each section.
http://alternatives.com/capp/ch-dev_8.htm

What Foundations Want Grant Applicants to Know

Competition for foundation money can be intense. To help you increase your changes of success, GuideStar asked foundation grant makers what they would like to tell applicants. Their 15 recommendations can be found here:
http://www.guidestar.org/news/features/grantadvice.stm

Mixture of "How-to" and Other Grant-Related Information

Project Development - School Bd. of Alachua Co. (Grainsville FL)

This is another site that's difficult to categorize as it includes a variety of resrouces including funding source identification, grant writing lessons and currently available grants.
http://www.sbac.edu/~projdev/

Grant Writing Resources from Scholastic   

    What Do Winning Proposals Have in Common? 
    http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/WinningProposals.htm     

    Grant Seeking Primer
    http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/grantprimer.htm

    Top Tips for Successful Fundraising 
    http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/grants/scholgrantseminar.htm

Questions/Comments/Broken Links/Other Sites you'd recommend? Send us  E-mail.