Writing A Strong Grant Proposal
Fundraising 101 from a Pro with $20M+ Raised
This is something I get asked all the time, ‘How do I write a winning proposal?’. Well, you can never guarantee a win (and fundraisers that promise that should be viewed with some scepticism….unless they have a talent to see the future!), but you can set yourself up so the funder reads past the first line.
Here I share my top tips (all for free!) because I want you to win so you can spend more time doing the impactful work you are best at!
Are You A Good Fit?
Before you even begin and waste hours on a proposal and gathering all the documents and information, make sure this is a good fit. Do you fit their criteria?
Are they looking for registered NGOs, 501c registered, profit-making, impact companies?
Is the call for an unrestricted grant, a grant tied to a project, debt, equity etc?
Are they offering the amounts you are looking for, and is it realistic for what you have raised before (e.g. if the call is for $1 million and you have only raised $200,000 then you won’t be considered- you could work with a coalition of other organisations to apply for this instead)?
Is the project/programme you are applying for a good fit for the call e.g. they want to fund technology that helps farming or carbon reduction initiatives and you run scholarships for coding online (you could have a loose connection- training farmers to code their own apps-but it;s a stretch and other projects will align better)?
Do you have a relationship with them or any of their past grantees- this could help build some awareness of your project beforehand (I will write more about this in another blog)?
Tip: Create a matrix that you can go through all these questions and decide what mark you need to get before you spend time and resources on the proposal. (If you want an example of this, let me know and I can do a video on this)
Getting Through The First Round
The second step is putting yourself in the funder’s shoes, the person who will be reviewing your proposal, and possibly thousands of others ‘ proposals. AI could perform a first-round screening, so you need to ensure you have all the keywords in the proposal.
Example:
They say: ‘ We fund inclusive finance projects for women’, ‘We align with SDG 4 Quality Education’
You say: ‘Our table banking initiative leads to inclusive finance for women’, ‘Our scholarship programme helps towards the UN’s SDG 4 goal of Quality Education’
Remember, if they say ‘permaculture techniques’ and you are working on local farming projects, use ‘permaculture techniques’ throughout the proposal.
Tip: Get through the AI and first selection by ensuring you have used the correct terminology.
How Do Funders Select Winning Proposals
So now you are in front of the funder (well, your proposal is), and they have been reading through proposals for hours (years in total throughout their career) so you need to stand out.
Take this example:
This project aims to pilot a targeted intervention designed to enhance digital literacy and workforce readiness among marginalised youth populations. The initiative will focus on delivering modular, competency-based training using a blended….
You have fallen asleep already, right? And do you know what the project is? Then neither does the funder. You don’t want to have to read a whole proposal to only find out what it is at the end- or not at all! AI-generated and too technical
Now take this example:
Too many young women in Africa are being left behind in today’s digital economy, not because they lack talent, but because they haven’t had the chance to gain the right skills and mentorship. This project will change that. We’re launching a practical, hands-on digital training program to help women gain the tools and confidence they need to find work, start businesses, and thrive.
You want to fund this, right? You know exactly what it is, and it’s like talking to a passionate friend? Funders will remember this.
Tip: This is what you want to aim for: talk about what you do and why. You can add stats like the % of women in tech, the average salary they could earn and the average number of jobs available in the market. These all help build the story, the need and they why. Be memorable.
Include Everything!
Lastly, make sure you have everything they ask for- registration certificates, accounts and audits etc. If they don’t have a template to follow, use this:
Executive Introduction- That quick explanation of what the project is, who you are and what you are asking for:
e.g. Bright Futures Foundation is seeking $200,000 to deliver a year-long digital skills and entrepreneurship training program for 200 young women, equipping them with the tools to secure employment or launch online businesses. The program bridges the gender digital divide and creates sustainable pathways to income.
Problem- Highlight what the issue is that you are trying to solve (this is where those stats can come in) e.g. Only 20% of the AI workforce is women and even less in Africa, unemployment for women is over 40% and their access to formal employment is x times less likely than men.
Solution- Here you present what you are doing to solve the problem e.g. We are training African women with AI tech skills so they can enter the workforce and create their own tech businesses.
Implementation- This is where you show the technical details of how you will/already do it. Include your Theory of Change (I can talk about this in a later blog-but in the meantime, I have a course here you can do here), the timeline, activities, and outcomes of the activities. Be as specific as possible- funders want to see what their money is funding.
Budget- This is the financial side of your project- break down the above activities in your implementation plan and add costs to it. Even better if you can, the cost per person supported.
Team- You can show off your amazing team and prove to the funder why you are the best people to implement this project and solve this problem, e.g. your program lead is a youth councillor who has worked with young people for over 10 years.
Tip: Have someone read through the proposal who is not so close to your work, they can help read it like a funder and ask questions or add suggestions to ensure your idea is clear and your ask is aligned.
And Now Fingers Crossed
Once you have sent the proposal off, you just wait for the feedback. Even if you don’t get the funding, you can try asking for feedback so you can learn how to strengthen the proposal for the next time.
I hope you have learned some tricks of the trade, and I wish you the best of luck!