How to Format a Grant Writer Resume [+with Examples]
You may be an accomplished grant writer with all the requisite skills, but can you format a grant writer resume? However, if you can’t make a compelling case for yourself, it won’t do you any good. Grant Writers need to be clear and have exemplary technical and creative writing skills, which should ultimately reflect in the grant writer resume you send over.
Grant writers are an essential part of the nonprofit sector in which you help organizations find funders and sponsorships via your grant requests.
In this article, we’ll help you understand what goes into writing the perfect grant writer resume, as well as present a grant writer resume example for your guidance.
So let’s jump right in.
How to Format a Grant Writing Resume
Your grant writer resume should help recruiters understand your writing skills and showcase your ability to meet deadlines and mold proposals when it comes to organization missions.
This means that while the grant writer resume template will remain the same, you will have to make tweaks related to the job description every time you are about to send a grant writer resume out.
Ideally, it would help if you made your grant writer resume in Microsoft Word. However, depending on where you’re sending it, you can create it in PowerPoint as well. Your grant writer resume’s primary areas of focus should be the financial elements and persuasiveness in your writing.
The general structure of your grant writer resume would essentially be the same. This means that you will have to include at least the following sections into your grant writer resume:
- Name, address, contact information, and designation
- A profile summary section
- Employment history section and
- Education section
- Skills section
- Cover letter
These sections are essential, but that’s not the extent of it. You can add extra sections to make your grant writer resume more detailed and give it a more humanistic background.
One highly recommended section is adding a certification area while also linking out to a capstone project you created for that certification. We help grant writers do this in our grant writing certification course.
Let’s take a closer look at all these sections to help you set up a detailed template suitable for fundraising ventures for government agencies, nonprofits, and more.
We’ll also include grant writer resume samples to help you better understand what we mean.
Grant Writer Profile Summary Example
Download a grant writer resume template via MS Word templates or design one yourself.
At this point, it’s better to keep it simple. It is easy to overdo a grant writer resume. When designing, you should make an effort to keep the template as simple as possible.
Insert your name, address, phone number, and email address at the top. It’s up to you whether you want to include a headshot or not, but we don’t recommend doing so since the grant writer position is highly professional and doesn’t need much embellishment.
Furthermore, your skills and experience are what matters, not your appearance, age, or gender.
Example:
Shen Zhi
Address: Street, County, New York, US
Email address: [email protected]
Phone number: 914-672-7727
If you are applying for a job at a startup, recruiters will often be of the mindset that if you, as a candidate, have your basics down, they can train you for the more significant tasks.
On the other hand, recruiters looking for expert grant writers will judge you for what and how you write.
In the profile summary section, the more creative and thorough you are, the better you will stand out.
This section should give a brief overview of who you are as a person, as a grant writer, your professional skills, experience, and accomplishment. And KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid).
You will be persuading recruiters about why you (as a grant writer) are the best option for them, so remember to include everything interesting about your career prospects in a concise manner.
Since you’re responding directly to a company and helping them understand that you ‘get them,’ you should consider reading the job description thoroughly and the organization’s mission in detail.
Start by telling them about your current position. If you aren’t working anywhere as a grant writer, open with a grant writer certification you completed recently and how you are looking to enhance your grant writer skillset, assist in strategic planning, and add value to the organization.
Highlighting Grant Proposals
However, this is a very run-of-the-mill summary. You can add your persuasive flair to it.
Example:
I am an accomplished and performance-driven Grant Writer at COMPANY. I specialize in research and market analysis and identify grant opportunities to apply.
I have five years of experience creating robust fundraising plans and compiling proposals and budgets.
My strengths are my analytical grant writer skills, strong problem-solving abilities, and excellent financial market knowledge. During my stay at COMPANY, I have acquired the Top Performer Award Winner twice in a row. I am presently looking for a Grant Writer position with a growth-oriented company to help me expand my horizons via new challenges.
Grant Writer Employment History Section
Another relatively easy part is the employment history section. Your track record helps recruiters understand your work history better.
It also proves that you can adapt to different scenarios better, furthering your grant writer skills.
When working on your employment history, we recommend that you also mention any special assignments, transferable duties, grant writer skills, and most importantly, any successful grant requests that you have put forth.
Use as powerful action verbs as possible (but don’t overdo it) to show recruiters that you can sell and compel.
Example:
Work experience
06/2017 – Present, Senior Grant Writer, XYZ Consulting, Inc., Los Angeles, USA
- Grant discovery and research to funded company programs and services
- Government fund research and devising grant application strategy
- Created fundraising plans
- Submitted successful grant proposals to
o Company 1
o Company 2
o Company 3
o Organization 1
o Organization 2
o Organization 3
- Coordinated the creation of grant proposals and budgets
- Ensured all proposal and RFP requirements were met
- Developed detailed reports
- Maintained up-to-date records concerning current laws and regulations
- Top Performer Award for increasing funding acquisition costs by 35%.
06/2015 – 05/2017, Grant Writer, ABC Innovation, Inc., New York, USA
- Strategic planning, development, and filing of grant applications
- Formulated the creative foundation for company grant proposals
- Submitted extensive grant proposals on time
- Government and private funding research and analysis for grant proposals
- Conducted progress reports and presented findings to managers.
- Attended and organized networking events
- Establishing a line of communication with potential funders
- Maintained relationships with past, present, and future funders
Grant Writer Education Section
This section will explain to recruiters what your submitted proposals are backed by, other than experience. Degrees and certifications will go here. This is a short section. List the degree or certification(s) you have acquired over the years.
Grant writing certifications aren’t just valid for the knowledge gained. They come in handy when you’re looking to make an impression on recruiters as well.
This is where you mention any honors, awards, and distinctions you received during your education before starting your career with grant proposals and grant funding.
When drafting your grant writer resume, one crucial consideration is that if you are mentioning a Bachelor’s Degree, you don’t have to list out your high school. The same goes for an introductory course you took as a prerequisite for your grant writing certification.
Example;
Education
05/2020, Grant Writing Certification, ABC, USA
04/2016 – 05/2020, English, DEF University, New York, USA
First Class Honors
Activities: Literature Society, Technical Writing Competition, Chess Club
05/2011, Business Presentation & Communication Course, GHI Institute, Los Angeles, USA
Distinction (5-Star Rating in all aspects)
Grant Writer Skills Section Example
This section is where you get creative in highlighting how you can satisfy grant proposals and get grant funding. Whether you list out your skills or elaborate on each one briefly, it’s your call.
Here, you are telling nonprofit organizations about your personality and skills that can be helpful for the organization. Think of this section as the tiebreaker, should anyone with a grant writer resume as strong as yours walk in.
Mix soft and hard skills here to help your grant writer resume stand out. If there is any job-specific skill, mention it here.
Example;
Skills
Languages for Grant Writing
- English
- French
- Spanish
Computer Skills for Grant Writing
- Microsoft Office
- CyberGrants
- ZoomGrants
- Submittable Grants Management
Interpersonal Skills for Grant Writing
- Strategic planner
- Exceptional analytical skills
- Detail-oriented
- Problem-solving ability
- Effective time management and ability to meet deadlines.
Volunteer Work in Grant Writing
- 09/2013 – 05/2014, President, Swansea University Engineering Society, Swansea, United Kingdom
Final Remarks
According to Funding for Good, grant writers applying to existing and new funders and funding sources should ideally have a grant funding success rate of 50 to 60%. Of course, this is if you’re able to get a job where you’ll be able to make this statistic for grant writing.
In light of this, make sure you put as much effort into crafting a grant writer resume as you do when drafting a fundraiser grant letter.
If you are new to grant writing and are looking to break-in, we recommend taking our Grant Writing Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of being a grant writer, how to write proposals that win grants, and how to stand out as a grant writing candidate.
