What Is the Grant Writing Process? The 8 Steps I Follow

We are here to discuss those steps together in one blog post so that it is easy for you to get grants for scholarships, research, and nonprofit projects.

Writing a compelling grant proposal may appear daunting initially; however, once you know the steps in the grant process and what to write in each phase, a successful grant application becomes manageable. 

For the specific purpose of seeking grants, many nonprofit organizations hire the services of professional grant writers.

These steps are common ground for applicants. Let’s take a look at them and answer your key questions on how to write a grant.

Goal Identification: Effective Grant Proposal

In this first step, the applicant must know what they want from a grant and what a grant is. They need to be able to answer questions like: “What is their goal?” and “How will they achieve it?”

Once you identify your goals, it is time to calculate how much money you would need to accomplish them. 

The next step is to determine how long it might take for those outcomes or milestones to occur. This information helps funders decide whether to give money and helps with budgeting requirements.

A good way for applicants who struggle with figuring out their goals is to list questions correlating with their needs and focus.

The goal in grant proposals can be something like, “The applicant’s goal is to reduce youth crime by 50%.” The applicants must then establish how they will measure results in tangible form. How long will it take to reduce the crime rate?

Once you have answered those questions, you can move to the next step of searching for prospective grants and securing funding from organizations.

Grant Searching: Potential Funders

Step #2 is to search for funding sources and grants. Identify which ones best suit your needs.

Whether searching for government grants or private grants, you may use a few resources to pinpoint potential funding sources for compelling grant proposals. Remember, grant funding is waiting on the other side of an accomplished proposal.

Locating potential grantors can be time-consuming, but it will yield the most significant benefits in the long run. Even if you have an appealing research proposal in mind and send it to any institution without knowing what grants they give out, then your chances of receiving funding are slim.

An office like a university’s office for research is usually available with libraries or resource centers containing information about grant-making agencies and their programs.

The Internet is a world of opportunity only if you know where to look. You could use the websites available, too, and try connecting with them virtually. Once you find prospective agencies, the first step is to create a profile on each website, asking questions about what they are looking for to narrow your search results.

In addition, these sites will ask about budget requirements and desired duration, so be sure to answer those as well when creating an online grant application—otherwise, the site may not even show any results. If you win a grant, consider all the time and resources well spent.

The third method of finding grants is through databases such as Google Scholar. Depending on the need, different types of grant programs might also be within one database.

Audience

The audience of your proposal will determine what kind of information to include.

For example, if you are pitching a project for after-school programs in low-income neighborhoods and the intended audience is city officials and philanthropists, it would be most appropriate to focus on how this program can help those communities with an emphasis on economic growth and opportunity.

That is just one scenario. Likewise, you can have something else on your plate.

When you write a funding proposal, you should value time, and your tone should come across as serious with an appropriate amount of enthusiasm to keep the funding agency interested.

Remember to stick to the granter’s specific guidelines and mention what you have been asked for in your application. Keep their interest alive through your grant writing.

Know How Much to Request: Project Goals

The amount of funding is a critical point in successful grant proposals. After the first, second, and third steps, it is time to decide on an appropriate figure to request from the granter, whether through budgeting or research.

It depends on the skills of writers to convince the funders to support the proposed projects with grants.

Do some more number-crunching to avoid any unpleasant surprises at any stage during the proposal development process.

How does one plan out their grants? How do we reach the desired outcomes?

Find a trustworthy source with accurate information about the grant industry to give you an idea of how much money is appropriate for your project.

Research competitive grant funding opportunities and past winners to get an idea of where yours fits into this spectrum.

There you go, with two known methods to plan out budgeting for professional grant writing projects. You can share this data with your writers to make their journey manageable.

Format

We are almost ready to get down to the actual writing part with an overview of the first few steps. Here are a few general tips to keep in mind.

• Brainstorm about what the organization does and how it will benefit from your project.
• Choose a font that is easy on the eyes, especially if you’re working with text blocks of more than 500 words.
• Set up an attractive format for your professional grant proposals, avoid using jargon as much as possible

How you write your grant proposal tells a lot about you to reviewers. They get to judge you as a nonprofit, person, creative, or a scholar with just your words. Allow your field of expertise to guide your writing approach; ensure your voice and personality reflect.

Remain professional and keep the tone of the application serious. Remember that the organization’s mission and objectives are critical for a well written grant proposal.

If your project aligns with its goals and you can convince them of its viability with measurable results, it is only a matter of days before winning a grant proposal.

Writing Begins: Project Timeline

Your grant application should have three sections: the introduction, body, and conclusion. This is a great time to remember your audience; be organized enough so that their money can go the distance. Think of it as telling a story about what you are trying to do.

Your complete application will include more paragraphs, such as the budget or timeline for completion. The key here is to remain succinct while conveying information clearly in each section.

Let’s get to the standard sections, their names, and brief descriptions of every proposal. Keep your writing process to be as unique as possible.

Cover Letter

A cover letter is a brief paragraph of the introduction. It should include your organization’s name and contact information, project title, why this project is important to you, and what it will mean for the community. It is also called the ‘Title Page’. You may utilize a cover letter template from a relevant grant application template.

Abstract

This is the first paragraph of your grant proposals, and it should be concise. It includes a brief summary of the project, what you will do, why it’s important to local residents or the world at large, any new technologies involved, and who else might benefit from this research. Some also refer to it as an “executive proposal summary.”

Introduction or Statement of Need

Here you introduce yourself and summarize your topic and anticipated outcomes for readers. The first few paragraphs set up your story: who are you? What do you want to accomplish that no one else can?

Grant funding organizations will love to find out if your project is suitable enough to achieve parts of their mission.

Literature Review

This is a summary of your current knowledge of the topic. Your goal here is to briefly summarize what you’ve done and why it matters to demonstrate that you have thoroughly thought about this problem before proposing a solution.

Project Narrative

The narrative is where the actual body of successful grant applications and proposals begins. Think of it as the heart of each bid and focus on writing it as accurately and relevantly as possible.

The project narrative should include a detailed statement of the problem, research objectives or goals, hypotheses, methods, and procedures. The outcome should be all the details about the project, including evaluation and dissemination of your work.

Enhance your textual power by complementing it with visual data and social proof.

Personnel

In the personnel section, list any people involved in your research. You should also include a brief biography of each collaborator and their qualifications for working on this project.

Realistic Budget

The grant proposal budget details the money or resources you need to complete the project objectives. In addition to listing hard costs such as materials and services, evaluate the surprise costs. They may add to the entire budget in the course of project execution.

Timeline

The timeline is where you list your project’s beginning and end dates. It also includes any tentative or already completed milestones, along with an explanation of what these mean.

References for Grant Proposals

In this section, please include all references from texts to people who influenced your work somehow. All sources must be cited appropriately so as not to mislead anyone.

Revision and Edits

Now that we are done with the writing part, it is time to review the entire grant application and ensure it is as good as possible. This includes checking for grammar mistakes, typos, and any other errors you might have made while writing proposals.

Grant writing is easy, given that you follow the application guidelines. In this section, you have to get your entire proposal reviewed by experts in the field, such as asking a statistician to check your methodology section.

As a writer, seeking feedback from specialists and readers from various fields is your job. Their response will help you fill the gaps and vouch for your proposal.

After revision and edits, it is time to submit your proposal for grant consideration.

If you’re interested in honing the searching process in more detail and getting real-world grant writing experience, check out our grant writing certification course.

Submit Your Grant Proposal

At this point, your application is strong enough to defend itself against questions.

If you need additional assistance, such as help with a grant proposal template or general advice on the process, it is time to seek expert support.

It is also important that before submitting your application, you edit it for grammar mistakes and sentence structure errors one more time. 

Wait

The last step is to wait patiently for a response from your grant provider on whether they approve of your project or deny the proposition. Whatever the reason, fix it and resubmit it for approval. 

Conclusion

Be prepared for the process, which takes patience and time.

You should hire an experienced writer to keep the process as smooth as possible from the first to the last step of writing a full grant proposal. If your proposal contains any inconsistencies, it will be challenging to grab funds regardless of the legitimacy and worth of the proposed project.

Are you ready to dive into the grant writing process?

FAQ

Here are the most frequently asked questions about writing a grant proposal:

1. How do I find the right funding opportunities?

Begin by researching potential funders whose goals align with your project. Use databases like Grants.gov, Foundation Directory Online, and local foundations. Review eligibility criteria and funding priorities to ensure a good match.

2. Can an organization use both fundraising and grant writing together?

Absolutely. Successful nonprofits typically integrate both strategies. Fundraising activities build community engagement and recurring support, while grant writing secures targeted funding for major initiatives. Maintaining a grant opportunity pipeline alongside donor outreach ensures a balanced and sustainable financial model. Organizations often hire fundraising consultants or development staff to coordinate these complementary efforts effectively.

3. What are the essential elements of a strong grant proposal?

A compelling grant proposal clearly communicates a core compelling idea, supported by a strong project narrative and a well-defined budget narrative. It should:

• Follow all funder guidelines precisely.
• Use plain language to ensure clarity and accessibility.
• Incorporate real-life examples and powerful quotes to build emotional resonance.
• Include a credible financial outlook and logical project management plan.
  These components together help the reviewer understand the project’s impact and feasibility.

4. How can I make my grant proposal more persuasive and memorable?

Effective proposals use a blend of modes of persuasion—logic, emotion, and credibility. Establish trust with accurate data, inspire with vivid imagery, and demonstrate competence through well-organized content. Craft a narrative skeleton before writing to ensure coherence and flow, and always tailor your proposal to match the tone, language, and interests of the specific funder. Including measurable outcomes and clear evaluation metrics also strengthens your case.

5. What are some recommended ways to learn and improve as a grant writer?

Aspiring grant writers can grow through a mix of professional training and real-world practice. Enrolling in online courses or joining networks like the Global Grant Writers Collective offers structured learning and mentorship. Many foundation centers and nonprofit hubs also host research training and experiential learning opportunities where participants can work on live proposals. These experiences provide hands-on insights into funder expectations and proposal evaluation.

6. How can I turn grant writing into a long-term career?

Grant writing offers a rewarding path for professionals interested in both writing and social impact. To build a career, create a career development plan that includes continuous learning, skill-building, and performance evaluation using a career development plan review rubric. Consider starting with entry-level nonprofit roles before moving into grant writing consultant businesses or freelance work. Over time, maintaining an updated portfolio of successful proposals will help establish credibility and attract new clients.

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.