Introduction to Grant Writing

Learning Objectives

• Understanding grant writing as persuasion
• Assessing the language of grant writing
• Understand the ethics of grant writing

Introduction to Grant Writing and These Modules

Like other forms of technical and professional writing, grant writing is a specialized form of writing that requires specialized knowledge and helps organizations do important work. Grant writing is also an important way in which non-profit organizations secure funding for projects that may not move forward without financial support. If you need funding for a one of several types of projects from research to education to social work, this set of learning modules will provide you with a strong basis on which to launch your search for funding.

As you complete this set of modules, you will produce two important documents that will support your early research and help you begin contacting potential sponsors. The first document is a “case statement” --an internal document that will help you articulate an argument to justify your project, hone your research on your project, and help you look for potential sponsors. The second document will be a letter of intent that you can use to begin contacting potential sponsors or revise to respond to requests for proposals.

“Grantlish”

Be prepared to adopt a nuanced vocabulary around grant writing, as well as variances in that vocabulary. Beverly Browning (2014) calls such a vocabulary “grantlish” --the art of talking about grants (p. 104). As Sarah Beth Aubrey (2013) explains, “[j]ust like the jargon you use in your own industry, agencies tend to have their own terminology. It pays to learn that lingo . . .. Sometimes, GFO’s [grant funding organizations] will consider one term synonymous with another, and sometimes not, which can be frustrating” (p. 151). For example: Whereas a government sponsor might issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) to solicit proposals, a foundation might issue a Program Announcement (PA) for the same purpose (Mikelonis, Betsinger, & Kampf, 2004, p. 82).

Writing and Persuasion

These modules will provide you with a basic background knowledge that will help you write persuasive grant proposals and adjust them according to a potential sponsor’s wishes (because different sponsors may have different requirements or different needs). As such, these modules rely on three different concepts about writing:

Genre

Like other forms of communication, grant proposals help meet the needs of certain writers and their audiences in response to occasions. Genres are recognizable (yet varying) “packages” of communication that help someone respond to a recurrent situation. A genre consists of content, structure, and style, that may distinguish it from other genres (although there can be a great deal of overlap sometimes). Additionally, the content, structure and style of a given genre can be adapted to meet specific needs for a specific context and situation. There is a variety of genres that you will need to use as a grant writer, such as case statements, queries, line-item budgets, budget narratives, and so on. These “research ready” tutorials will help you develop the first two: case statements (that you will use within your organization to develop ideas and gain internal support for your proposal) and queries (which will help you take up contact with a potential sponsor).

Argument

Grant proposals, like many other genres of communication, answer central questions about what one should do in the future. Deliberations about the future can best be articulated through the stasis theory--a set of heuristics that help writers strategically find things to say and evidence to use. A “stasis” is a “stopping point” in which parties to an argument must “stop” and come to agreement before moving on to additional details about the argument. If a grant proposal lays out the details of a charitable project and explains how the grant writer will attempt to solve a problem (thus arguing what should be done), that grant writer must first convince a potential sponsor that there is a problem and that the suggested course of action will alleviate the problem (Ramage, 2006, p. 120).

Persuasive Prose

While strategies for argumentation can help grant writers find things to say and develop the best arguments, it is also worth paying attention to how one expresses those arguments. The stasis theory can sometimes help writers with persuasive expression and following strategies for generating persuasive prose will help even more. Choices about language, details, and evidence can help writers of grant proposals guide their readers’ attention and frame their perception of the proposal. While it is always important to take ethical considerations into account because our projects show “what values we hold dear and what principles we will always fight for” (Pettey, 2008, p. xv), good arguments coupled with persuasive prose can help you make the best case possible for a project you would like to see funded. You can write persuasive material for grants while also being transparent.

Closing Thoughts

During the grant writing process, it is also important to consider the need to adjust. Even if one applies for the same grant in multiple years, no two writing situations are the same. Writing can and should be adjusted depending on the particulars of any given circumstance, and it is important to pay close attention to those circumstances each time you submit a letter of intent or respond to an RFP. Different sponsors may have different requirements or be more receptive to different arguments, evidence, or language. The following tutorials will prepare you for the decisions you will need to make as you search for funding for your important project.

The tutorials are as follows:

1. Overview: Introduction to Grant Writing
2. What are Grants, and What is Grant Writing?
3. Finding a Need
4. Types of Grants
5. Developing a Solution
6. Writing a Compelling Case Statement
7. Researching What's Been Done
8. Finding a Sponsor
9. Understanding RFPs
10. Deliverable

Resources

libguides.gcu.edu/grants

References

Aubrey, S. B. (2014). Find grant funding now! The five-step prosperity process for entrepreneurs and business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 

Browning, B. A. (2014). Grant writing for dummies. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Mikelonis, V. M., Betsinger, S. T., & Kampf, C. (2003). Grant seeking in an electronic age. New York: Pearson/Longman. 

Pettey, J. G. (2008). Foreword. In J. G. Pettey (Ed.), Ethical fundraising: A guide for nonprofit boards and fundraisers, pp. Xv-xvii. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Ramage, J. (2006). Rhetoric: A user’s guide. New York: Pearson/Longman.