Successful Grant Writing for Nonprofits: Proven Tactics to Secure Funds
For nonprofits, grants are more than just funding - they are the fuel that powers your mission to create lasting change. Whether you are helping kids from disadvantaged backgrounds reach their potential, supporting older adults to age with dignity or protecting the environment, securing grants can unlock the resources you need to bring to expand your programs, reach more people and tackle pressing challenges in the communities you serve.
For example, in 2024, the New York Community Trust awarded $44.2 million to nonprofits advancing health and equity across New York. This included $500,000 to the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center to train bilingual social workers for mental healthcare at five settlement houses, $350,000 to New Visions for Public Schools to develop a digital tool to help teachers assess and improve middle and high school students’ reading skills and $80,000 to Rebuilding Together NYC to prepare adult jobseekers for union apprenticeships.
Screenshot from the New York Community Trust’s website
Despite its benefits, writing a winning grant proposal can feel daunting.
At its heart, grant writing for nonprofits is about connection - convincing funders that your work matters and aligns with their goals. It’s about telling your nonprofit’s story in a way that inspires them to invest in your mission.
This article will guide you through the essentials of grant writing, from crafting standout proposals to finding practical strategies for success. Along the way, you’ll learn tips, avoid common pitfalls and uncover resources to make the process more manageable. Let’s dive in and help your nonprofit to get the money you need to change the world.
Grant writing for nonprofits is a crucial skill for you to get the money you need to change the world
What is Grant Writing for Nonprofits?
Grant writing for nonprofits is the process of crafting proposals to secure funding from entities that provide financial support. A strong grant proposal tells the story of your nonprofit’s work and highlights how the funding will create a meaningful impact. Nonprofits can typically receive funding from a diverse range of sources. To highlight a few of the main sources:
Government agencies - at the federal, state and local levels. For example, the New York City Civic Engagement Commission provides an annual grant of approximately $52,000 for community-based organizations to implement the Participatory Budgeting process in their neighborhoods over a year. These grants may cover broad costs, such as staff salaries or program expenses, or specific needs like materials or facility upgrades.
Private Foundations - foundations like the New York Community Trust and the Robin Hood Foundation hold open and targeted grant calls to address critical local issues such as poverty alleviation, education and healthcare access. Family-based foundations like the ECCA Family Foundation run private calls for nonprofits working in areas like nature conservation and community development. These grants often include funding for manpower, making them essential for nonprofit operations.
Bloomberg L.P. employees volunteer at the Materials for the Arts, New York City's largest creative reuse center dedicated to supporting arts and cultural organizations
Donor-Advised Funds - charitable accounts set up by individuals, families or corporations. These funds are invested and disbursed as grants to nonprofits aligned with the donor’s interests. For example, Fidelity Charitable is a major donor-advised fund and has supported nonprofits in areas such as education, health, and community development, deploying over $11 billion to 199,000 unique nonprofits in 2023
Corporate Grants and Donations - organizations like Bloomberg Philanthropies and JPMorgan Chase actively support nonprofits through grants and in-kind donations. For example, JPMorgan Chase has funded workforce development programs, while Google has supported technology education initiatives. Corporate grants often come with opportunities for employee engagement or skill-based volunteering.
This funding landscape offers nonprofits a mix of options to support their missions effectively. By understanding the unique priorities and requirements of each funding source, nonprofits can craft stronger proposals and build lasting relationships with funders.
How to Find Grants?
There are typically three strategies to uncover grant opportunities.
First, attending networking and industry events such as the Nonprofit New York’s Annual Conference or conferences like SOCAP can offer opportunities to meet representatives from foundations and grant-makers.
Attending events like SOCAP can be helpful in meeting funders
Second, online tools like Candid’s Foundation Directory or Instrumentl can help simplify the search process by aggregating grant opportunities tailored to your nonprofit’s mission. They allow you to filter thousands of grants and identify the most relevant options in minutes.
Third, sometimes studying the annual reports of nonprofits in similar spaces can reveal potential funders. For example, WINGS, a nonprofit in Singapore which supports women to age well, lists grantors and donors in its reports - valuable information for organizations serving similar demographics.
Screenshot of WINGS’ Annual Report which lists information on grantors and donors
By diversifying your approach and leveraging relationships and online tools, you can unlock more grant opportunities and boost your nonprofit’s chances of securing essential funding.
How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal?
So you’ve found a grant that aligns perfectly with your nonprofit’s mission - now comes the hard part: crafting a proposal that stands out from the competition. Here are some tips I’ve found useful over the years in crafting a winning grant proposal.
Articulate the issue well
Most grant applications begin by asking you to describe the problem your nonprofit addresses and the community it impacts. To craft a compelling response, focus on two key elements:
First, define the issue and who is affected. Be specific about the community affected and use data or real-world examples to illustrate the scope and depth of the issue. Second, explain why the issue matters and why we should address it now (and not a year from now). Some narratives I typically use to demonstrate urgency are:
This problem affects a significant number of people - if possible, show the scale of the issue by using larger numbers and help the reader to make sense of these numbers by telling a story about these numbers. For example, one of my mentors once asked in Parliament: “If the government has declared war on diabetes, which affects one in nine Singaporeans, shouldn’t we do the same for mental health conditions, which affect one in seven?” This powerful framing highlights the urgency and importance of addressing the issue, connecting data to a compelling narrative.
This problem has a significant negative impact - for example, for a voter engagement grant application, I focused on: what is the negative impact of young people not coming out to vote? Keep asking ‘so what?’ until you feel like you can’t anymore. Typically asking ‘so what’ for more than 3 times gives a good response.
The goal of this section is to convince funders that this issue is significant and causes substantial harm. This is arguably the most important part of a grant proposal - if the funder isn’t convinced of the problem, they won’t be convinced of your solution (i.e. the program that you are asking for funding for). If you can, you might even include information about existing solutions and why their limitations in addressing the issue.
Example:
Voter turnout in Queens is alarmingly low for local elections, which have a more direct impact on residents’ daily lives than State or Presidential elections. In the 2021 Mayor and City Council general elections, only 22.9% of Queens voters participated, contributing to New York City’s lowest voter turnout in 70 years at just 23.3%. By contrast, turnout was 55% for the 2020 Presidential election and 38% for the 2022 Governor’s race.
The numbers are even more troubling among young voters under 39. In 2021, voters aged 18–29 and 30–39 recorded turnout rates of only 11.1% and 16.3%, respectively—the lowest across all age groups. Comparatively, older voters, such as those aged 70–79, turned out at significantly higher rates (37.9%).
The consequences of this disparity are severe. When young people abstain from voting, power becomes concentrated in a narrower demographic, leading to policies that may neglect the needs of younger citizens who are poised to inherit the challenges of tomorrow. It may also hinder the injection of fresh perspectives and ideas into the political landscape and lead to civic apathy, which can weaken our democracy.
In the Queensbridge, Ravenswood, and Astoria neighborhoods alone, there are an estimated 3,898 young people aged 20–39, many of whom live in public housing and face significant challenges, including food insecurity, employment instability, and barriers to education. For these young residents, the decisions made by city officials have a profound and immediate impact on their lives. Mobilizing them to vote is not just about representation—it’s about ensuring their voices shape the policies that affect them most.
How might we increase the turnout rate of the young voters aged 18 - 29 living, working or studying in the Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Astoria neighborhoods to stop the drop in voter turnout for important elections in 2025?
Incorporate Best Practices Identified Through Research
Conduct research to learn about successful programs that have addressed a similar challenge locally or in other countries and identify some key learning points that you can incorporate into your proposed solution. The key is to convince the funder that you have done your research and have designed your solution along these best practices.
Example:
After studying best practices for voter engagement across the United States, we’ve identified three key dimensions of a successful solution:
Uses relational organizing methods - the most effective voter turnout efforts are rooted in relational organizing, where individuals mobilize their friends, family, and neighbors—people who trust and listen to them. For example, the Colorado Progressive Coalition trained 150 neighborhood ‘captains’ to engage their peers, resulting in significant turnout improvements. Relational conversations have also proven powerful in climate advocacy. In North Carolina, intergenerational climate discussions increased concern for climate change among both children and parents, particularly conservative parents who were initially the least concerned.
Implemented through a Settlement House - Settlement houses are uniquely positioned to drive voter engagement. United Neighborhood Houses found that voters who pledged to vote through 15 settlement houses during the 2021 General Elections were nearly twice as likely to vote (43%) compared to the citywide average (23.3%). Settlement houses, trusted by their communities and staffed by locals, offer multi-generational services that naturally foster pathways to civic engagement and voting.
Have an intergenerational element - with voters aged 70–79 recording the highest turnout (37.9%) in the 2021 General Elections, what if we connected them with young voters, who have the lowest turnout rates? Their stories and life experiences could inspire and motivate young people to engage in voting, bridging generational gaps to strengthen democracy.
Explain your solution clearly
The key to this section is to give the funder a clear understanding of the key features of your solution and how it addresses the issue you have raised or aligns with the best practices of other solutions you have identified above.
Example:
To increase the turnout rate of young voters, we are creating an Intergenerational Democracy Fellowship, targeted at 15 youths aged 17 - 29 and 15 older adults aged above 60, to train them to become community leaders to organize their friends, family and neighbors to vote. This 3-month Fellowship (approximately 3 sessions per month) will have three main stages, each with modules that cover specific learning outcomes:
Stage 1: Inquire - Help fellows to understand the context of low youth voter turnout, the history of voting and democracy in the United States, along with the different ways democracy can be practiced outside of government
Stage 2: Inform - Equip fellows with practical skills to facilitate Democracy Circles, including: facilitation skills, audience segmentation skills, public speaking skills, etc
Stage 3: Involve - Mobilize teams of two (1 youth and 1 older adult) to host conversations (called “Democracy Circles”) about democracy and voting with their friends, family and neighbors who are unlikely to vote. Teams will host 30 conversations in total (2 per team), reaching at least 150 participants (5 participants per conversation)
Propose an evaluation framework
Propose an evaluation framework that funders can use to assess the effectiveness of your program. This also helps funders report to their Board of Directors that they are making sensible funding decisions. For example, you can create a table like this:
Another way is to create a Logic Model for your program, a systematic and visual way to present and share your understanding of the relationships among the inputs (resources), activities and outputs needed for your organization or program to achieve outcomes and impact. Logic Models are most commonly used for program modeling, design and evaluation.
Other tips:
Where possible, frame your funding request with a return on investment (ROI) narrative to demonstrate the value of your program - For example, if the Intergenerational Democracy Fellowship will engage 30 fellows, who will in turn reach 150 participants through the Democracy Circles, this means 180 individuals will benefit from high-impact, evidence-based interactions designed to restore civic trust and strengthen democracy. Using a cost-per-person metric, the total program cost of $41,280 translates to just $229.30 per person. For $229.30, we’re not only safeguarding democracy but also planting the seeds of civic leadership with long-term ripple effects. Isn’t that a small price to pay for such transformative impact?
If asked about team members or partners, don’t just list names and titles - explain why they’re uniquely qualified to ensure the project’s success. Highlight specific experiences, qualifications, or networks that directly contribute to achieving your goals. The aim is to assure the funder that your team has the expertise to deliver meaningful results. For example, you might emphasize that your Program Director previously led an initiative with 200 youths, achieving a 75% increase in voter turnout. This concrete example demonstrates both capability and a proven track record of impact.
Include key risks and mitigation strategies - this can strengthen your case, showing thoughtful planning and building funder trust. For example, a potential risk for the Intergenerational Democracy Fellowship is that youths and older adults might lose interest or struggle to commit to the 3-month program due to conflicting priorities. To mitigate this, we can schedule sessions at convenient times, incorporate engaging activities, and offer incentives like certificates or small stipends. Regular check-ins and clear communication about the program’s impact can also sustain motivation. This approach highlights your proactive planning and commitment to ensuring program success.
Where possible, provide citations for statistics used to help the funder easily verify key points - whether it’s from news reports, government publications or reputable research studies, properly sourced data strengthens the credibility of your proposal and demonstrates your attention to detail.
Before submitting your proposal, have someone review it with a Devil’s Advocate mindset, identifying gaps or weaknesses - ask them to challenge the return on investment or value proposition your program offers. By addressing potential funder concerns upfront, you can strengthen your proposal and boost its chances of success.
Grant Writing for Non-Profits: Do’s and Don’ts
Do’s:
First, research the funder to understand their priorities and past projects, so you can tailor your proposal to align with their goals. For example, if responding to the GIC Impact Programme Grant Call, begin by reviewing their application guide to grasp their eligibility criteria and strategic outcomes.
Through this research, you might discover that creating meaningful volunteer opportunities for GIC employees is a key criterion. Delving into their Annual Report could reveal details about previous volunteer programs they have curated for their employees, such as their partnership with Mandai Wildlife Group to benefit vulnerable seniors.
With this knowledge, you can craft a targeted narrative, such as: highlighting how your project could engage up to 75% of their approximately 1,800 employees in Singapore and deepen their connection with vulnerable seniors, building on GIC’s past efforts. This tailored approach not only meets their priorities but also strengthens the relevance of your proposal to the reviewer.
Second, when preparing your budget, include detailed breakdowns and clearly state the assumptions behind your calculations. This demonstrates to the funder that your budget is both realistic and prudent. For example, if listing the cost of flights between Nairobi and New York as US $1,017, you could include a note in the remarks column: “Cost based on the middle of three options after comparing multiple flight booking websites—$993 for a 29-hour flight, $1,017 for a 19-hour flight, and $1,215 for a 14-hour flight.” Providing this context builds trust and assures funders of your thoughtful use of their resources.
Third, before submitting your proposal, take time to review it for any typos, grammatical errors or unclear writing that can distract the reader from your message and make you come across as unprofessional. If you can, have someone else proofread it for you.
Don’ts:
First, be realistic about what your nonprofit can achieve within the grant’s scope and avoid overpromising. Overpromising can harm your credibility and reduce future funding opportunities, especially when funders may consult one another as part of their due diligence processes. Instead, aim to underpromise and overdeliver, building a strong reputation with funders.
Second, avoid using the same proposal template for every grant. Funders value personalized proposals that align with their priorities. For instance, while supporting a social enterprise with its grant application to the DBS Foundation, I highlighted how DBS’ access to the Thai market and its Employee Assistance Program for its 22,000 employees in Singapore could enhance the project’s go-to-market strategy.
Grant Writing Support and Resources
For many nonprofits, juggling tight schedules and competing priorities can make grant writing feel overwhelming. Often, it’s squeezed into the workload of already busy staff, leading to a reactive, ad-hoc process that leaves little room for big-picture planning to attract and keep funders on board.
Bringing in a grant writing consultant on a project basis can be a game-changer. They bring the expertise to craft strong, persuasive proposals and help you map out a longer-term funding strategy. Plus, it’s a cost-effective way to get professional support without committing to a full-time hire.
Ready to take your grant writing to the next level? Start by identifying a potential grant today and applying the strategies mentioned in this guide.
Whether you invest in professional help or training, taking a strategic approach to grant writing can open up more opportunities and help your nonprofit grow its impact.
In my experience, these are the typical steps involved in a grant proposal
Frequently Asked Questions
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Crafting a successful grant proposal begins with identifying opportunities that align with your nonprofit’s goals, often through networking or funder events. From there, the focus shifts to developing a compelling proposal that clearly outlines your project’s objectives, activities, budget and impact metrics while aligning with the grantor’s priorities.
Next, seek feedback from colleagues and peers to refine the proposal before submission. If successful, you’ll then prepare interim and final reports to showcase your project’s impact and accountability, strengthening trust and fostering long-term relationships with funders. This approach not only creates strong proposals but also cultivates enduring support for your mission.
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The time needed to write a grant proposal depends on the grant’s complexity, your level of preparedness, and your experience. With an existing program and past materials, a proposal might take just a few days to a week. However, developing a new program requires more time—often several weeks—as it involves additional research to understand the issue, align with funder priorities, craft a compelling narrative, and prepare a detailed budget.
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Rejection is an inevitable part of grant writing, but it’s also a chance to refine your approach. While funders are often too overwhelmed to provide personalized feedback, I still recommend reaching out to ask for insights - sometimes they reply and it’s worth the effort. Building relationships with funders between application cycles is equally important. A simple hello at events or sharing relevant articles can keep you on their radar and increase the likelihood of feedback for future proposals. The key is to ‘dig your well before you are thirsty’, fostering connections that strengthen your chances of success over time.
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The grant writing process works best as a collaborative effort, even if one person leads the writing. Key contributors include program staff, leadership, and finance teams. Program staff provide insights into the problem, solutions, and outcomes. Leadership ensures alignment with your nonprofit’s mission, while the finance team prepares a detailed, accurate budget. Board members or advisors can also add value, particularly if they have connections or expertise in the proposal’s focus area. Bringing in a grant writing consultant can transform how nonprofits approach fundraising. Consultants provide expertise to craft compelling proposals and develop proactive funding strategies, shifting nonprofits from reactive, ad-hoc efforts to a sustainable approach.
Continuing to build relationships with funders can significantly increase your chances of securing a grant
