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What is a grant?
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Why is it worthwhile to write a grant proposal?
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Who can write a grant proposal?
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What are the standard components of a grant proposal?
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How do you prepare a strong grant proposal?
Has your community identified an important health or community priority and a promising strategy for addressing it, but lacks the resources needed to move forward? A grant may provide funding, strengthen organizational capacity, and support community-led action.
Whether you are preparing your first proposal or returning to grant writing after some time away, this section can help you organize the process. The discussion focuses primarily on public-sector grants, but many of the principles also apply to foundation and other grant opportunities.
What is a grant?
A grant is financial or other support provided to an organization, group, or individual for an approved purpose. A grant proposal is the written or electronic application used to request that support and explain what the applicant proposes to accomplish.
Grants are not the same as contracts. A grant generally supports activities consistent with an approved purpose while allowing the recipient some responsibility for how the work is carried out within the funder's requirements. A contract is a legally binding agreement in which an organization or individual provides specified goods or services under defined terms. Always review the specific requirements of the funding opportunity.
Grant funding is available from public and private sources. Public grants may be offered by federal, state, tribal, territorial, or local government agencies. Private grants may come from foundations, corporations, community foundations, philanthropic organizations, or other funders.
Public funding priorities change over time as laws, budgets, community conditions, and policy priorities change. For that reason, use current funding announcements and official application materials rather than relying on older examples when determining what programs are currently supported.
Why is it worthwhile to write a grant proposal?
You may decide to pursue a grant for several reasons:
- You want to begin a new project that responds to an identified community priority, need, or opportunity.
- You want to strengthen or expand an existing project and the additional costs cannot reasonably be covered within your current budget.
- You have identified a funder whose priorities align with the program, initiative, or community work you want to support.
- Your organization meets the eligibility requirements for the funding opportunity.
- You have the staff time, partnerships, information, and other capacity needed to develop a strong proposal and carry out the project if funded.
- You have been invited to apply for funding.
Before investing substantial time in an application, make sure the opportunity is genuinely aligned with your mission, community priorities, organizational capacity, and long-term plans.
Where can you find funding opportunities?
Most grant research and application processes now take place online. For federal opportunities, Grants.gov provides a central location for organizations to search for funding opportunities, review eligibility and application requirements, subscribe to updates, and submit applications. Individual federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local agencies may also publish opportunities through their own funding portals.
Foundation and philanthropic opportunities can be researched through funder websites, Candid and other grant databases, community foundations, nonprofit resource centers, philanthropy networks, professional associations, and organizations working in related fields.
Useful sources may include:
- Grants.gov and the websites of relevant federal agencies
- State, tribal, territorial, county, and local government funding portals
- Candid and other current foundation and philanthropy research tools
- Community foundations and regional philanthropic organizations
- Nonprofit associations and technical-assistance organizations
- Professional associations, issue-specific networks, and newsletters
- Colleagues and community partners with relevant grant-development experience
Always verify opportunities through the funder's official materials. Be cautious about services that charge unnecessary fees, guarantee grant awards, or request sensitive financial information without a legitimate application process.
What is a typical proposal timeline?
Grant applications vary greatly in length and complexity. Some require only a brief concept paper, while others involve extensive narratives, budgets, work plans, evaluation measures, organizational documents, partner commitments, and electronic forms.
Deadlines can also vary considerably. Begin planning as early as possible so there is enough time to involve community members and partners, develop the project and budget, obtain required approvals, gather supporting documents, complete registrations, review the application, and resolve technical submission issues before the deadline.
Who can write a grant proposal?
Grant writing can be learned. Start by reading the funding announcement and application instructions carefully. Create a checklist of required components, eligibility requirements, deadlines, submission instructions, page or character limits, file formats, required registrations, and attachments.
A strong proposal is often a collaborative effort. One person may coordinate the writing, while staff members, community partners, participants, evaluators, finance staff, and others contribute information or review sections relevant to their expertise.
You do not need a particular academic degree to write an effective proposal. Clear writing matters, but so do a strong project design, accurate evidence, meaningful community participation, realistic goals, a credible evaluation plan, and a budget that reflects the actual resources needed.
Have at least one person who was not the primary writer review the proposal for clarity, consistency, accessibility, accuracy, and compliance with the funder's requirements.
What are the standard components of a grant proposal?
Funding opportunities vary, so always follow the specific instructions provided by the funder. Many proposals, however, contain some version of the following elements:
- Cover letter, title page, executive summary, or abstract
- Statement of community context, priorities, and need
- Project description, including goals, objectives, methods, activities, and timeline
- Evaluation and learning plan
- Budget request and budget justification
- Applicant qualifications and organizational capacity
- Sustainability or continuation plan, when required
- Appendices and required supporting documents
Cover letter, title page, and abstract
Follow the funder's instructions about whether a cover letter, title page, letter of intent, executive summary, or abstract is required and how each should be submitted.
A cover letter, when requested, might:
- Briefly describe the organization's interest in and capacity to carry out the proposed project
- Clearly communicate the purpose and significance of the request
- Summarize the proposed project
- Identify an appropriate contact person
Clear, accurate writing communicates professionalism, but writing style alone should not be treated as evidence of an organization's ability to carry out community work. Review the proposal carefully for errors because clarity helps reviewers understand your ideas and reduces the possibility of confusion.
A title page may include:
- Project title
- Applicant organization
- Relevant contact information
- Funder or funding opportunity
- Proposed project period
- Total amount requested
Some funders first request a letter of intent or concept paper. These shorter documents usually summarize the issue or opportunity, proposed strategy, expected results, organization, partnerships, and funding request. Follow the specific length and content requirements provided.
An abstract or executive summary generally provides a concise overview of the community context and need, project goals, key activities, expected outcomes, evaluation approach, partnerships, and organizational capacity.
Statement of Community Context, Priorities, and Need
This section explains why the proposed work matters. A strong statement combines reliable data with community knowledge and lived experience and avoids portraying communities only through deficits or problems.
Your statement should:
- Document the issue, condition, opportunity, or unmet need using relevant quantitative and qualitative evidence
- Describe relevant social, economic, environmental, organizational, policy, and structural conditions
- Identify community strengths, assets, relationships, and resources that the proposed work can build on
- Describe previous or existing approaches and what has been learned from them
- Explain how people most directly affected by the issue helped identify the priority or shape the proposed response
Use current, reliable data whenever possible. Depending on the issue, sources may include the U.S. Census Bureau and American Community Survey, public health surveillance systems, education or labor data, state and local government sources, administrative records, peer-reviewed research, community assessments, and other credible datasets.
Compare local data with appropriate benchmarks when doing so adds useful context. Avoid using comparisons simply to make a community appear deficient. Explain what the numbers mean and, where possible, disaggregate data thoughtfully to identify inequities without stereotyping groups.
If existing data do not answer important questions, consider gathering additional information through interviews, listening sessions, focus groups, surveys, observation, or other participatory methods. Follow appropriate privacy, consent, accessibility, compensation, and ethical practices.
For example, if residents and students have raised concerns about pedestrian safety around schools after significant neighborhood growth, combine available crash, traffic, infrastructure, and transportation data with the experiences of students, families, school staff, residents, people with disabilities, and others who use the area. This creates a fuller picture than relying on intuition alone.
Your proposal may build on existing work, adapt an evidence-informed approach, develop something new, or combine several strategies. Innovation can be useful, but novelty by itself is not a substitute for evidence, community fit, feasibility, or collaboration.
Tips for presenting data
- Use comparisons when they add meaningful context, such as trends over time, differences among geographic areas, or differences among populations that are relevant to the issue
- Choose a chart type appropriate to the data rather than using a particular format by default
- Use line charts when showing change over time is the main purpose
- Use bar charts when comparing categories or groups
- Use accurate, descriptive titles and identify the period represented by the data
- Clearly label axes and units of measure
- Include legends or other explanations when needed
- Make charts accessible by using readable labels, sufficient contrast, alternative text where appropriate, and patterns or direct labels rather than relying only on color
- Do not divide people into demographic categories unless those categories are relevant to the analysis and supported by the available data
Project Description
The project description explains how the proposed work will be carried out. It should connect directly to the priorities and evidence described earlier and provide enough detail for reviewers and future project staff to understand the approach.
The project description commonly includes:
- Goals and objectives
- Methods and activities
- A timeline, work plan, or implementation schedule
- Roles of staff, participants, community partners, and other collaborators
- Accessibility, equity, and participation considerations relevant to implementation
Goals and Objectives
Goals are broad statements describing the longer-term change or condition the project seeks to support. Objectives identify specific results, activities, or milestones that can be assessed over a defined period.
Well-written objectives are generally:
- Specific. They clearly identify what is expected to change or be completed, for whom or where, and within what period.
- Measurable. Progress can be assessed with appropriate quantitative or qualitative information.
- Achievable. They are realistic given the time, resources, evidence, partnerships, and conditions involved.
- Relevant. They connect clearly to the organization's mission and community priorities.
- Time-bound. They specify when progress or completion will be assessed.
- Meaningful. They address outcomes or activities that matter to the people and communities involved.
Less specific objective: "Gather feedback from people using prenatal care about barriers to receiving care early in pregnancy."
More specific objective: "During the first project year, invite at least 100 people who recently received prenatal care through Medicaid or private insurance to provide voluntary feedback about factors that supported or limited access to care during the first trimester."
Participation in surveys, interviews, or other data collection should be voluntary where applicable, and the proposal should address informed consent, privacy, accessibility, language access, and appropriate compensation or other support for participants.
Process and outcome objectives
A process objective describes an activity or implementation milestone. An outcome objective describes a change the project seeks to support.
Example process objective: "During the first project year, provide evidence-informed heart-health information through at least 20 community and clinical outreach locations."
Example outcome objective: "By the end of the three-year project period, reduce the prevalence of uncontrolled high blood pressure among participating adults by an agreed-upon amount from baseline."
Methods
The methods section describes how the project will accomplish its objectives. Explain the sequence of activities, who will carry them out, who will participate, how partners will be involved, and how accessibility and community input will be incorporated.
For educational or outreach materials, for example, consider:
- Whether an existing evidence-informed resource can be adapted rather than creating something new
- Who should participate in developing or reviewing the material, including subject-matter experts and intended users
- Whether translation, interpretation, plain-language versions, alternative formats, or other accessibility supports are needed
- How materials will be produced, distributed, promoted, and updated
- Which settings, organizations, networks, and communication channels will effectively reach the people the project is intended to serve
- How implementation and reach will be documented without creating unnecessary burden
Make clear how activities connect to one another and to the objectives. A work plan, logic model, flowchart, or Gantt chart may help show timing, dependencies, responsibilities, and milestones when appropriate.
Evaluation and Learning Plan
The evaluation plan explains how you will assess implementation, outcomes, equity, participant experience, and other relevant aspects of the project. It should describe what information will be collected, from whom, how, when, and how findings will be analyzed and used.
Evaluation can help your organization:
- Clarify what success or meaningful progress looks like
- Learn what is working, for whom, under what conditions, and what should be adjusted
- Understand the resources required for different activities and outcomes
- Meet funder reporting and accountability requirements
- Share learning with participants, partners, and the broader community
From a funder's perspective, evaluation can help demonstrate:
- Whether agreed-upon activities and objectives were achieved
- Whether resources were used as proposed
- What outcomes, lessons, and value resulted from the investment
Process evaluation examines how the project was implemented. Outcome evaluation examines changes associated with the project. Many projects use both.
Avoid claiming that observed changes were caused by your project unless the evaluation design supports that conclusion. Community outcomes are usually influenced by many programs, policies, environmental conditions, social factors, and other changes occurring at the same time.
Design evaluation methods that are proportionate to the project and feasible with available resources. When collecting information from people, address informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, accessibility, compensation where appropriate, data security, and responsible use of findings.
Budget Request and Budget Justification
The budget should reflect the actual resources required to carry out the activities described in the proposal. Every significant budget item should connect clearly to the project design.
Common budget categories may include:
- Salaries and wages
- Payroll taxes and required employment costs
- Benefits
- Indirect or administrative costs, when allowable
- In-kind contributions or cost sharing, when applicable
- Facilities and utilities
- Equipment, technology, and supplies
- Communications, printing, postage, and digital services
- Travel and transportation
- Interpretation, translation, accessibility, and accommodations
- Participant compensation, childcare or dependent-care support, meals, transportation, or other supports needed for equitable participation
- Evaluation and data-management costs
Staffing may be expressed in full-time equivalents (FTEs) or another format required by the funder. Use current and realistic compensation estimates and include appropriate benefits and employment costs.
Indirect costs help cover shared organizational expenses necessary to support a project, such as administration, facilities, information technology, finance, human resources, and other infrastructure. Follow the funder's rules concerning indirect-cost rates.
In-kind contributions are non-cash resources contributed to the project, such as staff time, space, equipment, or professional services. Document them accurately and follow the funder's requirements for valuation and allowable cost sharing.
The budget justification should explain:
- Why each significant cost is necessary
- How the amount was calculated
- How the expense connects to project activities
- Any assumptions used to estimate salaries, travel, supplies, contracts, participant support, or other costs
When preparing the budget:
- Stay within the funder's allowable funding range
- Make sure amounts are consistent across the narrative, budget, justification, and required forms
- For multi-year proposals, use reasonable assumptions about compensation adjustments, inflation, and changing costs
- Ask people with relevant experience to review estimates for activities your organization has not previously carried out
For example, suppose you plan to conduct three focus groups with parents facing economic barriers whose young children have significant health or support needs. A realistic and equitable budget might consider:
- Community outreach and recruitment
- Appropriate compensation or honoraria for participants' time and expertise
- Transportation or remote-participation support
- Childcare or dependent-care support
- Food and beverages when appropriate
- A trained facilitator or qualitative researcher
- Interpretation, translation, or bilingual facilitation
- Accessibility accommodations
- Recording, transcription, qualitative analysis, and secure data management
Applicant Qualifications and Organizational Capacity
Use this section to explain why your organization and partners are well positioned to carry out the proposed work. Rather than simply arguing that you are better than other applicants, demonstrate relevant experience, relationships, expertise, community trust, infrastructure, and capacity.
Include information such as:
- Your organization's mission, history, and relevant experience
- Relevant strengths, accomplishments, community relationships, and lessons learned
- Partnerships and resources that will contribute to implementation
- How participants or people most affected by the issue will contribute to planning, implementation, governance, or evaluation
- Financial, administrative, evaluation, data, and operational systems needed to manage the award responsibly
Future Funding Plans / Plans for Sustainability
Some funders ask how important activities or outcomes will continue after the grant period. Sustainability does not necessarily mean that a project must eventually generate enough revenue to support itself completely.
Sustainability may involve maintaining the most valuable activities, embedding practices within existing organizations, securing public or philanthropic support, strengthening community ownership, developing partnerships, transitioning responsibilities, integrating services into ongoing systems, or identifying other resources.
Consider questions such as:
- Which elements of the project should continue after the grant, and why?
- Could activities be integrated into existing organizational or public systems?
- Could additional grants, contracts, public funding, donations, or partnerships support continuation?
- Are earned-income strategies or fees appropriate without creating barriers to access?
- What knowledge, skills, relationships, or infrastructure will remain after the grant?
- How will community partners and participants be involved in decisions about continuation?
Avoid promising sustainability that is unrealistic. Explain what you reasonably expect to continue, what resources will be required, and what actions you will take during the grant period to strengthen long-term viability.
Appendices
Appendices contain supporting materials requested or permitted by the funder. Include only materials that are relevant and allowable.
Examples may include:
- Communications, outreach, or dissemination plans
- Organizational or project staffing charts
- Work plans or timelines
- Evaluation tools or data-collection instruments
- Relevant educational, outreach, or program materials
- Biosketches, resumes, or curricula vitae for key personnel when requested
- Letters of commitment, participation, or support
Letters from partner organizations should accurately describe the partner's role, commitment, resources, and relationship to the project. Generic endorsement letters are usually less useful than letters that clearly explain what the partner has agreed to do.
If you help draft a letter for a partner, make sure the partner reviews, approves, and signs the final version and that it accurately represents its commitments.
How do you prepare a strong grant proposal?
Grant programs are often competitive, and many strong proposals cannot be funded because resources are limited. The goal is to submit a proposal that is responsive to the funding announcement, grounded in evidence and community priorities, feasible, well organized, and clear about what the requested resources will accomplish.
An unsuccessful application does not necessarily mean the proposed work lacks value. When feedback is available, use it to strengthen future proposals while continuing to assess whether the funder's priorities remain aligned with your mission and community commitments.
Characteristics of Strong Proposals
- Follow all application instructions and eligibility requirements
- Organize information clearly so reviewers can easily understand how the sections connect
- Use reliable quantitative and qualitative evidence to explain community context, priorities, strengths, and needs
- Clearly explain how the proposed work aligns with the funding opportunity without distorting organizational or community priorities
- Use evidence-informed, culturally responsive, accessible, and feasible strategies
- Establish ambitious but realistic goals and objectives
- Use measurable or otherwise assessable objectives that reflect meaningful progress
- Include an evaluation and learning plan appropriate to the project's scope, resources, and intended outcomes
- Demonstrate meaningful participation by people and communities affected by the proposed work
- Include a realistic budget that supports fair compensation, accessibility, participation, implementation, and evaluation
- Explain the applicant's and partners' relevant experience, relationships, capacity, and responsibilities
Common Proposal Weaknesses
- Failing to follow the funder's current application, formatting, attachment, submission, or deadline requirements
- Writing that is unclear, inconsistent, overly technical, or difficult to navigate
- Insufficient relevant experience or an unclear plan for obtaining the partnerships or expertise needed to carry out the work
- Limited meaningful participation from people and communities affected by the project
- A proposal that is too broad, unfocused, or disconnected from the available resources
- An approach that does not fit the community context, evidence, priorities, or people the project is intended to reach
- An unrealistic implementation timeline
- An evaluation plan that does not match the project's objectives or available capacity
- An unrealistic or insufficiently explained budget
- An unclear continuation or sustainability strategy when one is relevant or required
- Proposal sections that contradict one another or do not clearly connect activities, objectives, evaluation, staffing, and budget
In Summary
A grant provides financial or other support for approved work, while a grant proposal explains why the work matters, what will be done, who will be involved, what resources are needed, and how progress and results will be assessed.
Grant proposals can require substantial time and coordination. Read the funding announcement carefully, organize requirements early, and involve people with the knowledge needed to design a credible proposal. This may include staff, participants, community members, partners, finance staff, evaluators, and subject-matter experts.
Common proposal components include:
- Cover letter, title page, executive summary, or abstract
- Statement of community context, priorities, and need
- Project description, goals, objectives, methods, and timeline
- Evaluation and learning plan
- Budget request and justification
- Applicant qualifications and organizational capacity
- Sustainability or continuation plan
- Appropriate supporting materials and partner documentation
Strong proposals are not simply persuasive documents. They are accurate plans for work that is relevant, feasible, appropriately resourced, accountable, and responsive to the people and communities involved. The strongest application is one that fits both the funder's requirements and the organization's mission without allowing the pursuit of funding to displace community priorities.