How to Write a Grant Proposal: Step-by-Step for Nonprofits

Learning how to write a grant proposal is less about clever writing than about disciplined preparation. The proposals that get funded are usually not the most poetic. They are the ones that fit the funder's priorities, answer every question that was asked, and show a credible plan with a budget that matches the story. The good news is that all of that can be learned, and most of it can be done before you write a single paragraph.

This guide walks a first-time or small-team grant writer through the full grant writing process, from deciding whether to apply at all to what to do after you hit submit. It is the cornerstone of our grants series, so you will find links to deeper guides on timing, readiness, funding sources, and tracking along the way. During my years leading a nonprofit as Executive Director, where our team helped secure $25 million in grants, the same lessons showed up again and again, and they are the ones I have built into the steps below.

Before you write: confirm fit and eligibility

The most expensive mistake in grant writing for nonprofits is not a weak proposal. It is a strong proposal sent to the wrong funder. Before you open a blank document, answer these questions honestly.

Does the funder fund what you do? Look at the funder's stated priorities, the populations it serves, and the geography it covers. Then look at who it has actually funded recently. A funder that says it supports "community health" but has only funded university research is telling you something.

Are you eligible? Check the organization type (501(c)(3), government entity, fiscally sponsored project), location, budget size, and years of operation. Some funders require a minimum operating history or cap the share of your budget they will cover.

Is the timing realistic? Count backward from the deadline. If you need letters of support, board approval, or a signed partnership agreement, those take other people's time, not just yours.

Are there registration steps? If you are applying for federal funding, your organization must register with SAM.gov and obtain a Unique Entity ID before it can apply through Grants.gov, according to Grants.gov's applicant registration guidance. Start that early, because you cannot submit without it. Many state and foundation applicants also use online portals that require accounts to be set up in advance.

Can you deliver? Be honest about whether you have the staff, capacity, and any match funding to carry out the work if you win. A grant you cannot manage well can damage a funder relationship you spent years building.

If the answer to any of these is no, pass. A short list of well-matched opportunities will outperform a long list of long shots. If you are not sure your organization is ready to compete, our grant readiness self-assessment will help you find the gaps first.

Read the funder guidelines like a scoring rubric

Funders tell you how they will judge your proposal. Most writers skim the guidelines. Strong writers study them.

Print the request for proposals (RFP) or application guidelines and mark it up. Highlight every required element, every page or character limit, every attachment, and every scoring criterion. If the funder publishes a point system or a reviewer checklist, treat it as your outline. If you see that a section is worth 25 percent of the score, that section deserves about a quarter of your effort, not an afterthought.

Then build a simple compliance checklist, with one line for each required item:

• Required sections and their order
• Page, word, or character limits
• Formatting rules (font, margins, file type)
• Required attachments (IRS determination letter, board list, financial statements, audit, letters of support)
• Budget form or template
• Submission method and exact deadline, including time zone

Language matters too. Notice the words the funder uses and echo them when they accurately describe your work. Making a reviewer's scoring easy is a kindness that pays off.

Finally, if the funder allows questions, ask them. A short call or email to a program officer can clarify whether your project fits, and it starts a relationship. Check the funder's policy first. Some do not accept contact during an open application period.

Build your core proposal components

Funders use different names and orders, but nearly every narrative includes the same building blocks. If you want a working grant proposal template, start with these and adapt them to the funder's grant proposal format.

Organization background

Keep this short and relevant. State your mission, who you serve, how long you have done this work, and one or two credibility markers that bear directly on the project, such as relevant experience, partnerships, or outcomes you can document. Reviewers do not need your full history. They need a reason to trust you with this project.

Statement of need

The need statement answers one question: why does this problem deserve funding, and why here? Use credible, current data from a named source, such as a public health department, a census table, or a published community assessment, and cite it. Pair the data with a human reality that a reviewer can picture, but keep the story short and respectful of the people involved. Be careful about two common traps: describing your organization's needs instead of the community's, and overloading the section with statistics that do not connect to what you will do.

Goals and objectives

Goals describe the change you want to see. Objectives are the specific, measurable steps toward it. A usable objective states who will be affected, what will change, by how much, and by when. "Improve wellbeing" is a hope. "By the end of the 12-month grant period, 80 percent of enrolled participants will complete the program" is an objective, and you can be held to it, so set targets you can reach. (The 80 percent figure is an example only.)

Methods and activities

This is your plan. Describe what you will do, who will do it, in what order, and why you believe it will work. If the approach is based on an established or evidence-informed model, say so and name it. Include a timeline. A simple table showing activities by quarter or month makes a plan feel real and helps reviewers see that the schedule is achievable.

Evaluation

Funders want to know how you will tell whether the project worked. Describe what you will measure, how you will collect the data, who is responsible, and how results will be reported. Distinguish between outputs (what you did, such as people served or sessions held) and outcomes (what changed for those people). Match the evaluation to the size of the grant. A $25,000 award does not need a third-party evaluator, and over-promising here is a common way to blow up a budget. If you need to organize your thinking, a logic model can connect resources, activities, outputs, and outcomes on one page.

Organizational capacity and key personnel

Show that the right people are in place. Name the roles that will carry out the work, summarize relevant qualifications, and describe the systems you have for managing funds and reporting. If you are using partners, explain what each one contributes.

Sustainability

Funders do not want to fund something that disappears the day their money ends. Explain how the work will continue or be absorbed after the grant, whether through other funders, earned revenue, a shift into your operating budget, or a partner. Be specific and realistic. "We will seek other funding" is not a plan.

Write the budget and budget narrative so they match the story

Reviewers often read the budget to test whether the narrative is believable. If the story describes a full-time coordinator and the budget funds a quarter of a salary, they will notice.

Build the budget from your activities. Start with the work plan, then price every resource it requires: personnel (with percentage of time), fringe benefits, supplies, contractors, travel, equipment, evaluation costs, and indirect costs.

Check the funder's rules on indirect costs. Some funders cap them or require a specific rate. Others expect you to use your federally negotiated rate if you have one. Know the rule before you build the numbers.

Show other sources. If the project is supported by multiple funders, show where the rest of the money comes from, and whether those funds are committed or pending. Match requirements are common, so confirm what counts.

Write a budget narrative that explains, not repeats. For each major line, say what it is, how you calculated it, and why it is needed. "Program coordinator, 0.5 FTE at the agency's established salary for the role, responsible for recruitment, scheduling, and data collection" does more work than "Salary: $X."

Do the math twice. Totals that do not add up, or numbers that differ between the narrative, the budget, and the forms, undermine confidence faster than almost anything else. If you want a foundation in the finance side of fundraising and grants, our free resources page has tools to help with this step.

Review, edit, and submit without last-minute panic

Plan your calendar backward from the deadline, and leave real room at the end. A simple structure works well:

• Draft complete: at least two weeks before the deadline for a larger proposal
• Internal review: one reviewer reads for clarity and logic, another checks every number
• Fresh-eyes read: someone outside the project reads it cold and tells you what they think you are asking for
• Final compliance check: go through your checklist line by line
• Submit early: aim for at least 48 hours before the deadline, especially if you are using an online portal

When you edit, cut jargon, shorten long sentences, and confirm that every claim is supported. Read it aloud. If you stumble over a sentence, a reviewer will too. Make sure the executive summary (if one is required) could stand alone, because some reviewers read it first and decide how much attention the rest deserves.

Before you submit, confirm the basics: signatures, board approvals if required, correct attachments, correct file names and formats, and the exact submission method. Portals can fail at the last minute, so do not wait until the final hour to upload.

For a realistic sense of how many hours to plan for, see our guide to how long it takes to write a grant.

Reuse and adapt: building a proposal library

Among the most practical nonprofit grant writing tips is this: stop starting from zero. Build a library of approved, up-to-date content you can adapt:

• Organization history and mission language, in short, medium, and long versions
• Program descriptions and logic models
• Staff bios and board list
• Standard data points and their sources, with dates
• Recent financial statements, your IRS determination letter, and audit or review documents
• Standard budget templates and indirect cost explanations
• Letters of support and partnership agreements that can be updated
• Past proposals and funder feedback

Store everything in one shared location with clear names and dates, and review it at least once a year so nothing goes stale. Reuse is not copy and paste. Always tailor the content to the funder's priorities and language. A library simply means you spend your hours on tailoring and thinking instead of hunting for last year's file.

If you apply to more than a handful of funders a year, a tracking system matters just as much as the library. I walk through how I organize deadlines, reports, and pipeline in this behind-the-scenes look at a grant tracking spreadsheet.

What to do after you submit

The work is not finished when you press submit.

Confirm receipt. Make sure the funder received your application, and save a copy of everything you sent.

Note the decision date. Put it on your calendar, along with any dates when the funder may request more information or hold an interview or site visit.

Prepare for either outcome. If you win, review the award terms carefully, set up reporting calendars, and thank the funder. If you do not, ask for feedback if the funder offers it. Many do not, but some will, and that feedback is worth more than the rejection stings. Record what you learn in your library so the next proposal is stronger.

Look for the next step. Many funders prefer to fund organizations they already know. If you are exploring where to apply next, particularly in the behavioral health space, see our overview of behavioral health grants. And if a funder asks for a short initial pitch before a full application, our letter of inquiry template will help.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a grant proposal be? It depends entirely on the funder. Follow the stated page or character limits exactly. A small foundation may want a few pages, while a federal application can run far longer. When there is no limit, shorter and clearer almost always beats longer.

Can I use the same proposal for multiple funders? You can reuse core content, such as your organizational background and program descriptions, but you should tailor each proposal to the funder's priorities, language, and format. Funders can tell when a proposal has been sent to everyone.

Should I hire a grant writer? It depends on the size of the opportunity, your capacity, and your experience. Many organizations write smaller grants in-house and bring in outside help for larger or more complex applications. A consultant can also help you build the library and systems so your team can do more on its own.

What if I have never won a grant? Start with small, well-matched opportunities, such as local foundations and community funders, and build your track record. Funders want to see that you can deliver. A few small grants managed well often lead to larger ones.

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This post offers general information and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Funder rules and federal registration requirements change, so always confirm current requirements directly with the funder and the official source.

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About the author

Jerry Shirey is the Founder and Principal Consultant of Shirey Consulting & Management, LLC in San Diego, California. He is a NANOE member and holds the CNE, CDE, and CNC credentials, along with SHRM-CP and an MBA. He is a PhD candidate in Social Policy and Behavioral Health Administration at National University. From 2021 to 2024 he served as Executive Director of San Diego Freedom Ranch, where he led a team of 45, grew the budget by 300 percent, and helped secure $25 million in grants. Jerry helps nonprofit leaders with grant writing, fundraising, governance, finance, and interim leadership.

Contact: Jerry@ShireyConsulting.com | 619-669-3295 | LinkedIn

Ready to strengthen your funding strategy? Visit our free resources page or book a free consultation with Jerry.