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I've won more than $20 million for schools, churches, and community-based organizations. I've provided workshops and consultations that helped other organizations write their own award-winning grants. Writing grants is time-consuming and grant writers are expensive. I wrote this handbook for organizations that want to develop their own skills for submitting well-constructed grant proposals.

Excerpts fromThe Handbook for Grant Writing

Writing winning proposals takes time, organization, and perseverance. It can be difficult, but it can be done by anyone who has:
1) decent writing skills,
2) the ability to present ideas and concepts in clear and concise language,
3) the willingness to research and document information, and
4) the strength to push through fatigue, fear, and eleventh-hour obstacles to meet deadlines.

This handbook is designed to increase basic knowledge about the content and process of nonprofit grant writing. It is for the novice-- who really needs to write grants, but doesn't know where to begin. Keep this guide handy. Use the tools provided to organize information as you plan, write, and submit quality proposals to foundation, corporate, and government grantors.

•  Insiders’ tips to give your grant proposal an edge 
  
  Before getting into the meat and potatoes of proposal writing, there are some subtleties of which you must be mindful. They will make a difference between an average product and an award-winning document. Early in my career I was mentored by an outstanding grant writer, Dr. Ellen Karsh, who insisted I adhere to these practices.
  
  Develop a list of needs and priorities before you begin to write proposals. Have an agreement about what’s needed and the direction in which the organization is headed. This eliminates the tendency to write for everything that comes along. It allows you to use time wisely, and only submit grants that are competitive enough to win.
  
  Engage a team in planning. More input from the beginning means more committed individuals to implement a program once it’s funded. It’s called buy-in. If two or three people want to implement a project that requires the cooperation of the entire agency, make sure all the stakeholders are on board. I’ve heard horror stories of funding agencies calling organizations to discuss pending grant applications. The organizational representatives contacted had little knowledge about proposals submitted by their colleagues. In my early days of school-based grant writing, I realized quickly that I could not implement my good ideas alone. Once I won a grant, I had to convince already-busy colleagues to help me implement the services promised. Had I included them from the onset, I would have had committed support throughout the grants’ implementation.
  
  Build partnerships. If you’re providing elder daycare and there’s a non-profit organization two streets away with a thriving food donation program, make friends. When one nonprofit needs what another institution provides, a partnership is in order. Why put food in your budget when neighboring agencies have goals to feed the same target population? Why hire a counselor if the center around the corner is providing free or low-cost counseling for your target clients? This is strategic use of resources; and it stretches the impact of foundation and government funds. That looks very good in a proposal. It shows that you have solid problem-solving skills, that you’ve done the legwork to resolve issues cost effectively. Remember: the outcome is the bottom line. Relationship building creates coalitions and collaborations that concentrate the energy dedicated to a particular cause.
  Think about sustaining your program over time. Grantors like to invest in initiatives that don’t die when their money runs out. Think in terms of putting a system in place that will keep your projects and services afloat for the long haul. Activities like staff training, developing organizational protocol, establishing community networks, and building volunteer programs are examples of actions that might increase an organization’s efficiency and its ability to be self-sustaining.