How to write a grant proposal

1. Read the funder's guidelines first

Before you write a word, read the request for proposals or the funder's guidelines twice. Note who can apply, what the funder pays for, the amount range, the deadline, page limits and every attachment it asks for. If your project doesn't fit, move on: a strong proposal to the wrong funder still loses.

For a federal grant, register in SAM.gov and Grants.gov now. Find funders that fit with the grant finder and put their dates in your calendar from the deadline list.

2. Contact the funder if it allows it

Many foundations want a short call or a letter of inquiry before a full proposal. Ask whether your project fits and what they want to see. Federal agencies list a contact in each notice; read their FAQ first.

3. Plan the project before the prose

Sketch the plan on one page: the resources you have, what you will do, what that produces and what will change. A logic model is the standard way to do this, and many funders ask for one. Every later section comes from it.

4. Write the statement of need

Describe the problem the people you serve face, with a local number and its source, and why it matters now. Keep it about them, not about your organization's budget. The statement of need template breaks it into five parts, with three full examples.

Example One in six Riverside households is food insecure (county health survey, 2025); our weekday hours miss parents who work shifts, and 64 families are on our waitlist.

5. Describe the project

Say what you will do, who does it, where and when. Match each activity to the need you just described, and name partners and what they bring. Ask partners for a letter of support while you write.

6. Set outcomes and say how you will measure them

Give two to four outcomes, each with a number, a date and who benefits. Then say how you will measure each one, who collects the data and when you will report.

Example By June 30, 120 families served each Saturday and the waitlist cut from 64 families to zero, measured by weekly sign-ins and a quarterly two-question survey.

7. Build the budget and the budget narrative

List each cost by category, the amount you ask this funder for and what other sources cover. Use the funder's budget form if it has one; otherwise the grant budget template adds it up for you. In the budget narrative, explain each line in a sentence: who, how much and why the project needs it.

Check the indirect cost rule. Federal grants allow a 15% de minimis rate on modified direct costs for organizations without a negotiated rate; many foundations cap indirect costs at 10% to 15%.

8. Show you can deliver, and what happens after the grant

In the organization section, give your mission, who you serve, your size and one or two results that prove you deliver. In sustainability, say how the work continues when this grant ends: other funders, your own budget, earned income or a plan to scale down.

9. Write the summary last

The summary goes first but is written last. In three or four sentences: who you are, what you will do, for whom, the amount you ask for and what it will achieve.

Example Riverside Food Pantry requests $25,000 to open a Saturday pantry serving 120 working families a week in east Riverside, cutting the waitlist to zero by June.

10. Gather the attachments

Most funders ask for some of these: your IRS determination letter, the latest financial statements or audit, the current year's operating budget, a board list, letters of support and resumes of key staff. Collect them early; a missing attachment can disqualify a strong proposal. If you mail or email the proposal, put a one-page cover letter on top that lists what's enclosed.

11. Review against the guidelines and submit early

Read the proposal against the funder's questions and scoring criteria, one by one. Check page limits, fonts and file names. Ask someone outside the project to read it for clarity. Submit a few days before the deadline: online portals slow down near closing, and Grants.gov runs validation checks after you submit.

Then keep track of it in the grant tracker. If the answer is no, ask the funder for feedback and apply again next cycle.