Learn how to develop successful, fundable grants from experts whose proposals have garnered millions in funded projects.

This course focuses on the skills you'll need to prepare professional, competitive and compelling grant proposals. You'll be guided step-by-step through the entire process of developing and writing a grant proposal. In just six short weeks, you'll be prepared to convert an idea into a complete, well-developed package.

More than a simple how-to, Get Grants! teaches you how to recognize what makes a project attractive to a funding agency and how to create a compelling case. Whether you are thinking of proposal writing as a career option or are looking to help your organization generate additional external funding, this course will show you how to produce more competitive proposals and be more successful in getting grant awards.

This course will be helpful for anyone who has an interest in learning how to get grant funding, including development professionals, educators, and staff or volunteers at non-profit organizations. The instructors of this course bring more than 20 years of experience and know-how to help you Get Grants!

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Recommended Courses:

Students who enrolled in Get Grants! were also interested in the following courses:

Advanced Grant Proposal Writing

A to Z Grant Writing

Introduction to Nonprofit Management

Marketing Your Nonprofit

Writing Effective Grant Proposals

Syllabus:

All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when the lesson is released, but you must complete each lesson within two weeks of its release.

A new section of each course starts on the second or third Wednesday of each month. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart.

Week One

Wednesday - Lesson 01

Each year, nonprofit organizations receive billions of dollars from grant-making entities. How can your organization ensure that some of this money comes into your coffers? The goal of Get Grants is just that, and this lesson will you get started. The first step in getting grants is guaranteeing that you have a fundable project. What's that? You'll find out in this lesson. We'll also talk about how to take an idea and develop it into a proposal.

Friday - Lesson 02

This lesson will provide you with the anatomy of a grant proposal. You'll learn the eight parts of a typical grant and in what order you should develop them. And then, because time is always of the essence, we'll examine how you create a workable timeline so you never frantically work on a proposal only to discover that you missed the deadline. And finally, we'll go into detail on the first part of the proposal—the introduction or, what we might call your section on bragging rights.

Week Two

Wednesday - Lesson 03

Today, we'll get to the heart of the proposal, or the why. The problem statement or needs assessment is where you'll be convincing the funding source why you need their support. But ah, there's a hitch: Funders don't particularly care about things you lack or things that would make you happy—they care about funding projects that address issues or resolve unmet needs that mesh nicely with their priorities. It's a tall order, but after this lesson, you'll have a very good handle on how to detect a real need and then write a concise, clear, and well-documented need statement that makes funding agencies take note.

Friday - Lesson 04

Perhaps the most confusing part of a proposal is figuring out the difference between goals and objectives. But never fear, in this lesson we'll examine the difference so that it becomes crystal clear. We'll see how these goals and objectives flow from the need statement and then flow into developing the specific measurable outcomes grant makers require. By the end of our discussion, you'll never commit the commonly made mistake of confusing activities with objectives or objectives with goals.

Week Three

Wednesday - Lesson 05

Accountability. It's a word that's been cropping up more and more, especially from grantors who want to ensure that their support is being used in a meaningful way. Evaluation is another word that you hear a lot in the grant-writing world. It's the way you show the grant makers that yes, the outcomes of your project are what they want to support. Today you'll learn about evaluation types and the purposes of each of them. More to the point, by the end of the lesson you'll be able to design evaluations that clearly demonstrate how your outcomes support your goals and the goals of the funding source.

Friday - Lesson 06

In this lesson, you'll learn how you're going to reach your grant destination. We'll talk about methods and activities. What are those? Simply stated, they're things that you'll be doing from the moment you receive your funding in order to reach your goal. Planning these steps can be a daunting task, but you'll see how to create a detailed roadmap so that you never get lost. You'll also understand how to match your activities to the objectives we developed in Lesson 4. By the end of this lesson, you'll be over the hump and on your way to getting grants.

Week Four

Wednesday - Lesson 07

Numbers, numbers, numbers. If you're a numbers person, this lesson about the budget will be right up your alley. If you're not, this lesson will do the seemingly impossible—demystify the budget process. We'll go through each of the budget categories and explore and define the more confusing budgetary terms. Best of all, you'll get good models for both budget form and budget narrative. These will be of immeasurable help—especially when you work on a major federal grant.

Friday - Lesson 08

Grant writers frequently overlook two parts of the proposal. But after today, you'll never make this common mistake. Dissemination and future funding, while not always required by the funding agency, are vital pieces in convincing funders that their investment in your project will be maximized. You'll find out today what these two parts are and how you can best present them in your proposal.

Week Five

Wednesday - Lesson 09

Although we're not yet finished with the class, we're at the point of the proposal process where we sum it all up. In this lesson, we'll look at the summary and how to go about giving this piece its due. We'll also talk about query letters and pre-proposals, discussing what they are, when you use them, and how to make them effective. And, while we're wrapping up the proposal, we'll also examine how to make successful first approaches to funding sources.

Friday - Lesson 10

Okay. You've written a great grant—now you need to send it out and get it funded. So today we'll talk about researching funding sources. By the end of this lesson you'll know who funds government programs and where to get the best information. You'll also know where to find out about private foundation and corporate funding. Finally, you'll come to understand the sometimes arcane language of guidelines and how best to extract the details you need.

Week Six

Wednesday - Lesson 11

Image counts. At least that's the lesson we all get from Hollywood. So, as a grant seeker, what's the image you want to present to your funding sources? That's what we'll explore today. The tips you'll get—including ways to assemble and package your grant—will help you present your proposal in the very best light. We'll review what supporting data you'll need and talk about what you have to do after you've submitted your grant.

Friday - Lesson 12

We've talked about image. Now we'll look at how to make your proposal a star. In this lesson, we'll cover writing style—what works and what doesn't. You'll find out the seven deadly sins of grant writing and how to avoid them. And, though it may seem an odd time to do this, we'll talk about how to decide if your organization is grant ready. Finally, we'll discuss ethical grantsmanship and why it's the only kind of grantsmanship you'll want to practice. By the end of this lesson—the end of this course—you'll be well-equipped to get out there and get grants!

This course includes a knowledgeable and caring instructor who will guide you through your lessons, facilitate discussions, and answer your questions. The instructor for this course will be Bo Morton and Janet Levine.

The two instructors for this class have over 20 years of experience in grant writing.

Janet Levine has been involved with grant writing and fund raising since 1988. Currently the Vice President for University Advancement at a public, urban university, she has been a fundraiser and administrator at a number of colleges, universities and other non-profit organizations. In addition to her work experience, Levine has her Masters of Business Administration from Pepperdine University and a B.A. from Hofstra University. Her articles on fund raising and management appear in a number of magazines and journals. She also teaches classes in grant writing, fund raising and non-profit management.

Bozena (Bo) Morton, a college Director of Grants Development and Management, has been involved in developing grants for non-profit organizations and community colleges for over 12 years. Under her leadership, the Grants Office at her college annually generates millions of dollars in grant funds for various college programs. She has developed successful proposals for many government and private grants. Morton has conducted training sessions for faculty, administrators and staff at community colleges and non-profit agencies on topics including finding appropriate funding sources, program planning, proposal writing, project management, and compliance issues.

Requirements:

Internet access, e-mail, the Microsoft Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox Web browser, and the Adobe Flash and PDF plug-ins (two free and simple downloads you obtain at http://www.adobe.com/downloads by clicking Get Adobe Flash Player and Get Adobe Reader).

Student Reviews:

"All in all I loved the course, learned a ton of good stuff and wrote a really quick, really small proposal that I felt quite confident about, thanks to you! If I can, I'll let you know the results!"

"An excellent course presented in an informative and entertaining manner by knowledgeable instructors. This course met all my expectations. I would highly recommend this course."

"As a beginning grant writer, I found this course to be just what I needed...a method to replace the f eeling of being overwhelmed with feelings of confidence and manageability. It offered very clear and do-able steps from idea to manifestation. By breaking down the complex processes into simple steps, I know each day what needs to be done. And each day, confidence grows, knowing I am further and further along in the process...and still breathing easily...actually enjoying the plan. Thank you both for your time and energy, it was well worth the small investment."

"Bo and Janet are excellent instructors. They are knowledgeable and have the ability to communicate well with students. This class has provided me with information I will use for many years."

"Excellent course. A lot of information to digest, but was presented in an easy to follow format. Although I started late, I was able to complete and, best of all, I learned so much! I enjoyed the class so much that I would consider taking it again to gain even more the second time around. Thanks!"

"Excellent course. I would recommend it to anyone. It took me from having zero knowledge of grant writing to having a good grasp and understanding of how to start looking for and writing grants. Thanks!!"

"Excellent course overall--turned out to be just what I was looking for -- I now have a much better understanding of what a proposal should include as well as how to find a fundng source."

"Extremely informative and well-written course--particularly since it dealt in large part with developing a project rather than just the actual writing of a grant."

"For someone starting out with absolutely no knowledge of grant writing, this course gave me all the tools I need to get started."

"Good class, definitely eye-opening for someone with limited Grant Writing experience."

"Great course. I would recommend this course to someone looking to learn about grant writing and the process."

"Great course! Just like grants should be, it was clear, concise and compelling! Thank you, Bo and Janet!"

"Great course! Very informative and I hope it guides me to getting a grant which is my goal. Thanks and keep up the good work withthese on-line courses - I'll take more as long as you keeping putting out quality courses like these!"

"Great job ladies! I loved it and I feel like I am ready to get grants!"

"Have nothing but praise for your teaching style and the format. Loads of useful information. I appreciate the consideration also. Thanks a bunch."

"I am not a Grant Writer, but took this class in order to better understand and evaluate the grant writing process that the NonProfits I am working with are currently using. The class fully met my expectations, and I expect that I'll use the information and resources provided here for a long time to come!"

"I enjoyed the course and feel that I now have the basic tools to build upon in my pursuit to mastering the art of grant writing. Your instructions were easy to follow without being too simplistic or elementary. This made the pace of reading each chapter perfect for me."

"I enjoyed the course very much. It was full of very practical and useful information which can be immediately applied by anyone who is interested in pursuing grant writing."

"I feel as though I have gained much need knowledge in the area of grant writing!"

"I felt the course has taken me from knowing next to nothing about grant writing to the possibility of doing so with some degree of confidence. The supplemental materials provided with the course is a great bonus. They provide resouces that would have taken me a long time to find on my own. Thank you!"

"I found the course to be very relevant to my needs. I learned about things that I would never have been able to find out by myself. I feel now I have the tools to write and apply for grants and be sucessful. I think my organization will profit from this knowledge."

"I found this course to be very enlightening. I found it easy to navigate through and my questions were answered before I had to ask them. I would most definitely recommend this course to others!!"

"I found this course to be very well written and extremely informative....exactly what I was looking for. The links are invaluable and the course 'book' will be a great source of reference in the future. Thank you."

"I found this to be an excellent course. Felt like I was taking it face-to-face."

"I learned a lot about this course. I wish it was covered in a longer period of time, but I would recommend this to others because it is very well written and the descriptions are very accurate. I have now decided to take this course again, only with some colleagues and try to write a grant within the next year. Thank you for your course."

"I learned more from this course than my graduate school course for the MPA program. Thanks."

"I loved the conversational style of the lessons. made for an easier read."

"I really appreciated the course. I think it really reached us at all of our levels. For those of us who had never written a grant to those who had written several. As a teacher, I know that is hard to do and you two did it. Thanks for the info!"

"I really enjoyed the course and found it to be very helpful as I start on my new adventure of grant writing. I can only hope and aspire to one day be as competent and comfortable with writing grants as the instructors of the class. I wish everyone success to GET GRANTS!"

"I really enjoyed the course! There was a lot of very helpful information packed into just a few pages. I felt like every minute I spent reading the lessons was a minute well spent."

"I really feel that the course information and content presentation was excellent. I'm sure I'll use the course information and resources listed in the supplementary section often."

"I selected this course from among the many grant courses because of the qualifications of the instructors. My choice proved correct and the course was immensely valuable."

"I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience with an on-line course. I hope to be able to take more classes from these instructors. They were very knowledgeable about this subject and were very good at relaying that knowledge."

"It was very apparent that the instructors were well versed in the subject matter. Additionally, their passion for the subject showed in each and every lesson. Well done!!!!"

"I want to thank you for a great course as it has been the resource I needed to finally be able to construct a proposal in a sequential manner. This has been a valuable learning experience for me and has met my needs fully. Additionally, you have inspired me to consider constructing some online courses! Well done!"

"I want to think you for all of the information on grant writing. I've learned much more than expected and I'm planning to put it to good use. I didn't realize how much time, information, and research it would take to complete one grant."

"Just the right course at the right time in the right venue! Thank you."

"Out of the three (3) on-line grant courses I have taken, this one was more informative and instructional for what I needed. Thanks!"

"Overall, I considered this course to be extremely helpful to me in my work. It broke the (often times daunting) process of approaching the project and writing the grant down into small and very manageable units, emphasized the important aspects, and provided a lot of good tips that I now have taped up on my wall just beside or above my desk as daily reminders. Most of the information was very useful in a practical sense, stuff you could put to the test the very next day. I was working on a couple of grant requests during the period of the course and actually used a lot of what I was learning in their development. So it was very meaningful for me. The assignments were also very helpful. I printed out a lot of the sample grants for direction on how to format, how to present material visually using tables, the progression from one section to the next, etc."

"Thanks for all your guidance and expertise. I just submitted a grant and found your course to be very helpful in working on it. I will be taking another grant course after this to better improve my skills. I put your course information into a binder for future reference. Thanks."

"Thanks so much for the wonderful course material. Not only did I learn a wealth of information, I will have it to refer to along the way. I have told anyone who will listen about this course! After this course, I believe that I will be able to write a grant that will be a good reflection for our organization."

"Thanks to the instructors! I feel a great deal more confident in my ability to apply for and hopefully get grants now that I have completed this course!"

"Thanks very much for a concise and informative course. My fellow board members are already tired of hearing me talk about how much I've learned that will be helpful to our organization."

"Thank you for all your years of expertise and your knowledge that you chose to share, hopefully I can look back and be as professional as both of you are."

"Thank you for making my first online class experience a good one! I really enjoyed learning all about grants. I started the course with basically no knowledge of grants, and now I feel that I would be an asset to any grant writing team."

"Thank you for offering this course! It was exactly what I needed and hoped for. I appreciate that the lessons were easy to read and in a logical order for full comprehension."

"Thank you for the informative lessons! This was my first experience with an on-line course. It was nice to be able to complete the lessons at times convenient to my schedule and at my own pace. I appreciate the opportunity to gain new skills which will hopefully help me to get out of my current "dead-end" job."

"Thank you for your relaxed writing style- it felt as if you were actually speaking in class. :-) That made the lessons easier to get through even when there was material that was difficult to understand."

"Thank you ladies! I had an interest and no experience. I now know where to begin in turning my ideas into viable projects to be funded. Thanks, again."

"Thank you so much. This really enlightened me and taught me a lot. I now see some ways I can help the organization I am working with. Before, I had no idea what grant writing was about or how to go about getting grants."

"Thank you - you made an overwhelming process into something easy (well easier) to understand and apply."

"The class fulfilled all of my expectation! These two ladies are very knowledgeable on the subject of grant writing!! A++"

"The class was GREAT! I definately know more about grants today than I did last month. I really liked the way the instructors taught about information I never knew I needed. The class was awesome!"

"The course materials were written in a clear, concise, and compelling manner. You knew after reading each chapter what you needed to do, how to do it and what was critical if you wanted to get funding. The discussion sessions were great and the format was excellent. I loved the fact that I didn't have to take notes as the professor explained her response. It was a very profitable six weeks. Thank you."

"The instructors developed a comprehensive set of course materials that were extremely clear and informative. I'm glad I chose their class."

"The instructors have a fabulous writing style, which is both engaging and informative. One of the better online classes I've taken!"

"The instructors made this course fun, and very informative. The Supplementary Materials were also very helpful."

"There's no question that Bo and Janet know this subject well and have presented it expertly. Their insight and recommendations for avoiding frequent pitfalls are invaluable. I truly feel equipped to write and submit my first grant proposal now!"

"This class was both informative and enjoyable. It gave a great overview of the grant development process, as well as the challenges one should expect in the real world! I truly found this class to be useful and insightful."

"This course is terrific, as are the instructors. They are respectful, knowledgeable, managed boundaries properly, and have great depth. I also felt our students were pretty great too. I was tremendously motivated to complete my work in a timely manner, which was difficult over these particular holidays."

"This course was a terrific introduction to grant writing. I learned an amazing amount and will use the written information as a resource on a continuing basis."

"This course was exactly what I was looking for. It was well crafted, expertly delivered and thoroughly enjoyable. Thanks!"

"This course was excellent - well worth the time and effort. Lessons were well planned, comprehensive and included excellent supplementary materials. Responses to students questions were clear and delivered within a very reasonable time. I enjoyed taking this course and have learned a great deal. Thank you."

"This has been an excellent course. I have taken other grant courses and feel that I should have taken this one first. I have been in the grants area for about 3 years in a different capacity but am trying to learn to write grants. This course has given me the tools that I need to make that happen step by step. I have already recommended this course to others. Thanks for all your knowledge!"

"This has been a wonderful educational experience. I feel prepared to 'venture into the world of grants' on behalf of the historical organization I represent. Thank you for designing this course and for sharing your expertise in this area."

"This is a very pragmatic and pertinent course. I will use this information as a guideline for grants. It also provides some structure for formulating my business plan. Thank you for such a thorough and clear course!"

"This is my first online class and I truly enjoyed the work I have done for it so far. Everything was very user friendly. It was also very clear, concise and persuasive, just like you told us we need to do. The material you provided me adds to my skill set. Thank you so very much. I would highly recommend this class to anyone."

"This is my first online course and I got much more than I ever expected- great course."

"This is the fourth on-line grants course that I have taken and I think it is the most concisely, logically and understandably written of the four. I really liked the instructors' writing style...the material was presented in such a clear and orderly format with relevant examples. I think they used minimal words to maximum effect. "Get Grants" has definitely been most helpful and informative. Highly recommend it!!"

"This topic was foreign and I learned so much!! I enjoyed the humor, thanks for the test question explanation as well. I regret that I did not have the time to add to the discussion; I was a little intimidated as well because it is such a foreign subject. Thanks for all the resources. I will continue to peruse them when I have the opportunity. I also am looking for a grant writing mentor. Thanks!! for extending my interest in Grant Writing."

"This was my first online course and it was a very positive experience. I learned much more than I ever imagined!"

"Very well taught. I feel confident enough with the knowledge gained so that I can now prepare and write grants."

"What a great way to jump into experiencing the grant world! I had a minimal working knowledge of the field and found this course to be a valuable tool. The instructors also injected humor which, for me, is always appreciated!!"

"You two did an excellent job of presenting material, integrating the 3 "C"s of writing that we discussed in class: concise, clear and compelling. I really appreciated your knowledge of the subject matter, and your ability to communicate that knowledge with an excellent writing style. I would definitely recommend your course to anyone interested in learning about grant writing."