Table of Contents
Preface
As a student, grants enabled me to pay for education, travel overseas, help needy people in developing countries, and research indigenous healing rituals in remote parts of Asia. These were exciting opportunities that I could not have afforded without philanthropic support. I won my first grant award as a junior in college. The travel grant gave me the opportunity to spend a summer in Switzerland and participate in a classical music festival. It was the first time that I was paid to travel overseas and gain an education at the same time. During graduate school, I shifted my focus of grant seeking into research and humanitarian work overseas. Early on, I realized money was out there for hard-working folks who sought external financial support to pursue their ambitions in life. Knowing how to secure that money was key.
After graduate school, I transferred my knowledge, skill, and experiences in writing grant applications for my education to help individuals and organizations obtain funds to further their own agendas. For many years, I volunteered my grant-writing skills before they started to earn me an income.
Today, I make an income as a grant writer in several different ways. I write proposals on behalf of individuals and organizations; publish books, articles, and newsletters on how to win grants; travel to different parts of the country and present grant-writing workshops; and raise grant money for nonprofit organizations in Sri Lanka. Through successful grantsmanship, I have been able to secure money, goods, and services to help others achieve their goals. I also have met fascinating people across the globe as a result of winning grants for various projects.
My experiences as a grant writer are compiled in this book. In it, I discuss:
Researching funders and knowing where to look
The art of the grant proposal
Tips for entrepreneurs wanting to start their own grant-writing business
Insider rules and tips for successful grant seeking.
It has been my goal to introduce this book as a single resource to readers, so that they dont need to buy a second or third book to learn the art of running a grant-writing business. This is the only grant-writing book you will ever need.
It is widely believed that winning a grant is a mysterious thing, restricted to a select few outstanding individuals. I have spent many years demystifying this perception. If you are willing to work hard and have the determination to succeed, much of the mystery of grant seeking can be lifted.
If there is one thing that has tested me most as a grant writer during the past decade, it is my ability to continue to believe in myself amid continuous rejection. A stoic resilience to rejection was not a trait that I was born with. But, it is a trait I have been gently forced to nurture as a grant writer. No grant writer has immunity from rejection.
Believing in yourself is a critical part of grant seeking. When you believe in yourself and commit to the hard work required to make your dreams come true, your self-esteem and confidence are enhanced, which subconsciously translates into a winning grant proposal.
There are two people who always reminded me to aim high and believe in myself. My parents showed me that I can be all I want to be, if I were willing to work hard, make sound choices in life, and cultivate a spiritual foundation. This book is for my parents, for all their sacrifices, tears, and hard work in raising me and giving me the best education they could offer. Words cannot express the gratitude I have to my dear father in heaven and my loving mother. Thank you, Thatha and Amma.
Preethi Burkholder
To my loving father in heaven, Thatha,
and my loving mother, Amma.
Thank you for teaching me to write and
giving me an excellent education.
Choosing GrantWriting for a Career Path
Philanthropy has never been greater. In 2005, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave away $1,356,250,292 for charitable work in the United States and abroad. As more people are giving away money for various causes, the job of the grant writer is to secure funds for individuals, nonprofits, businesses, and governments. The grant writer is the vital connecting link between a funder and grant seeker.
Stat Fact
The Foundation Centers statistics survey conducted in March 2007 records Aventis Pharmaceuticals Health Care Foundation as the nations number-one corporate grant giver. At the end of fiscal year 2005, Aventis had awarded $217,845,821 in grants. The Wal-Mart Foundation was ranked second, with $155,073,614 awarded in grants.
Strike While the Iron Is Hot
Skilled grant writers are one of the most indemand professionals today. They work as independent contractors, full- or part-time development officers, and freelancers. Prompted by the increasing demand to find new sources of funding, nonprofit agencies are always looking for help to identify these sources and take on grant-writing projects. Virtually every nonprofit needs a skilled grant writer, and there are hundreds of thousands of nonprofits currently in operation in the United States alone. Internationally, there are many more. This is a great time to start your own grant-writing business or to become a freelance grant writer.
The majority of grants are given to organizations that have a tax-exempt or nonprofit status. Also known as 501(c)(3) status, these organizations operate as charities and usually offer promise of helping their communities at the local, national, and sometimes international levels. While some of the larger organizations have a grant writer on staff, this isnt the case for the majority of nonprofits currently in operation. Indeed, the career of a grant writer is still in an infant stage, and only a handful of individuals are skilled at the profession.
If you are considering a career change, grant writing may be for you. An unhappy job situation can influence every other aspect of your life: your mental health, your relationships, and your social life. Being unhappy with your job may also stunt your potential if you are crippled by a work environment where you are made to feel inadequate. Instead, you may consider becoming a skilled grant writer and starting your own grant-writing business.
Smart Tip
Are you unhappy at your current job? Change your job and change your life. Consider grant writing for a career change. It is ripe with opportunities for individuals with a willingness to learn. Grant writing can not only enrich your wallet but also improve your personal life, giving you independence, confidence, and, in some cases, the ability to be your own boss.
Income Potential for Grant WritersWriters Making a Small Investment for a Big Financial Return
A grant writer can earn an annual income ranging from $50,000 to $300,000. The income potential depends on a variety of factors, including the level of expertise, area of operation, clients, commissions (if any), and type of funders sought. There is no way to estimate what a grant writer can earn. It depends on whether the grant writer is employed full-time or freelance; whether he or she is a specialist or generalist writer; the number of projects accepted each year; the writers geographic location; and myriad other considerations. Freelance grant writers can charge an hourly rate that is supported by the marketplace and nearly always earn more than full-time, employed grant writers.