Become a Professional Grant Writer
Are you ready to develop the skills and strategies you need to become an integral part of one of the world’s fastest-growing professional certification sectors—grant writing? From grant funding trends to matching your course project to the right funding sources, you will be confident in differentiating yourself from a grant writer to a grant professional in this 100% online course. It will also prepare you for the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) exam offered by the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI).
Kevin Feeley
BS in Electrical Engineering
HVCC Class of 2005
Job Outlook for Grant Writers
- According to workforce analytics company Burning Glass, the need for grant writers and other fundraising specialists is expected to grow by 15% over the next decade.
- PayScale.com estimates that grant writers can earn up to $71,000 annually, with the current median salary sitting just over $49,000.
- In the United States, metropolitan regions and areas adjacent to cities like Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Seattle provide the biggest opportunities for grant writers.
Professional Grant Writing Course FAQs
Grant writers are tasked with researching, drafting, and submitting proposals for nonprofit organizations, including educational institutions, social advocacy groups, and healthcare groups. Often, grant writers also handle other fundraising activities, including identifying funding sources, budgeting, and managing resources.
Not-for-profit (or nonprofit) 501(c) entities rely on fundraising and development to sustain their mission. Grant writing is one of the key strategies in the nonprofit sector for fundraising.
The federal government is the largest source of grant funding. Additionally, nonprofits organizations can sustain themselves with grants from state, foundation, and corporate grants.
Nonprofit organizations will always need fundraising to maintain operational expenses, and grant writing is the main way this is done. Grant writing can be a well-paying career if you have strong history of winning grants, but it can also be very rewarding if you believe in the causes you are writing for.
Professional Grant Writing Course Objectives
- Prepare for the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) exam offered by the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI)
- Learn how a certification enhances professionalism and opportunities for grant writers
- Gain the skills needed to be a professional grant writer
- Master how to match grant funders and fundable programs
- Learn how organizational missions, cultures, and norms impact grant readiness
- Prepare a grant budget with appropriate costs, cash, in-kind or leveraged matches
- Describe the grant writer's role in post-award grant management and transition
Prerequisites and Requirements
This course is 100% online. Start anytime.
Prerequisites
This course is intended for anyone interested in developing their grant writing skills. You will need an internet connection, be familiar with using the internet, have emailing capabilities, and have experience using a word-processing computer program (Microsoft Word is recommended) and a spreadsheet program (such as Microsoft Excel) for the budgeting portion.
Exam Requirements
This course is aligned with the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) exam offered by the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI), which has minimum requirements of education and grant experience based on the level of education obtained. For information on GPC Exam Eligibility
Curriculum
- I. Why Get a Grant Writing Certification
- II. Being Confident in Your Grant Writing Skills
- III. Grant Funding Trends
- IV. Grant Funding Resources and Best Matches for Programs and Projects
- V. Establishing Initial and Ongoing Relationships with Funders
- VI. Relationship Between Organizational Development and Grant Seeking Readiness
- VII. Proposal Writing Preparation
- VIII. Proposal Writing Research, Implementation Strategies, Writing Characteristics, and Incorporating Graphics
- IX. Writing the Boilerplate for the Grant Applicant Organization
- X. Diving Deep Into Organizational Development Strategies and Funding Needs
- XI. Midterm Exam and Writing Prompt Response
- XII. Stakeholders, Partnerships, and Key Personnel Collaborations and Communications
- XIII. Effective Program and Project Design and Development Strategies
- XIV. Community Resources, Evaluation Designs, and Cultural Competencies
- XV. Proposal Budgets
- XVI. Grant Proposal Submission Processes and Follow-up for Unfunded Submissions
- XVII. Funded Grant Requests
- XVIII. Writing an Effective Case Statement for Fundraising Purposes
- XIX. Capstone Assignment: Case Statement
- XX. Deciding to Move Forward with Certification
- XXI. Employability Ethics
- XXII. Bonus Lesson: Interview Pregame
- XXIII. Final Exam
Instructors
Dr. Beverly A. Browning
Dr. Beverly A. Browning is a grant writing consultant and visionary who uses thought leadership to work with nonprofit organizations struggling with the woes of revenue stream imbalances. She has been researching grant funding, grantmaking trends, and board-related barriers to nonprofit capacity building for over 40 years. Together she and her team have helped her clients win over $750 million in grant awards.
Dr. Browning is the founder and director of the Grant Writing Training Foundation and Bev Browning, LLC. She is the author of 44 grant writing publications, including six editions of Grant Writing for Dummies and the 6th edition of Nonprofit Kit for Dummies (to be published in 2021).
Dr. Browning holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in organizational development, public administration, and business administration. She is also a Certified Strategic Planning Facilitator (CSPF), has a McNellis Compression Planning Institute Facilitation Training distinction, and is an Approved Trainer for the Grant Professionals Association (GPA), the Certified Fund Raising Executive International (CFRE, and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI).
