The Tools of the Grant Writing Trade

I would argue that anything can be made difficult if you aren’t properly prepared and don’t have the right tools for the task at hand. Grant writing is a profession. Like I often tell people, “you wouldn’t ask your dentist to remove your brain tumor or have your plumber replace your roof.”

For grant writers, there are hard tools (equipment and supplies) and soft tools (skills). My hard tools include: a computer with dual monitors; a calculator with an enormous display and giant buttons (helpful at 3 a.m.); and, a high-quality coffee maker (also helpful at 3 a.m.). I keep a few other creature comforts close at hand, like sticky notes and Sharpies, but this pretty much covers the bare necessities.

The soft tools are most important. There are very specific skills that make up a qualified grant writer and it isn’t just the ability to write. (Willie Nelson is a master of his craft, but I don’t think anyone expects Willie to write for the London Philharmonic.) Grant writing skills include, but are not limited to: project planning and development; statistical research and analysis (required both to craft an effective needs assessment and to develop an effective evaluation plan); principles of project management and scheduling (in order to develop a realistic project time line); long-range strategic planning (i.e. sustainability planning, which most proposals now require); budgeting; and most importantly, a hefty dose of persuasive writing/marketing.

Like most skills, these can be acquired two ways - through a formal education or through many, many years of experience. The best grant writers have both.

For my part, my bachelor’s degree in Technical Writing taught me to be a professional-grade writer; my graduate degree in business, specifically coursework in marketing, project management, accounting, finance and statistical analysis, taught me how to write effective grants. Having done this for ten years and having written twenty to thirty grant proposals a year for the last several years is what has made me a great grant writer.