Free Grant Proposal Template

What are Grants?

A grant is a reward, contribution, gift, or subsidy given to a qualified recipient (called the grantee) by a government or other funding sources (referred to as the grantor) for a specific purpose.

Who needs Grants?

Grants are normally requested by both profit and nonprofit organizations. A profit organization requires a grant when they are carrying out a project and need financial assistance for research, resources, equipment, etc.

Scholarships given to students by an educational institution based on the student’s ability are also considered a grant.

On the other hand, a nonprofit organization frequently seeks grant funding for a specific program with the help of a program officer. They prepare a budget for the program, seek grants, and oversee the program’s development. For example, a grant given to an animal shelter, health-care programs, environmental groups, orphanages, old-age homes, etc., fall under the nonprofit grant category.

Different Types of Grants 

A grant application is a document created by a profit or nonprofit organization. It requests a company to be a funder in a project and lists the objectives. Depending on the purpose, grants are classified into several categories like:

• Fellowships

• Scholarships

• Research grant

• Scientific grant

• Training grant

• Experimental grant

• Demonstration grant

• Evaluation grant

• Planning grant

• Technical assistant grant

and many more.

What is Grant Writing?

Grant Writing is the process of completing an application written to several organizations, foundations, or the government for financial support. Such application procedures are referred to as grant submissions or grant proposals. A grant proposal should, at its finest, make a strong case for your funds request backed by a solid project description.

When should you write a Grant Proposal?

A Grant Proposal is also known as a statement of need. Hence, you can start grant writing when you feel the need for them or when you have a proposed project awaiting financial support.

But in some cases, some funders including companies, trusts, or committees expect a letter of inquiry in the initial phases. So, before sending a lengthy grant proposal to your funder, you can first send a letter of inquiry that is concise, precise, and preferably one page. It must include an introduction to your project, objectives, and other details that can capture the attention of your funder. If they need more information, they would request a proposal.

Followed by this one-page letter, you can send a grant proposal, an 8-10 pages document. The objectives of a grant proposal are quite clear. It is a document that demands a call to action.

But the grant writing process is exhaustive. Hence, in the next section, we have listed some writing tips that might help you when you create a grant proposal.

What are the essential elements in a Grant Proposal?

Grant applications also called the statement of need, generally involve a cover letter, organizational background, and an executive summary about the grant program, among other elements.

Let us learn more about the different components of a grant proposal in depth.

Cover Letter

Are you willing to establish an impactful first impression? Then include a cover letter in your proposal. A cover letter acts as an introduction to your company along with other information like project description, objectives, and an overview of your entire proposal.

Executive Summary 

After your cover letter, comes the executive summary. Here you must talk in depth about your project and make your grantor understand the purpose of the grant proposal. This section must be much more precise than the cover letter but make sure you don’t overshare the details here. Provide a well-organized, precise explanation of the project within a paragraph or two.

Mission and Vision

It is important to state your company’s mission and vision in the proposal as it shows your organizational background and why you are the right fit for the project. It gives a reason for your funder to trust your organization with their money.

Team Introduction

In the grant applications, you can talk briefly about your team, their work history, and the experience they carry. It shows that you have qualified individuals in your organization who are capable of handling the funding and the project.

Success Stories

Mention other projects or clients with whom you have successfully collaborated on a grant program. This is a key section in the grant application as it showcases your achievements as a profit or nonprofit organization and will make a strong case for the community you are reaching out to.

Challenges

As an organization, talk about the challenges you have been facing to date and how it has impacted your resources. Herein you can prove how this project can drastically change your business and why you need the grant funding.

Goals and Objectives of the Project

A vital element in grant writing is mentioning the goals you are chasing. By doing this, you can establish that you are ambitious and give your funder a reason to sanction the funding on time.

Methods and Strategies

An effective grant proposal should include a methods and strategies section that is used to achieve the project’s goals and objectives. It is a detailed route map containing tasks, milestones, etc. that have to be followed to complete the project. This is your plan of action and shows your funder that you know what you are doing.

Evaluation Plan

This section outlines how you will continuously assess your project to ensure that the funding is being used efficiently and that the grantor is kept informed of its progress.

Project Budget 

In this part of the proposal, lay out the budget template and the funding needed for the correct implementation of the project based on the objectives and strategies. You can also show the cost estimation and a breakup of how the money will be used for different purposes; for example, research grant, equipment, resources, etc.

Timeline

You are obligated to provide a timeline before which you would complete the project and achieve the goals stated above without any compromises in the quality. When you use a timeline to correctly plan a project, you can see which work takes priority and the subsequent tasks that must be completed to reach particular milestones. A timeline also enables team members and the funder to track the project's overall development.

Terms and Conditions

Apart from all the project and funds-related details, you must also include other terms and conditions in your grant writing. For example, talk about privacy policy, cancellation particulars, third-party rights, and other crucial details.

Signature

Finally, you can allot some space for the authorized representatives of your organization and your grantor to sign the profit or nonprofit grant application and kickstart the project.

Benefits of a Grant Proposal Template

As mentioned in the previous sections, a grant proposal is a lengthy document and it involves a lot of elements. Writing grants is a big deal as an entire project or an organization is dependent on funding. If not done the right way, many operations in the organization can come to a standstill and affect the lives of people attached to it.

Hence a grant proposal template can be a game-changer as it enables you to create accurate templates in a short period. A template helps you to standardize all the project details in one space that in turn accelerates the proposal creation process for funding.

Here are some of the benefits of a grant proposal template:

• Eases the grant writing process

• Grasps your funder’s attention

• Enhances project clarity

• Elevates team efficiency

• Reduces workload

• Saves time and resources

Revv’s Templates to the rescue

We would like to make your job easier by introducing Revv! Our customizable, professionally crafted, and legally-vetted templates give you a head start. 

These are ready-to-use templates that enable you to establish proposals in just a couple of minutes without any confusion or errors. You can also edit the template according to your needs and give your proposal a personal touch before sending it to the grantor.

Take your grant writing process to the next level with Revv’s advanced document automation features 

Rich Editor

You can customize your grant writing according to your interests with Revv’s user-friendly Rich Editor. With an easy drag-and-drop action, you can add different blocks like text, tables, eSignature tags, etc. You can also link Google Sheets and import cost data within the grant proposal.

Form Fields

A grant proposal is a lengthy document and will contain repetitive information. But you don’t have to waste time writing those details again and again. You can convert these repetitive fields to fillable placeholders called Form Fields. The good part is that you must fill the repeated field only once and watch all the other fields automatically filled out for you. You can also connect to external apps and bring in data to your proposal with the help of Data Studio, a great no-code data mapping feature.

Approval Workflows

Since a grant application has numerous sections, you can get it double-checked by sending the proposal for internal approval. You can attach an approval workflow to a section. Any modifications to that section will immediately trigger the workflow and send the proposal to the approvers.

Payments

If your grantor wishes to transfer a partial amount in the initial stages of the project, they can do so from within the proposal. You can collect the amount from your client directly by integrating with payment platforms such as Stripe and provide payment facilities in the proposal.

eSignatures

Use Revv’s secure, legally valid, and fast eSignature facility to record signatures and close the grant application. It complies with the local and global eSignature laws including ESIGN Act, UETA, and eIDAS Regulation. Revv also generates an Evidence Summary, a legally admissible audit trail that records all the actions taken during the signing process.

Notifications

You can keep a track of your grant proposal’s status through Revv’s automated email notifications. So whenever a proposal is sent for review, acceptance, or eSignatures, Revv automatically creates and sends notification emails to both the sender and the recipient. The recipient receives a notification when they need to take an action while the sender receives an email when an action is taken on the document.

Grab the funding for your business without any delay! Sign up with Revv for free and use this template to create a top-class and error-free grant proposal in no time.

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Frequently asked questions

How do you write a proposal for a grant?

You can easily draft grant proposals by including the following elements - Cover Letter, Summary, Our Team, Success Stories, Challenges, Goals and Objectives of the Project, Methods and Strategies, Evaluation Plan, Funds Required, Timeline, Terms and Conditions, and Signature.

What is a grant proposal outline?

The grant proposal outline, also known as the grant proposal or statement of need, is a document that requests a large organization or community to extend their support to a project by providing grants.

How do you write a grant proposal for a non-profit template?

Grant proposals for a nonprofit organization must include the following - Executive Summary, Organization’s goals, Successful projects, Budget Plan, and Timeline.

How many pages should a grant proposal be?

A grant proposal or a statement of need should ideally be 8-10 pages in length that involves a cover letter, executive summary, evaluation plan, program details, and other information that would help you receive the funding from a large organization.