About the Professional Grant Writing Institute

Why we exist

Most people come to grant writing sideways. A program manager is asked to "just write up the application" because nobody else has time. A board member volunteers after a funder deadline appears in a newsletter. A writer or teacher hears that nonprofits need help with proposals and wonders whether their skills would transfer. Almost none of them were ever taught how a grant proposal actually works, and the guidance they find online is either scattered across a hundred blog posts or so general that it never says what to write next.

We built one structured course that takes a person from the first funder search to a submitted application, and then through what happens after it. It is written for people writing for an organization they already work with, and for people who want to offer grant writing to clients of their own.

What grant writing actually demands

Grant writing is less about eloquence than people expect. A proposal is read against a scoring rubric by a reviewer with a stack of other applications, and the points go to whoever answers each question where the reviewer expects to find it. The work is research, structure, arithmetic and compliance as much as it is prose.

Where people usually go wrong is predictable. They apply to funders whose priorities do not match the project. They write a statement of need about their organization's shortage of money rather than about a problem in the community. They set objectives that describe activities instead of change, build a budget that disagrees with the narrative, and discover a missing registration or signature in the last week. None of these is a talent problem. Each is a gap in method, and method can be taught.

What the course teaches, and how

The first six units follow one proposal from start to finish, covering the funding landscape, funder research, proposal structure, the narrative, the budget and supporting documents, and the logic model and evaluation plan. The Advanced course adds four units on federal applications, foundation and corporate funders, a system for review and submission, and building a grant writing career, including the ethical rules on fees that this field already publishes.

Every unit is written rather than filmed, because the skill is written. Each one works through named examples with real arithmetic, so you see a weak draft become a fundable one rather than reading about it in the abstract. A practice quiz checks that the main ideas landed, and written assignments ask you to apply them to an organization and funder of your choosing. The course ends in an open-book exam with multiple-choice questions and 4 short written answers, and a person reads those answers before a certificate is issued.

What the credential is, and what it is not

Passing the exam earns the Certified Grant Writing Professional (C.G.W.P.) designation. It is a training certificate from this institute, and each one carries a verification id that anyone can check on our verification page. It is not a government license, because grant writing does not have one, and it is not accredited by an outside body. It does not replace experience. Experienced practitioners often go on to independent credentials such as the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) designation, which requires years of documented grant work. Our certification standards set out exactly what a certificate holder has shown they can do.

Who this is for, and who it is not for

The course suits people who are new to grant writing or have been doing it without formal training. That includes nonprofit staff and volunteers taking on proposals, writers and educators moving into the sector, and anyone planning to offer grant writing as a freelance service. If you already have a portfolio of funded federal awards, much of the core material will be familiar, and your experience may be better spent preparing for an experienced-practitioner credential. If you are looking for someone to write a grant for you, this is training rather than a writing service.

Getting in touch

If you have a question about the course, the exam or whether this is the right fit, email us at info@professionalgrantwritinginstitute.com or use the contact page. The frequently asked questions page covers certification, pricing and the exam in more detail.

What makes us different