Michigan Online Educator Certification System

A to Z Grant Writing

A to Z Grant Writing Course Details A to Z Grant Writing is an invigorating and informative course that will equip you with the skills and tools you need to enter the exciting field of grant writing! You'll learn how to raise needed funds by discovering how and where to look for potential funders who are a good match for your organization. You'll also learn how to network and develop true partnerships with a variety of funders, how to organize a successful grant writing campaign, and how to put together a complete proposal package. This course speaks mainly to nonprofit organizations, schools, religious institutions, and municipalities seeking grants from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors. It's also an excellent primer for individuals wishing to become grant writing consultants or community grant writing volunteers. Many of this course's elements also easily translate to the for-profit field and to individual artists, and material specifically designed for businesses and individuals is included. No matter who you are or what level of experience you have, you'll find the A to Z of writing and submitting successful proposals here! Top of Form Course Details A to Z Grant Writing is an invigorating and informative course that will equip you with the skills and tools you need to enter the exciting field of grant writing! You'll learn how to raise needed funds by discovering how and where to look for potential funders who are a good match for your organization. You'll also learn how to network and develop true partnerships with a variety of funders, how to organize a successful grant writing campaign, and how to put together a complete proposal package. This course speaks mainly to nonprofit organizations, schools, religious institutions, and municipalities seeking grants from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors. It's also an excellent primer for individuals wishing to become grant writing consultants or community grant writing volunteers. Many of this course's elements also easily translate to the for-profit field and to individual artists, and material specifically designed for businesses and individuals is included. No matter who you are or what level of experience you have, you'll find the A to Z of writing and submitting successful proposals here! Course Updated July 2013 Syllabus A new session of each course starts monthly. If enrolling in a series of two or more courses, please be sure to space the start date for each course at least two months apart. All courses run for six weeks, with a two-week grace period at the end. Two lessons are released each week for the six-week duration of the course. You do not have to be present when lessons are released. You will have access to all lessons until the course ends. However, the interactive discussion area that accompanies each lesson will automatically close two weeks after the lesson is released. As such, we strongly recommend that you complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. The final exam will be released on the same day as the last lesson. Once the final exam has been released, you will have two weeks to complete all of your course work, including the final exam. Week One Wednesday - Lesson 01 Have you wondered what a grant writer does, what kinds of organizations and causes seek grants, and what types of grants are available? In this lesson, you'll find the answers to your questions, as well as tips for getting into the grant writing field and for finding funders. Friday - Lesson 02 Many people are often surprised at how much research needs to go into finding a potential funder who is a good match for your program efforts! Finding funders takes a lot of time, effort, and planning, and this lesson will walk you through the information you need to gather and organize. You will gain an invaluable tool here—the Research Information Sheet (RIS)—which will help you keep your research focused and on track. Week Two Wednesday - Lesson 03 In today's lesson, you'll meet three real-world foundation and corporate funders: the Verizon Foundation, Wells Fargo, and the Ben & Jerry's Foundation. We'll walk through the application guidelines for each of them, which will help you get a feel for what to look for in a good match potential funder, how funders present their mission and goals, and what they expect in a complete proposal package. Remember, the more application guidelines you read and study, the better you'll be able to create a successful proposal package. Friday - Lesson 04 Now that you have a feel for what kinds of information to gather in your search for good match potential funders, you need to know how to effectively organize it. We'll begin with a big-picture overview of the grant writing process, so you'll know where your research fits in each step of the way. Then you'll get some proven techniques and tools for organizing an efficient and smooth-running development department. A grant writing campaign means submitting an ongoing calendar of proposals to a wide variety of potential funders, and an organized office is the only way to accomplish this goal! Week Three Wednesday - Lesson 05 Developing community relationships is crucial to finding support for any worthy cause. So today we'll look at some creative how-tos of networking with community members, VIPs, and corporate, foundation, and government representatives to help you find contacts and support in your community. Then we'll lay the groundwork for making that crucial initial contact with a potential funder. This might be a bit nerve-racking at first, but with the proper preparation, it can be extremely rewarding. Friday - Lesson 06 Research, relationship-building, phone contacts, organizing—does it all rest on the shoulders of one grant writer? Happily, the answer is no! Today you'll meet the development team members who implement the grant writing campaign and get some ideas for how to put a team of your own together. You'll also get acquainted with the collaborative partners who work side by side with you and your organization, and you'll discover how to put together a successful site visit. Week Four Wednesday - Lesson 07 It's so important to know how to present yourself, your organization, and your proposed program effectively. So in this lesson, we'll explore the elements of two all-important letters: the letter of inquiry and the letter of request. Most funders will want either one or both of these letters, so knowing how to write them is essential. You'll also learn how to ask for the right grant amount and how to overcome any fears you may have about asking for support. Friday - Lesson 08 You'd be amazed at how many organizations go about their grant writing campaigns backwards! To spare you a great amount of extra work, stress, and unnecessary discouragement, we'll walk through a vital technique: the Rollover Concept. We'll also begin a detailed exploration of the elements of a Gold Medal Proposal Package, including your organization's history and background, mission statement, goals, major accomplishments, and many other documents and materials that potential funders require. Week Five Wednesday - Lesson 09 Picking up where we left off in Lesson 8, today you'll see how to write your need statement, proposed program paragraphs, measurable objectives, timeline, and evaluation plan. You'll also get a good idea of what kinds of financial documents and materials funders expect in complete proposal packages, including your organization projected income and expense budget, audited financial statement, proposed program budget and request, and future funding paragraphs. Friday - Lesson 10 What happens to your proposal after you apply for a grant? If you've ever wondered about this, today you'll discover all the hoops it goes through once it reaches the program officer's desk. If your application should be declined, you'll see how to turn that into an opportunity for future success. And if your proposal should be accepted, you'll learn about the essential thank-you letter, how to put together the final report, and how to acknowledge and provide benefits to the funders supporting your program efforts. You'll also understand how crucial it is to diversify your funding base! Week Six Wednesday - Lesson 11 Today you'll learn about the A to Z of creating business (for-profit) and individual artist proposal packages. You'll also get some important tips and techniques for putting together proposals for government funding sources, which, as you can imagine, will be more complicated and much lengthier than proposals to foundations, corporations, or individual donors. Friday - Lesson 12 In our last lesson together, you'll learn about the importance of presentation when it comes to your proposal package. And you'll also gain some insights into what your board of directors can do for you regarding fund raising, as well as get some ideas about how to get them motivated to do it! Instructor Biography Linda Vallejo has over 30 years experience as a professional grant writer and grant-writing instructor. She has written proposals for a variety of nonprofit organizations, universities, schools, and county and city agencies with interests ranging from the arts, education, environment, health and human services, and faith-based programs to community and economic development projects. Over the past 15 years, she has served as an ed2go online grant-writing instructor, teaching the A to Z Grant Writing course in over 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Ms. Vallejo has written and received over $30 million in grant funds from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors for her many clients. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and is a practicing professional artist exhibiting her art nationally and internationally. Requirements • Internet access • Email • One of the following browsers: o Mozilla Firefox o Microsoft Internet Explorer (9.0 or above) o Google Chrome o Safari • Adobe PDF plug-in (a free download obtained at Adobe.com .) Microsoft Word. Student Reviews I want to thank you for such an informative and convenient course! I've learned so much and have recently accepted a postion working with a local non-profit group as a grant writer. We have many programs on the burner, so my work is cut out for me. Again, thank you! That was an incredible class. I learned so much. When I started this course my baby was just 2 months old. It was hard to always find the time to do everything but I completed all of the reading and learned a ton. I have now secured an internship with a local nonprofit in their development department and I'm going to be doing some research (paid) for a grant writer I know that needs to outsource some of their work load. Your writing style, the fast responses to discussions and the in depth description of everything that goes into grant writing blew me away. You are an incredible teacher. Thank you. I really appreciated this class. Your class was most informative! I appreciate your passionate and encouraging writing style, and the way in which you presented the information in manageable parts to teach a process that is completely "doable." I appreciate your passion for the people and communities you help by enabling people like myself and other students to become grant writers who can, in turn, benefit others with the skills you have taught us. Thank you so much! This was one of the best courses I have ever taken. Your vast experience and attention to detail, along with your obvious passion for what you do, shows in all of the lessons. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and learning about grant writing. I plan to take more grant writing courses and possibly change careers into this field. Thank you! This class has been very helpful. I have greater confidence in the approach to grant writing, and to potential funders. Thank you for your time, effort, extensive information and resource material. Thanks also for showing the order for presenting all of these elements. This class was well worth my time and finances. I finished my final exam and I'm excited as I look back at everything I've learned in such a short time. With every lesson I experienced a renewed sense of admiration for the way you have put this course together. It is extremely informative yet simple for anyone to understand. Your examples are relevant and very helpful--along with the valuable advice and tips you offered. The organization methods with pictures (binders, file cabinet, folders) were so practical. I have learned so much from this course!! Each lesson amazes me at how much research and work goes into grant writing. Thank you for all your extremely well-organized training and your willingness to share your vast knowledge. Thank you for offering this course, and sharing your knowledge of grant writing! I found the course interesting and engaging. I will be utilizing the material provided in the course as a "grant writing reference manual"...The course is very learner-friendly...When I began this course, I felt like I had no idea where to start when approaching a grant/good match potential funder, or what the field was really about. A to Z grant writing has put a lot of those elements into perspective for me. Thank you so much for the wonderful information, guidance, tips and resources. This was an awesome class! The course exceeded my expectations and I feel the information you provided was extraordinary. I will be passing my lesson's learned and suggestions to my director. I am sure we will be able to implement many of the guidelines you provided to improve our methods for applying and receiving grants for our non-profit organization. Thanks so much. I really enjoyed the class. Instructor Biography Linda Vallejo has over 30 years experience as a professional grant writer and grant-writing instructor. She has written proposals for a variety of nonprofit organizations, universities, schools, and county and city agencies with interests ranging from the arts, education, environment, health and human services, and faith-based programs to community and economic development projects. Over the past 15 years, she has served as an ed2go online grant-writing instructor, teaching the A to Z Grant Writing course in over 2,000 colleges and universities nationwide, as well as in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Ms. Vallejo has written and received over $30 million in grant funds from foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors for her many clients. She also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree and is a practicing professional artist exhibiting her art nationally and internationally. Loading, please wait... Bottom of Form