Writing a grant proposal is like following a recipe to make an impressive new dish. Many ingredients come together in precise ways with small personal twists throughout that make it your own.
Let’s say you understand your “ingredients,” like your plans, mission, data, financials, and overarching grant narrative. What next?
Remember, a successful recipe is a lot more than just a combination of ingredients. The tools you use to turn them into a finished meal are critically important, too. Ever tried to mix a tough dough by hand? Or perfectly cut a vegetable into super-thin slices without the right knife or a mandoline? It takes forever, and you probably won’t be thrilled with the results! 😖
Just like how a chef relies on high-quality kitchen tools to save time and make her recipe a reality, grant writers depend on various resources—templates, databases, research tools, and more—to craft grant proposals worth funding. 🧑🍳✏️
The right tools will help you save a ton of time and seamlessly turn your ingredients into a compelling proposal.
We’ve rounded up a sampling of the very best grant writing resources and tools to help you streamline the steps of grant writing, strengthen your proposals, and increase your chances of winning. Many of them are completely free!
Top Grant Writing Resources: Categories
- The Global Grant Writers Collective
- Helpful Grant Writing YouTube Channels
- Resources for Finding & Researching Grants
- Best AI Grant Writing Tools to Consider
- Free Grant Writing Guides & Templates
- Tools to Build a Grant Writing Business
- Top Grant Writing Training Courses
- Best Books about Grant Writing
🦄 Who are we? We’re Learn Grant Writing, the number one resource for grant writers and home of the Global Grant Writers Collective. We’ve fostered a community of grant writing pros—our members have raised over $1 billion and counting for nonprofits of all sizes!
The Best Grant Writing Resource: The Global Grant Writers Collective
Want to take your grant writing skills to the next level to secure more funding for your organization? Interested in starting a lucrative freelance grant writing business and building a freer, more flexible career? The Global Grant Writers Collective can help.
The Collective is the only program of its kind that provides everything you need to become a grant writing master:
- Comprehensive training on up-to-date grant writing best practices
- Professional grant writing certification (and 91.2 CFRE-eligible credit hours!)
- Extensive libraries of resources and downloadables
- One-on-one coaching and fast support
- An active community of fellow grant writers to help you brainstorm solutions, learn new tricks, and celebrate wins
Our hundreds of members (600+) have won over $1 billion in grant funding. Those who’ve joined the Collective to start new careers generally start freelancing full-time in 9 months or less.
Whether you’re an in-house grant writer, another nonprofit professional, an existing grant consultant, or a complete grants newcomer, the Global Grant Writers Collective can take your skills to the next level.
🦄 Learn more about the Collective, or take a look at our members’ success stories to see the results for yourself. 🦄
🤔 Not sure if a full training program and community is the right choice yet? No worries! We’ve got tons of other free training resources and guides that can help. Check out the Resources tab of our website or follow along to see the rest of our offerings.
Free Grant Writing Trainings
These how-to videos offer a smattering of webinar replays from our online grant writing training and feature topics such as working remotely, project management, fundraising, and how to utilize the Freedom of Information Act for federal funding.
Access Free Trainings
Top Resources for Finding and Researching Grants
When you master the craft of finding and prioritizing the perfect grant opportunities, you’ll skyrocket your wins and grant writing efficiency!
But research know-how is only half of the equation—your tools play a massive role, too. We’ve gathered a few of our favorite grant research resources that will set you up for success:
Instrumentl
Instrumentl is a leading grant database, and it’s among our team’s favorites (and an official partner of Learn Grant Writing).
Instrumentl’s database of grant opportunities is easy-to-use, comprehensive, and chock full of helpful features and additional resources, like intelligent matching to highlight the very best grants for your organization, Form 990s, and foundation profiles to help you learn more about funders, deadline and reporting tools, document library features, and more.
Instrumentl is also leading the way with forthcoming AI tools to help grant seekers find, research, draft, and manage their grants more efficiently than ever.
Try a free trial of Instrumentl’s full suite of tools, and if you like what you see, use the discount code LGW to get $50 off your first month of membership!
Candid
Candid is a well-known legacy provider in the grant space. It includes several platforms you’ve likely heard of or used before as a nonprofit professional, including GuideStar and Foundation Directory.
Foundation Directory, in particular, is a valuable asset for any grant seeker. With over 225,000 funder profiles and grant research tools, it may be an ideal addition to your toolkit.
Candid also includes a wide range of nonprofit training and data resources. Explore their site and check out this sample Foundation Directory search to get an idea of what they offer.
GrantStation
GrantStation is another leading grant database and research resource for nonprofits, schools, and government offices. It rounds up diverse grants from foundations, corporations, faith-based funders, state and federal governments, and more to provide comprehensive coverage for grant seekers.
Where GrantStation really stands out is the additional strategy resources it provides. The platform includes helpful guides, frameworks, and other resources to help nonprofits develop smarter Funding Strategies, ensuring each grant received fits into a coherent and easy-to-manage strategic plan.
Check out GrantStation and their full breakdown of membership benefits to learn more.
Grants.gov
Grants.gov is the official location for all federal grants and federal grant-seeking resources. If you plan on pursuing a federal grant soon (or hope to), you must get familiar with this platform.
Grants.gov is a comprehensive database with exhaustive search features, tons of additional training resources, libraries of forms and template documents, and unique Workspace tools that allow teams to easily collaborate on federal grants.
While it’s not the easiest to use of all the grant research resources in this list, learning how to navigate its tools pays off. It’s also completely free, although your organization will need to apply to receive access to the platform.
Want a quick rundown of how grants.gov works? Here’s our video guide:
Read our Complete List: Best Grant Databases Reviewed
Free Grant Writing Guides and Templates
Looking for quick, easy, and free grant writing resources? We’ve got you covered. Here are a few top grant writing blogs, newsletters, and templates. Use them to get quick answers, learn new tricks, and save time putting together supplemental documents for your proposals.
The Learn Grant Writing Blog
For free guides, explainers, and career tips, look no further than the Learn Grant Writing blog. We regularly publish new articles on various subjects for nonprofit professionals, grant writing freelancers, and anyone interested in learning more about the world of nonprofit funding. Check out a few of our favorite recent guides:
- Grant Writing Tips for Nonprofits: 10 Ways to Start Strong
- What Are Federal Grants? A Complete Guide to Understanding and Winning Them
- How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Grant Writer? What to Expect
- Best AI Grant Writing Tools: 15+ Top Resources & Our Take
Fundable and Findable Newsletter
Our Global Grant Writers Collective members love Kevin Brown’s Fundable & Findable newsletter. He covers grant writing best practices, trends, and other insights, all with the mission of helping small nonprofits break the “starvation cycle” of limited funding and capacity to win more of it.
Plus, as a free weekly newsletter, you can’t beat the convenience of having it delivered straight to your inbox!
The Science of Scientific Writing
If you write proposals for scientific projects, you have slightly different needs regarding writing and research best practices. “The Science of Scientific Writing” by George Gopen and Judith Swan is considered a classic grant writing resource for its straightforward explanations of what makes effective, compelling scientific writing. Not for all grant seekers, but an invaluable trove of best practices for those who work in scientific fields!
Free Grant Budget Template
Aside from our training courses for grant writers, we also offer a range of free templates to help you tackle those pesky financial sections of your grant proposals with ease. Here’s our free grant budget templates
Free Funding Research Matrix
Successful sustained grant writing relies on prioritization—find many grant opportunities that could work, then trim down to your top options worth considering. This funding matrix is our favorite free grant writing resource because it can make a massive difference in the ultimate efficiency and outcomes of all your hard work. Check it out here
Free Grant Kickoff Agenda
Grant kick-off meetings align your team on the grant you’re pursuing and what you need for it, from whom, and by when. We find that they’re essential for staying organized and keeping the proposal running smoothly. Our free sample agenda can help you learn what makes a successful meeting.
Letters of Support Spreadsheet
Most grants will ask you for letters of support—learn more about them and how to collect them with our complete guide. But as you gather them, you must keep them organized. Use our tracker template to stay on top of who you asked for a letter and whether you’ve received it.
Top Grant Writing Training Courses
It’s hard to jump into grant writing without some preliminary knowledge and experience under your belt. Training can help anyone write more winning proposals, from complete newcomers to old grant writing pros looking to hone specific skills.
We’ve rounded up our picks for the best grant writing training courses, but here’s a short list of some of our favorites and more specialized options.
Learn Grant Writing’s Free Introductory Course
If you’re new to grant writing—either because you’re exploring it as a career or your nonprofit boss just asked you to apply for a grant—you probably have a few questions. You’re also probably not interested in making a big investment in training just yet.
We’ve got you. Our free grant writing class walks you through a 7-step process for preparing your grant project, budgeting, writing, and more, covering everything you’ll need to know to approach your very first proposal with confidence.
Check out our free introductory grant writing course here, and let us know how it goes!
Pen to Polished Course
There’s no way around the fact that grant writing requires a lot of, well, writing. If you aren’t a born Shakespeare (join the club 😓), you might feel less than confident in your writing skills. Remember, though, that writing is just that—a set of skills you can practice and hone.
If you want to brush up on your writing skills and learn how to craft smoother, more compelling, and all-around stronger grant narratives, check out our course for grant writers: From Pen to Polished.
The complete course includes 9 modules that cover the basics of writing for grants, the pillars of compelling storytelling, real-life examples, and more. If you’re not sure yet if a full course makes sense for you, no worries! We’ve got a free introductory webinar that explains the course and provides some quick tips to get you started.
Nonprofitready.org
Our members in the Global Grant Writers Collective love nonprofitready.org, a platform that offers free online training courses on all kinds of nonprofit topics, including grant writing.
To get started, simply create a free account and explore the site’s grant writing classes. If you decide to take one or more, remember that this grant writing resource offers a free certificate (which is eligible for CFRE continuing education credits!).
OneCause Webinars
OneCause, a nonprofit technology provider, regularly offers top-notch (and free) webinars on nonprofit topics. While their primary area of expertise is fundraising event planning, they frequently offer webinars related to grant writing and nonprofit funding.
For example, at the time of writing, an upcoming webinar looks perfect for grant seekers: Grant Masterclass - Proven Strategies for Discovery, Research, and Winning Proposals.
Best of all, for nonprofit professionals, OneCause webinars typically qualify for CFRE continuing education credit hours!
DH Leonard Consulting
DH Leonard Consulting and Grant Writing Services specializes in all things grant writing, particularly training and providing resources for grant writing to nonprofits.
This firm offers a dynamic roster of training opportunities and exercises, from a lunch and learn seminar series to grant readiness challenges to full services for researching and writing grants. Explore their full training schedule or contact the firm to discuss your organization’s needs.
MyFedTrainer
If you plan to pursue your first federal grant anytime soon (or just down the line), specialized training will likely be a good idea. MyFedTrainer offers grant writing resources and courses specifically to help nonprofits navigate the challenges of federal grant-seeking.
Their courses cover the full range of skills needed to thrive in the competitive federal grant space, from writing and research to finance, administration, and compliance. MyFedTrainer provides live courses, consulting services, webinars, and other on-demand grant writing resources.
Grant Writers Seminars and Workshops LLC
Do you need to pursue academic or scientific grants? Feeling out of your depth? Grant Writers Seminars and Workshops LLC can help. This firm specializes in providing training resources, seminars, and workshops for complex academic and science grants.
They also offer handy workbooks that prepare your organization to compete for particularly competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the USDA, and other federal agencies and high-profile grantmaking organizations.
Various Online eLearning Platforms
If you don’t need intensive in-person training or specialized webinars (or you’re just looking to make a smaller investment), don’t forget about the several reputable eLearning platforms available.
Experts and working professionals create and sell video courses on websites like Udemy and Coursera. These courses are extremely varied, and they come in at all price levels—and quality levels. If you go with a grant writing resource or training course from one of these platforms, be sure to take your time comparing your options, reading reviews, and sampling the course content.
Thompson Grants
For new grant seekers, it can be easy to overlook the challenges and learning curves of grant management—at your own peril! Reporting and compliance are critically important for maintaining your grant and winning more in the future.
Thompson Grants is a consulting agency and training provider that focuses primarily on federal grant-seeking and grant management. They offer a wide range of training resources, online modules, research tools, and outsourced services for grant management.
Read our Complete List: Best Online Grant Writing Classes for Every Learner
Free Grant Writing Trainings
These how-to videos offer a smattering of webinar replays from our online grant writing training and feature topics such as working remotely, project management, fundraising, and how to utilize the Freedom of Information Act for federal funding.
Access Free TrainingsHelpful Grant Writing YouTube Channels
More of a visual learner? How-to and explainer guides are popular on YouTube for a reason—they’re easier to consume and often much faster than reading an article or working through course content. Here are a few recommendations for grant writing resources on YouTube:
Learn Grant Writing’s YouTube Channel
For an active, timely, and expert-led YouTube channel all about grant writing, we’ve got you covered! The Learn Grant Writing YouTube channel is chock full of helpful guides, our takes on the big grant news of the day, and real-life stories from grant writers who’ve navigated challenges to build thriving careers.
Want a sample of our content? Here’s one of our most popular videos, Grant Writing Success: 7 Hacks for Winning Proposals:
Check out our channel and subscribe to stay updated on the latest video resources from our team!
Amber Melanie Smith
Our Global Grant Writers Collective members highly recommend Amber Melanie Smith’s YouTube Channel.
Amber’s content focuses largely on guides, tips, and interviews for professionals in new and growing nonprofits. She frequently covers grant topics—here’s her full grant playlist.
Various Federal Agency YouTube Channels
Looking for more specialized video content and grant writing resources for pursuing federal grants? Try heading straight to the source!
Government agencies and institutes want to disburse funding to worthy projects, so they often produce helpful content on their websites and other channels (including YouTube) to help nonprofits better understand their funding requirements, management processes, and more.
Here’s an example: a YouTube channel from the National Institutes of Health focused specifically on their funding programs and tips for grant seekers.
Best AI Grant Writing Tools to Consider
AI is shaking up all kinds of industries and skill sets, and grant writing is no exception!
We’ve written extensively about the AI revolution in grant writing on our blog, including an FAQ guide to AI for grant writing and a roundup of the top AI tools for grant writers. Here’s a quick recap of a few of our favorite AI grant writing tools:
Grantable
Grantable was among the first AI grant writing assistants out there. Its goal is to serve as an all-in-one solution for drafting grant proposals. It’s easy to use, intuitively designed, and one of the few AI platforms available that’s specifically designed (and algorithmically trained) for grant writers and their needs.
Perplexity
Perplexity is an AI-driven search engine that focuses on pulling insights and data from the most reputable sources. Grant writers find it most useful for research, and it can potentially save you a ton of time when gathering background information and fleshing out the logical arguments of your proposals.
ChatGPT and Other Generative AI Platforms
You’ve almost certainly heard of ChatGPT and similar platforms like Claude and Google Gemini. While we don’t recommend over-relying on these all-purpose generative AI tools for your grant proposals (they make a lot of mistakes and do so very confidently), they’re still incredibly helpful for certain limited use cases.
Use them to get feedback on your writing, ask for phrasing suggestions, crunch numbers, and more—just always double-check their work.
Jenni.ai
Jenni.ai is an “intelligent research assistant” that could be the perfect addition to your toolkit of grant writing resources if you work in a technical or scientific field. The platform emphasizes its citation features and can work with documents you upload. Like other entries in this list, Jenni.ai stands out first and foremost as a research tool.
Coefficient
We love Coefficient, which perfectly tackles an ideal use case for AI—reporting and analyzing data. Coefficient essentially connects your tools to create intuitive, real-time reports, visualizations, and analyses.
While its complexity might not be necessary for all organizations or grant scenarios, it could be a perfect tool for organizations that must distill a lot of data into digestible reports for grant writing.
Gamma
Instead of focusing on data, Gamma uses AI to tell stories and create sleek presentations. Grant writers know all about creating slide decks and visual aids for grant kickoff meetings, progress check-ins, and more. Gamma makes it easy to add your subject matter, generate a polished slideshow, and put the finishing touches in a fraction of the usual time.
When using AI for grant writing, remember that no technology is perfect. We recommend brushing up on the basics of using AI to write grants—including what you can realistically expect of this tech and the potential risks that it brings. Check out our guide here.
Read our Complete List: Best AI Grant Writing Tools
Other Top Tools and Training to Build a Grant Writing Business or Workflow
What if you’re looking for more tactical advice and grant resources to either build your own consulting business or improve your nonprofit’s grant workflow? This category of our favorite tools, vendors, and platforms can help.
Global Grant Writers Collective
We couldn’t help shouting out the Global Grant Writers Collective one more time—the Collective, its training materials, and resource libraries are all ideal for grant writers looking to start freelance careers or lucrative side hustles.
The complete year-long program guides you through the process of earning while you learn, with the goal of securing your first $15,000 in paid grant writing work. We also teach firsthand tips for switching to freelance work, finding your first clients, landing a dream job using your new skills, and more—whatever your personal goals for learning grant writing, we can help.
We’ve helped tons of other grant writers turn their skills and passion for driving impact into more meaningful professional lives. Check out our success stories, and learn more about the Collective to see if it’s the right fit for you!
Wondering if grant writing could be a smart freelancing direction for you? You might like these guides:
- How To Change Careers & Thrive: Simple 7-Step Framework
- Finding Your Career Fit: Why Grant Writing Could Be Your Next Big Move!
- Can I Make Money as a Grant Writer?
Is Grant Writing For You?
If you are looking for a career change and interested in grant writing consulting, check out this training on how to get started. Build a flexible life you love!
Watch VideoManagement Concepts
Management Concepts is a workforce development firm (HR, training, and management) that specializes in helping federal government offices and organizations that work with the federal government.
It offers a wide range of training resources that could transform your grant writing and management efforts into a streamlined, impact-driving machine. For example, check out their full roster of training courses and events for federal grant recipients.
While a bit more on the advanced and technical sides of things, the topics Management Concepts’ training resources cover are essential for organizations that want to successfully tap into major government funding sources (and stay fully compliant to snag that next grant!).
Studioworks
Here’s a brand new platform that shows a ton of promise, and we’re excited for our community of freelancers to try it out. Studioworks is a set of digital tools that essentially give you all the most crucial back-office necessities for your freelancing business in one tidy package.
Studioworks offers accounting, management, invoicing, and payment features designed specifically for small creative and boutique agencies (like grant writers!) to help them tackle all the business essentials without committing to multiple complicated platforms. What’s not to love?
Additional Logistics and Productivity Tools We Love
Check out our other top picks for productivity, design, writing, and other grant writing resources that can help you level up your grant outputs:
- Asana - An affordable, easy-to-use project management platform ideal for grant writers and their teams to stay organized and on schedule.
- Trello - Another favorite project management tool that uses intuitive Kanban-style cards to make progressing through your workflows that much more satisfying.
- Google Workspace - The gold standard for cloud-based productivity tools, including Docs, Slides, Gmail, Drive, and more (which work seamlessly with one another).
- Loom - A free AI-powered tool that makes it easy to record video messages and automate transcriptions and reminders from meetings—a game-changer for busy grant writers who gather input from many team members.
- Grammarly - Everyone’s favorite spellcheck tool, now with innovative AI features that help you improve your writing, style, and tone.
- Canva - The easiest-to-use online visual design tool out there, with free and paid versions that make it easy to create professional, polished, branded graphics and presentations for your organization or freelance business.
Free Grant Writing Trainings
These how-to videos offer a smattering of webinar replays from our online grant writing training and feature topics such as working remotely, project management, fundraising, and how to utilize the Freedom of Information Act for federal funding.
Access Free TrainingsBest Books about Grant Writing
Maybe you’d prefer to take the old-fashioned route and curl up with a book instead of logging into an online course to access your grant writing resources and training materials.
Thankfully, there are tons of high-quality books out there that can help you learn the essentials or dive deep into specialized grant writing topics.
How to Write a Grant: Become a Grant Writing Unicorn
How to Write a Grant: Become a Grant Writing Unicorn by our founder, Meredith Noble, is a bestselling grant writing guide for a reason—it’s practical, succinct, and just plain fun to read.
Now in its 2nd edition, this book covers everything a new grant writer will need to hit the ground running, including:
- Our 7-step system for writing a grant application
- How to find and prioritize grant opportunities
- How to manage your time when applying for grants
- How to gather letters of support, prepare a grant budget, and more
Plus, we include some hard-won lessons from the grant writing world, like how to keep community front and center in your proposals and tackle imposter syndrome when it rears its ugly head.
Learn more about our ultimate grant writing guide, or listen for free! Subscribe to receive email updates, and we’ll send you the 1st edition of How to Write a Grant: Become a Grant Writing Unicorn in audiobook format completely free.
Free Audio Book
We have turned the book into a podcast that makes it easy to listen to on-the-go. Get instant access after you provide your email below.
Get Free Audio Book
Writing to Win Federal Grants: A Must-Have for Your Fundraising Toolbox
Writing to Win Federal Grants: A Must-Have for Your Fundraising Toolbox By Cheryl K. Lester & Karen L. Cassidy is a well-known guide full of expert guidance for federal grant seeking.
It’s no secret that large federal grants are tricky to apply for and win. A trusted reference could be an invaluable resource for grant seekers looking to bolster their skills in this competitive space.
This book includes all the essentials you’ll need, including tips on finding opportunities that give you the best chances, real-world examples, and workbook-style sections designed to help you grow your confidence along the way.
Successful Grant Writing for Health and Human Service Professionals
Successful Grant Writing for Health and Human Service Professionals, Fifth Edition By Laura N. Gitlin Ph.D., Ann Kolanowski Ph.D., and Kevin J. Lyons Ph.D. is a well-regarded and frequently updated guide to all things grant seekers for those in the health and human services spaces.
Although perhaps most immediately useful for pre- and post-doctoral students, this book is chock-full of wisdom that can benefit any grant seeker looking for specialized guidance.
It covers trends, Professional Spotlights with advice from expert grant writers, many examples, tips for effectively conveying your proposals’ innovations, and more.
Grant Writing For Dummies
Grant Writing for Dummies by Beverly A. Browning may be a surprising addition to this list, but you can’t overlook how many grant writers it’s helped over the years.
Most importantly, it’s written by one of the most prominent experts in the field! Beverly Browning has been a professional grant writer, consultant, and author for over five decades, and she distills her expertise into this comprehensive, easy-to-follow guide for anyone to learn the essential skills of grant writing.
This guide also includes extensive examples, applications of key concepts, and explanations of pro writing techniques that can help your proposals stand out.
Wrapping Up
As you continue (or start!) your grant writing journey, we hope this list of all our favorite and most trusted resources will help. Between the training courses, free templates, video resources, productivity tools, and AI platforms, something has hopefully caught your eye!
Learn Grant Writing is here to help, too. Check out all our resources, including free tools and introductory courses, a full training program, and a community of grant writing peers ready to help—we’ve got something for every skill level and budget.
If you’re just getting started, we highly recommend our free grant writing course. Or, if you’re just looking to keep learning, try these additional resources:
- Grant Writing 101: What is It & How Do You Get Started?
- How to Write a Grant Proposal: 7-Step System & Bonus Tips
- 7 Superpowers of a Potential Grant Writer: How to Know Grant Writing Is for You
- Reviews: The Top 12 Best Grant Databases for Finding Funding
Free Grant Writing Trainings
These how-to videos offer a smattering of webinar replays from our online grant writing training and feature topics such as working remotely, project management, fundraising, and how to utilize the Freedom of Information Act for federal funding.
Access Free Trainings
