Learn the essential knowledge and skills to develop effective foundation grant proposals in this three-week, interactive online course. You will connect with expert Candid trainers and your peers to learn the practical skills needed to: build the key components of a competitive grant proposal to a foundation, develop a well-organized budget, and identify a targeted list of foundation funding prospects. You will be encouraged to approach your proposal from the funder's perspective and to think critically about what makes a compelling pitch. To accommodate diversity in learning styles, the three weeks are grounded in project-based learning and include individual writing time, self-paced eLearning, live virtual lectures, and small group discussions and peer activities.
This is a one-hour orientation session which will be followed by three sessions offered on consecutive Tuesdays, February 21 to March 7, from 10 am to noon.
Preparing for the course
We encourage you to prepare for class by identifying a project for which you would like to seek foundation funding. The workshop will include opportunities to draft a logic model and letter of inquiry that you can use to pursue funding for this project.
The Proposal Writing Boot Camp will follow this schedule:
Week 1, February 1: Structuring the proposal and letter of inquiry
Learn the structure of a grant proposal, develop a need statement, and get an overview of using the logic model framework to craft a project description and evaluation plan. This week will also include an introduction to and review of the letter of inquiry format.
Week 2, February 28: Drafting the letter of inquiry and project budget
Continue to gain familiarity and practice with the components of a full proposal and letter of inquiry. Draft and submit a one-page letter of inquiry for week three’s peer-review exercise, learn how to prioritize fundraising for your organization, and receive intensive training on developing a project budget.
Week 3, March 7: Preparing to build relationships with funders
Kick off the week learning how to research, approach, and cultivate relationships with funders. Engage in expert and peer review of your submitted letter of inquiry. Wrap up with summary exercises and evaluation.
We have designed the course to be equivalent to the 3 days of time spent together during our in-person Proposal Writing Boot Camp. As such, you should plan to invest a total of 6 to 8 hours per week on the course, broken down in the following way:
- Weekly 2-hour live and interactive sessions with expert Candid facilitators
- Video and written instructional content diving deeper into the topics covered in each week’s live session for you to review in your own time
- An assignment to support you in drafting a letter of inquiry that you will be able to use when connecting with funders.
The Boot Camp is appropriate for all levels of experience and qualifies for 18 CFRE points.
For information about presenters and other details, see the registration website.
