How Do I Become a Nonprofit Grant Writer?
Research what it takes to become a nonprofit grant writer. Learn about career options along with degree requirements, responsibilities, and career growth to find out if this is the career for you.
What Is a Nonprofit Grant Writer?
Nonprofit grant writers work with nonprofit organizations to help them obtain funding for their services. Part of their job is to research the grant to ensure they include information that demonstrates the reason their organization should receive the funds. Some grants are for specific purposes, so the grant writer needs to ensure that they tailor their information to that purpose and demonstrate that the grant will be used for the purpose intended. When the organization receives the grant the grant writer must also ensure that the grant is used appropriately for the designated purposes. Grant writers may also organize fundraisers to generate revenue for the nonprofit organization, or for a specific purpose such as building renovations or purchasing equipment.
<table border="1"><tr><td> <b>Degree Required</b></td><td>Bachelor's degree (for technical writers) or a certificate</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Education Field of Study</b></td><td>Marketing, English, grant writing, communications</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Key Responsibilities</b></td><td>Draft proposals, research content and businesses, and create grants to help businesses, programs or schools receive funding</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Job Growth (2020-2030)</b></td><td>12%* (for technical writers)</td></tr>
<tr><td> <b>Median Salary (2022)</b></td><td>$49,554** (for grant writers)</td></tr>
</table><p><i>Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, **PayScale.com</i>
</p><h3 id="section---WhatSkillsAndTrainingDoINeedToBecomeANonprofitGrantWriter">What Skills and Training Do I Need to Become a Nonprofit Grant Writer?</h3><p>As a nonprofit grant writer, you need skills in persuasive writing and in-depth researching. You may also need technical knowledge if the grant is of a technical nature. You need to have a good eye for details, the ability to follow strict guidelines and general knowledge of the grant process. Having a bachelor's degree in English, marketing, communications or writing can help you to be more competitive for jobs. Some graduate-level degree programs relating to professional writing or the nonprofit sector may include specific coverage of grant writing.
</p><p>There are also dedicated grant-writing certificate programs. These programs are usually a short overview the process and procedures involved in the grant-assigning process. They last anywhere from a few weeks to a year, and may be completed entirely online. Things you may learn include types of funding sources, common grant structure, grant- and proposal-writing tips as well as research methods.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatWouldMyJobDutiesBe">What Would My Job Duties Be?</h3><p>Your job is to create a grant application that serves to acquire needed funding for an organization. The process of creating a grant application involves researching, writing, developing ideas and working with others on the grant proposal staff. You must follow the guidelines set by the grant-maker, which may include explaining why your organization is most deserving of the grant and what plans the organization has for spending the grant money. You also need to have a good understanding of the organization for which you work including having a good knowledge of projects, finances and programs.
</p><p>You may be hired on a project basis, only working for an organization when grant funding is needed, or you may be kept on staff. You usually handle writing the grant, along with monitoring the proposal after it has been submitted. You may be responsible for creating follow-up materials or gathering additional information that has been requested by the grant-maker after they have read your proposal. You may also have to report on the status of grant proposals to the leaders in your organization.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreMyPotentialEarnings">What Are My Potential Earnings?</h3><p>Grant writers' salaries are influenced by many factors including employee status, project type, organization type and work hours. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a median annual wage of $74,650 for all technical writers as of May 2020. According to the same survey from the BLS, the lowest 10% of technical writers earned a median annual wage of $45,510 and the highest 90% earned $119,040 (<i>www.bls.gov</i>). <i>PayScale.com</i> stated that all grant writers earned a median hourly wage of $24.62 in 2022.
</p><h3 id="section---WhatAreSomeRelatedAlternativeCareers">What Are Some Related Alternative Careers?</h3><p>Public relations specialists and technical writers share common duties with nonprofit grant writers. Public relations specialists produce materials that are used to shape public opinion about their client. This may include writing speeches or preparing pamphlets or brochures or press releases. They tailor the information provided to the intended audience for a specific purpose. In that respect, their work is like the work that nonprofit grant writers do, because they must understand the purpose of the grant they're applying for and incorporate information pertinent to the grant's focus to persuade the grant's administrators to award them the grant. They, like public relations specialists, are attempting to present information in a way that will influence the recipient's opinion. Technical writers research subjects and produce written materials. The materials may be for industry professionals or may be intended for the general public. Technical writers share the research aspect of their job with nonprofit grant writers. Technical writers must be certain that they have up-to-date and pertinent information for the purpose of the document, and that's something that nonprofit grant writers need to focus on as well. Public relations specialists and technical writers need a bachelor's degree to enter their career fields.</p>