Westchester Community College, State University of New York

Job Outlook for Grant Writers

• According to workforce analytics company Burning Glass, the need for grant writers and other fundraising specialists is expected to grow 15% over the next decade.
• PayScale.com estimates that grant writers can earn up to $71,000 annually, with the current median salary sitting just over $49,000.
• In the United States, metropolitan regions and areas adjacent to cities like Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Seattle provided the biggest opportunities for grant writers.

WHY DO NONPROFITS NEED GRANT WRITERS?

Not-for-profit (or nonprofit) 501(c) entities rely on fundraising and development to sustain their mission. Grant writing is one of the key strategies in the nonprofits sector for fundraising.

WHAT DO GRANT WRITERS DO?

Grant writers are tasked with researching, drafting, and submitting proposals for organizations including educational institutions, social advocacy groups, healthcare groups, and more. Often, grant writers also handle other fundraising activities, including identifying funding sources, budgeting, and managing resources.

WHAT TYPES OF GRANTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR NONPROFITS?

The Federal government is the largest source of grant funding. Additionally, nonprofits organizations can sustain themselves with grants from state, foundation and corporate grants.

IS GRANT WRITING A GOOD CAREER?

Nonprofit organizations will always need fundraising to maintain operational expenses, and grant writing is the main way this is done. Grant writing can be a well-paying career if you have strong history of winning grants, but it can also be very rewarding if you believe in the causes you are writing for. 

• Prepare for the Grant Professional Certified (GPC) exam offered by the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI)
• Learn how a certification enhances professionalism and opportunities for grant writers
• Gain the skills needed to be a professional grant writer
• Master how to match grant funders and fundable programs
• Learn how organizational missions, cultures, and norms impact grant readiness
• Prepare a grant budget with appropriate costs, cash, in-kind or leveraged matches
• Describe the grant writer's role in post-award grant management and transition

1. Why Get a Grant Writing Certification
2. Being Confident in Your Grant Writing Skills
3. Grant Funding Trends
4. Grant Funding Resources and Best Matches for Programs and Projects
5. Establishing Initial and Ongoing Relationships with Funders
6. Relationship Between Organizational Development and Grant Seeking Readiness
7. Proposal Writing Preparation
8. Proposal Writing Research, Implementation Strategies, Writing Characteristics, and Incorporating Graphics
9. Writing the Boilerplate for the Grant Applicant Organization            
10. Diving Deep Into Organizational Development Strategies and Funding Needs
11. Midterm Exam and Writing Prompt Response
12. Stakeholders, Partnerships, and Key Personnel Collaborations and Communications
13. Effective Program and Project Design and Development Strategies
14. Community Resources, Evaluation Designs, and Cultural Competencies
15. Proposal Budgets
16. Grant Proposal Submission Processes and Follow-up for Unfunded Submissions
17. Funded Grant Requests
18. Writing an Effective Case Statement for Fundraising Purposes
19. Capstone Assignment: Case Statement
20. Deciding to Move Forward with Certification
21. Employability Ethics
22. Bonus Lesson: Interview Pregame
23. Final Exam

Dr. Beverly A. Browning
Dr. Beverly A. Browning is a grant writing consultant and visionary who uses thought leadership to work with nonprofit organizations struggling with the woes of revenue stream imbalances. She has been researching grant funding, grantmaking trends, and board-related barriers to nonprofit capacity building for over 40 years. Together she and her team have helped her clients win over $750 million in grant awards.

Dr. Browning is the founder and director of the Grant Writing Training Foundation and Bev Browning, LLC. She is the author of 44 grant writing publications, including six editions of Grant Writing for Dummies and the 6th edition of Nonprofit Kit for Dummies (to be published in 2021).

Dr. Browning holds graduate and post-graduate degrees in organizational development, public administration, and business administration. She is also a Certified Strategic Planning Facilitator (CSPF), has a McNellis Compression Planning Institute Facilitation Training distinction, and is an Approved Trainer for the Grant Professionals Association (GPA), the Certified Fund Raising Executive International (CFRE, and the Grant Professionals Certification Institute (GPCI).