Prospect Research Course

This is where we lay the foundation, everything you need to understand before you start writing:

• Discover why people give, and how to use that knowledge to write proposals that speak to both a funder's head and heart.

• Learn what a grant writer actually does (hint: it is way more than writing) and how to gather the information you need before you type a single word.

• Get familiar with common grant application formats and why following the rules isn't optional.

This is where your proposals start to come alive. You will learn to think like a storyteller and a strategist:

• See how the five sections of a grant proposal map to a classic story arc, and how storytelling turns your proposal into a narrative funders can follow and connect with.

• Use empowering, person-centered language that honors community voices and avoids savior narratives or deficit-based framing.

• Learn how the Grant Framework helps you build your proposal one piece at a time.

• Use the Five-Filters approach to prospect research to uncover funding opportunities you would never find with a single search.

This is where you start building the first real section of your grant proposal:

• Understand where your organization falls in its lifecycle, and how to position it for funding at any stage of development.

• Tell your organization's story in a way that weaves together mission, vision, history, programs, and partnerships into something funders connect with.

• Show funders your organization has what it takes by highlighting governance, leadership, staffing, infrastructure, and strategic planning.

• Understand how foundations work, including the different types, and how to find and approach them as potential funding sources.

This is where your proposal starts to build real momentum:

• Understand what a community insight statement is, what belongs in it, and why it sets the foundation for everything else in your proposal.

• Use a mix of external research, internal data, and lived experience to describe community conditions in a way that is grounded, credible, and compelling.

• Learn how to build tension and urgency in your writing, showing funders why this issue matters right now, without jumping ahead to solutions.

• Research corporate grantmakers and develop strategies for approaching them, including sponsorships, in-kind support, and cause-related marketing.

This is where the numbers tell your story:

• Determine how much to request from a specific grantmaker, based on their guidelines, your total project costs, and a diversified funding strategy.

• Build a clear, balanced project budget that ties every expense directly to your project's activities and outcomes.

• Write a budget narrative that shows your math, justifies your costs, and demonstrates financial stewardship and sustainability.

• Navigate government grant opportunities, including how to search Grants.gov, register to apply, and understand federal funding structures.

This is where your proposal gets its heartbeat:

• Write a project description that walks the reader through your participant's experience from first contact to completion, so the funder can see your project in action.

• Draft a primary goal and three SMARTIE objectives that are specific, measurable, and grounded in inclusivity and equity.

• Build a work plan and timeline that shows exactly how your project will be executed and who is responsible for each piece.

• Explore tribal grantmakers, clubs, and associations as potential funding sources, two categories many grant writers overlook.

This is where you bring it all home:

• Understand the purpose of evaluation in a grant proposal, and how to design an evaluation plan that is right-sized for your project's scope, budget, and capacity.

• Choose the right evaluation tools and data collection methods to measure whether your project is achieving what it set out to do.

• Write the evaluation and closing sections of your grant proposal in a way that demonstrates accountability, learning, and long-term vision.

• Build a system for tracking your prospects, deadlines, and communications so nothing falls through the cracks.

This is where you cross the finish line:

• Know what organizational documents grantmakers typically request and what they are actually looking for when they review them.

• Understand the key financial documents (audited statements, IRS Form 990, balance sheet, and organizational budget) and what each one communicates to a funder about your organization's health.

• Get your supporting attachments organized and ready so you are not scrambling when an application deadline hits.

• Learn how to communicate with grantmakers, navigate the review process, and build the kind of relationships that lead to sustained funding.

• Understand the ethical standards that protect you, your organization, and the integrity of this work.