Most nonprofit organizations rely heavily on grants as its primary source of funding. The federal government and private foundations give billions of dollars away every year. There are at least 26 federal grant-making agencies that offer thousands of grant programs. Last year, more than 2,000 U.S. corporate foundations supported organizations with the 501(c)(3) status.

Funding can be as low as $500 to $100,000 or more. Some grants are dedicated for specific projects; others help organizations sustain their general operating expenses. There are also some grants which contribute non-cash objects such as office equipment or computers. In any case, grant-giving continues to provide numerous groups with a valuable means of subsistence.

Larger organizations usually have a fulltime grant writer under their employ. In some cases, there's even a whole department with writers dedicated to finding new grants or reapplying for them.

This is not the case, however, for the smaller organizations. Often this responsibility is left entirely to the executive director who is tied up with running the business and who sometimes misses grant deadlines. Occasionally, a volunteer with strong writing skills is sought. This practice is fine for smaller grants from the private foundations, which typically consists of an application and a brief objective statement.

Larger grants require more hours of preparation and more work. A federal grant application process can take forty to sixty hours to prepare. Corporate and private foundations take three to eight hours.

This is where a freelance grant writer, such as me, comes in. First of all, I research and locate grant opportunities for my clients. Then I prepare the letter(s) of inquiry, abstracts, table of contents, needs statement, goals, methodology, budget, and evaluation forms. For a negotiable fee (hourly or flat), I create the drafts, prepare the final proposal, and submit it.

If you're a nonprofit organization looking for funding, grants are your best resource. There's lots of money out there waiting to be given to a deserving cause. Contact me at tpinney1@aol.com, if you need a grant writer or need more information.