Grant Writer

A Grant Writer crafts proposals to funders to get world-changing and community-oriented projects off the ground. To be a successful Grant Writer, you must have a talent for persuasive writing and detailed research, and a whole lot of creativity. After all, you’re often writing about projects that haven’t even happened yet, and it’s your job as the Grant Writer to get enough juicy details to write a compelling piece about the work that will be done.

Grant writing skills are in high demand in the nonprofit sector, because organizations are always looking for funding. Tracking down those sources of funding in the first place will also be part of your responsibility. Whether you are a permanent staff member of one organization or an independent contractor for multiple agencies, you’ll get to work with passionate people who really care about the world around them.

In many cases, writing the grant proposal helps shape the plan for the project itself. You’ll be getting down to the dirty details of budgeting, staffing, materials, and evaluation methods—so that by the time it’s done, you’ll be able to convince grant makers that the project will be not only exciting and innovative, but effective and measurable as well.

You’ll have to work under pressure to meet those unforgiving proposal deadlines. But you’ll also get a great sense of satisfaction when one of your proposals earns funding for a program that will really make a difference, whether it’s for education, the environment, human rights, or neighborhood improvement.