Grant Writing Fundamentals: From Finding Opportunities to Building a Strong Proposal

Grant funding can help organizations launch new initiatives, strengthen existing programs, build organizational capacity, and address important community needs. However, successful grant writing requires much more than completing an application. Organizations must identify appropriate funding opportunities, understand the funder’s requirements, develop a realistic project plan, and clearly explain why the proposed work deserves support.

This introductory session provides an overview of the complete grant cycle, including the pre-award, award, and post-award phases. Participants will learn how to research potential funders, evaluate grant opportunities, plan a project, develop measurable goals and objectives, and organize the major components of a proposal. The session also covers project narratives, budgets and budget justifications, evaluation plans, reporting responsibilities, and common mistakes that can weaken an application.

Why You Should Attend

A strong program idea does not automatically result in a strong grant proposal. Applications may lose funding because the project does not align with the funder’s priorities, the need is not supported by data, the objectives cannot be measured, or the budget does not match the proposed activities.

This session will help participants approach grant writing as an organized process rather than a last-minute writing assignment. Attendees will learn how to evaluate whether an opportunity is a good fit, translate a project idea into a clear proposal, develop a defensible budget, and explain how outcomes will be measured. The training will also address submission requirements, review and revision, post-award compliance, and reporting responsibilities so participants understand what happens before and after an award.

Areas Covered

• The purpose of grants and the types of projects they may support
• Common sources of government, corporate, private, and foundation funding
• The pre-award, award, and post-award phases of the grant cycle
• How to research funding opportunities and evaluate organizational eligibility
• How to determine whether a grant aligns with the organization’s mission and project goals
• Planning a grant-funded project, including timelines, activities, and stakeholder involvement
• Developing clear goals and measurable SMART objectives
• Common components of a grant proposal
• Writing a persuasive statement of need supported by reliable data
• Developing a clear project description, methodology, and implementation plan
• Preparing an itemized project budget and budget justification
• Understanding direct and indirect project expenses
• Connecting proposed expenses to project activities and objectives
• Developing an evaluation plan and identifying performance measures
• Post-award budgeting, compliance, documentation, and reporting responsibilities
• Common grant-writing mistakes and how to avoid them
• Reviewing, revising, and submitting the final proposal

Who Should Attend

• Nonprofit executives and administrators
• Program directors and program managers
• Development and fundraising professionals
• Grant writers and grant coordinators
• Affordable housing professionals
• Aging-services professionals
• Service coordinators and resident-services staff
• Community outreach and engagement staff
• Finance and accounting personnel involved in grant budgets
• Staff responsible for program planning, evaluation, or reporting
• Employees who are new to grant research or proposal development
• Organizations seeking to establish or strengthen a grant-writing process

Speaker(s)

Rhanda McKown

Rhanda McKown is a seasoned affordable housing professional with over 20 years of experience in the industry. Currently, she serves as Director of Affordable Housing for a non-profit organization covering four states. She spent 15 years working for a Performance Based Contract Administrator (PBCA), where she conducted Management and Occupancy Reviews across Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Rhanda has developed specialized expertise in processing Auto-OCAF rent adjustments, Special Claims, Budget-Based Rent Adjustments, and Contract Renewals. Her background in HUD funded multifamily affordable housing subsidy programs is extensive, with a specialization in properties that follow HUD Handbook 4350.3 for occupancy guidelines. In addition to her technical expertise, Rhanda has a strong track record in building and coordinating educational programs focused on affordable housing. She has also served as the Director of the Affordable Housing Study Commission for Florida, where she played a key role in understanding and reporting on affordable housing policy and statistics in the state. Rhanda’s experience also includes managing the records retention program for a state housing finance agency (HFA), where she was instrumental in developing the agency’s records retention strategy and served as a liaison for the OnBase© software system.

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