Grant writing guides
Practical, expert-written guides to help you research funders, write stronger proposals, and win more grants.
Federal Grants · Featured
The Past Performance Section of a Capability Statement
What belongs in a past performance entry, how to fit three of them on a one-page capability statement, and what to write when you have no federal past performance.
Grant Writing Service Editorial Team · August 13, 2026 · 4 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
Do Grant Writers Work on Commission?
Why reputable grant writers do not take a percentage of the award, what the ethics codes and federal cost rules say, how success-fee hybrids fit in, and what to do if you cannot pay up front.
August 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Budgets
Grant Budget Line Items: Examples by Category and How to Write Them
Typical line items under each grant budget category, how to write each one so the arithmetic can be checked, and the classification mistakes that draw reviewer questions.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
Grant Writing Companies: How to Find and Choose One
The kinds of businesses that call themselves grant writing companies, where to find a real one, when a firm beats a freelancer or a staff hire, and how to spot a lead broker.
August 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Finding Grants
How Much Money Can You Get From a Grant?
Published award limits for well-known federal programs, how to read a foundation's real grant size, and the factors that cap what your organization can realistically request.
August 13, 2026 · 4 min read
Grant Budgets
In-Kind Contribution Examples: Valuing and Documenting In-Kind Costs
A complete in-kind match table with worked valuations for volunteer time, donated space, laptops, pro bono services and loaned partner staff, plus the valuation rule and records behind each one.
August 13, 2026 · 5 min read
Nonprofit Grants
Letter of Inquiry Sample: Three Annotated Grant Examples
A complete one-page grant letter of inquiry with paragraph-by-paragraph notes, the same request written for an online form with character limits, and a short email inquiry.
August 13, 2026 · 7 min read
Grant Budgets
Level of Effort in a Grant Budget: Percent, Full-Time Equivalent and Person-Months
How to calculate percent effort, convert it to full-time equivalents and calendar, academic or summer person-months, cost it correctly, and meet the federal rules on documenting effort after award.
August 13, 2026 · 4 min read
SBIR & Research
NIH Biosketch Example: A Complete 2026 Common Form Sample
A full worked NIH biosketch in the current two-part format, the Common Form plus the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement, annotated field by field.
August 13, 2026 · 7 min read
Proposal Writing
The One-Page Grant Executive Summary
How to fit a grant executive summary on one page or into a strict word limit, with one example compressed three times and the NSF project summary format.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Federal Grants
SF-424 Instructions: Filling Out Every Field
Field-by-field SF-424 instructions in plain language, from type of submission to the authorized representative, with the formats and SAM.gov matches Grants.gov checks.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Federal Grants
SF-424A: The Federal Budget Information Form
A section-by-section guide to the SF-424A budget form, with a worked Section B example, the current indirect cost rules, and how the form ties to the SF-424 cover page.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Federal Grants
SF-424B: Assurances for Non-Construction Programs
What the 19 SF-424B assurances commit your organization to, why many agencies now rely on SAM.gov certifications instead, and how to tell whether your notice still requires the form.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
SBIR & Research
Specific Aims Examples: Five Annotated Pages
Full, usable Specific Aims pages for an R01, an R21, a K award, and an SBIR Phase I, plus the weak version of one project, each annotated to show what works and why.
August 13, 2026 · 10 min read
Proposal Writing
Sustainability Plan Example for a Grant Proposal
Two full sample sustainability plans, one for a foundation grant and one for a federal grant, with notes on why each part earns points and what the weaker version would say.
August 13, 2026 · 6 min read
Education Grants
Department of Education Grants in 2026: What Exists and How to Apply
How U.S. Department of Education grants work after the 2025 and 2026 restructuring: formula versus competitive programs, which agencies now administer them, funding status, and how to apply.
June 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Nonprofit Grants
Foundation Grants: Types, Where to Find Open Ones, and How to Apply
How private, family, community, and corporate foundations decide what to fund, how to tell which ones accept applications, and the path from first contact to a grant.
June 17, 2026 · 4 min read
SBIR & Research
NIH Grants: Types, Eligibility, and How to Apply
What an NIH grant is, the main activity codes from the R01 to the R21 and SBIR, who can apply, and how review and funding decisions work after the 2025 and 2026 policy changes.
June 17, 2026 · 7 min read
SBIR & Research
NSF Grants: Programs, Eligibility, and How to Apply
What an NSF grant is, how programs and deadlines work, how Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts are reviewed, and what the 2025 and 2026 restructuring changed for applicants.
June 17, 2026 · 5 min read
Education Grants
Special Needs Education Grants: Funding by Who Is Asking
Where special education money comes from in 2026, sorted by who is asking: districts, nonprofits, classroom teachers, and families, with the federal changes that affect each.
June 17, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Writing
AI Grant Writing: What It Can Do, Funder Rules, and the Risks
Where AI tools genuinely help with grant applications, where they quietly cost you the award, what NIH and NSF policies say, and a safe way to use them.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grants by Audience
Arts Grants: Where Artists and Arts Organizations Get Funded
Who funds the arts in 2026, which programs accept individual artists versus nonprofits, what the National Endowment for the Arts requires, and how fiscal sponsorship opens doors.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Finding Grants
Best Grant Databases for Finding Funding in 2026
A tool-by-tool comparison of the grant databases worth paying for, the free sources that cover the rest, and which combination fits a small nonprofit, an active grants team, or a research lab.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Grant Budgets
Budget Narrative: Full Sample and How to Write Each Section
A complete, line-by-line sample budget narrative for a one-year federal program grant, followed by what reviewers check in each category and how foundation formats differ.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Federal Grants
Capability Statement: What to Include, With an Example
What a capability statement is, the sections government buyers expect, a complete one-page example for a fictional small business, and how to tailor it for each agency.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Government Programs
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG): How It Works
How the Community Development Block Grant moves from HUD to your city, county, or state, what it can and cannot pay for, its current funding status, and how organizations get a share.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Government Programs
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG): How It Works
How the Community Services Block Grant moves from HHS to states and Community Action Agencies, its current funding status, what it pays for, and the realistic routes for other nonprofits.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Concept Paper: How to Write One, With an Example
What a grant concept paper is, when funders ask for one, the sections to include, a complete illustrative example, and how it differs from a letter of inquiry and concept note.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
How Much Does It Cost to Hire a Grant Writer?
What a grant writer costs for each kind of project and by the hour, what sits inside a fee and what is billed on top, the fee structures to walk away from, and whether grant money can pay the bill.
June 12, 2026 · 11 min read
Grant Budgets
Direct vs Indirect Costs in Grant Budgets, With Examples
The federal test for direct versus indirect costs, side-by-side examples for nonprofits and research teams, and how to settle gray areas like rent, IT and administrative salaries.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
Executive Summary for a Grant Proposal: How to Write One
What belongs in a grant proposal's executive summary, how it differs from a cover letter and a project abstract, a full illustrative example, and a before-and-after rewrite.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Nonprofit Grants
Google Ad Grants for Nonprofits: Eligibility, Setup, and the Rules
How the $10,000 monthly Google Ad Grant works, who is excluded, the steps to apply, and the current account rules on click-through rate, conversions, bidding, and keywords.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Grant Budgets
Grant Budget: How to Build One Step by Step
A step-by-step process for building a grant budget that reviewers trust, from reading the funder's rules to costing activities, applying indirect rates, adding match and checking the totals.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Budgets
Grant Budget Template and Examples: Four Complete Budgets
A copyable grant budget template and four complete, worked budgets: a foundation project budget with income, a two-year federal budget with match, a capital request and a general operating request.
June 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Evaluation Plan: What to Include, With a Sample
The parts of a grant evaluation plan, how to choose a design that fits your budget, who should run the evaluation, and a sample plan with evaluation questions and a measurement table.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Management
Grant Management Software: How to Choose the Right Tool
A vendor-neutral guide to grant management software: the four kinds of buyers, real examples of each, the features that matter for your role, and a short evaluation process.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Review
Grant Proposal Checklist: Before You Hit Submit
A copyable pre-submission checklist covering eligibility, registrations, every narrative section, budget math, standard attachments, file rules, and submission confirmation.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Proposal Example: A Complete Sample With Notes
A full, illustrative grant proposal written section by section, including a cover letter, need, objectives, timeline, evaluation table, and budget, plus a short letter-proposal sample.
June 12, 2026 · 10 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Proposal Outline: Sections and Order
A copyable grant proposal outline with the points each section must cover, alternate outlines for foundation, federal, and research proposals, and how to split the page limit.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Grant Management
Grant Reporting Requirements: What Funders Expect
Which reports a funder can require, when federal reports are due under 2 CFR 200, how foundation reports differ, and an illustrative interim report you can model.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
Grant Writer: What One Does and How to Hire One
What a grant writer is, the three ways organizations bring one on, where to find a good one, and how to check them before you sign.
June 12, 2026 · 3 min read
Grants by Audience
Grants for Churches: Real Funders and the Rules That Apply
Which grants churches can actually get in 2026, from security and historic preservation grants to worship and clergy renewal programs, and the rules for using government money.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Grants by Audience
Grants for Farmers: USDA and Other Programs Open in 2026
Which farm grants are real and open in 2026, how much each pays, what changed at USDA, and how grants differ from the commodity and disaster payments in the news.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Nonprofit Grants
Grants for Nonprofit Startups: What New Organizations Can Realistically Win
Why most foundations avoid brand-new nonprofits, which funders do not, how to receive grants before your IRS determination arrives, and how to sequence first-year funding.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Education Grants
Grants for Schools: Federal, State, and Private Funding in 2026
How grant money actually reaches K-12 schools, which federal, state, corporate, and foundation programs are open or recurring in 2026, and who in the district should apply.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Federal Grants
Grants.gov Registration: SAM.gov and UEI Step by Step
The order that works for registering an organization to apply for federal grants: Login.gov, SAM.gov and your UEI, then Grants.gov profiles and roles, plus the holdups that cost weeks.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Federal Grants
How to Apply for Federal Grants: A Step-by-Step Guide
The full federal grant application path in order, from checking whether federal grants fit you at all, through registration and the package, to tracking your submission until the agency has it.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Finding Grants
How to Find Grants for Nonprofits: 8 Places to Search
Where nonprofit grants are actually posted, from Grants.gov and state portals to community foundations, peer annual reports, and foundation tax returns, and the order to search them in.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Small Business Grants
How to Get a Grant to Start a Business: A Realistic Step-by-Step
The honest process for founders: whether your business fits any grant, how to use your local Small Business Development Center and state agency, what to have ready, and what to do if no grant fits.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Nonprofit Grants
How to Get Grants for Nonprofits: The Process Step by Step
The full path from eligible organization to funded grantee: the documents to have ready, which funders to approach first, how to make contact, what to submit, and what to do after the decision.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Federal Grants
How to Write a Federal Grant Proposal: Full Guide
How to write a federal grant proposal that reviewers can score: building the outline from the review criteria, then writing each section with worked examples of what strong looks like.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Nonprofit Grants
How to Write a Grant Proposal for a Nonprofit
A practical walkthrough for nonprofits: what to gather before writing, the sections most foundations ask for and what each must contain, and how to adapt one proposal for many funders.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
How to Write a Grant Proposal: A Step-by-Step Guide
The working process behind a fundable grant proposal: confirming fit, planning before you draft, writing each section, sizing it to the funder, and submitting cleanly.
June 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Education Grants
How to Write an Education Grant: A Step-by-Step Guide
A working method for education grant proposals, with illustrative examples of each section and notes on how a classroom grant, a foundation request, and a federal application differ.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
SBIR & Research
How to Write an SBIR Proposal: A Step-by-Step Guide
A practical walkthrough of an SBIR proposal after the 2026 reauthorization: registrations, agency formats for NIH, NSF, DoD, and DOE, and the sections reviewers score.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
SBIR & Research
How to Write Specific Aims: A Paragraph-by-Paragraph Method
The method behind a Specific Aims page: what each paragraph has to accomplish, sentence patterns that work, how to word a testable aim, and how the page shifts by mechanism.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Grant Budgets
Indirect Cost Rate: How It Is Set and How to Apply It
How an indirect cost rate is calculated, what changed in the 2024 Uniform Guidance (15 percent de minimis, $50,000 subaward base), and how to apply a rate without overclaiming.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
Is Hiring a Grant Writer Worth It?
How to decide whether a grant writer is worth the fee: an expected-value check, the situations where writing it yourself is smarter, and the partial-help options in between.
June 12, 2026 · 3 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Letter of Inquiry: How to Write One
What a grant letter of inquiry is for, when funders ask for one, what each paragraph must do, how online inquiry forms change it, and what happens after you send it.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
Letter of Support for a Grant: Examples and How to Request One
What a grant letter of support must prove, three example letters (partner commitment, community, and public official), who should write them, and how to request them without delays.
June 12, 2026 · 7 min read
Proposal Writing
Logic Model: Components, a Full Example, and How to Build One
The five components of a logic model, a complete worked example for a grant program, and a build order that keeps every column connected to the next.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Budgets
Matching Funds for Grants: How Match Requirements Work
How grant match requirements work: calculating the ratio correctly, cash versus in-kind and other forms of match, the federal rules on what counts, and how committed match is tracked and reported.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Nonprofit Grants
Grant Readiness Assessment: Is Your Nonprofit Ready to Apply?
A self-assessment you can run in an afternoon: the items funders check in each area, how to score them, what the result means, and the extra requirements federal grants add.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Management
Post-Award Grant Management: A Practical Guide
What happens between the notice of award and closeout: the first 30 days of setup, cost rules, drawdowns, changes that need approval, subrecipient monitoring, and finishing clean.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
Questions to Ask a Grant Writer Before You Hire
Questions to ask a contract grant writer or firm, what strong and weak answers sound like, the red flags that end the conversation, and what to ask when interviewing a staff grant writer.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Grant Management
RPPR Explained: Sections, Due Dates, and the FFR
What the Research Performance Progress Report is, how NIH's annual, interim, and final RPPRs work, section by section, when each is due, and how it pairs with the Federal Financial Report.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
SBIR & Research
SBIR Commercialization Plan: What Each Agency Requires
What each agency asks for in an SBIR commercialization plan, how Phase I and Phase II plans differ, and how to write the customer, market, IP, and financing sections so reviewers believe them.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
SBIR & Research
SBIR Phase 1 vs Phase 2: Key Differences Explained
How SBIR Phase I and Phase II differ in purpose, award size, duration, review emphasis, and eligibility, plus Fast-Track, Direct to Phase II, Phase IIB, and Phase III.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
SBIR & Research
SBIR Success Rate: What the Data Shows by Agency
What published data says about SBIR success rates at NSF and NIH, why the numbers you see online disagree, and how the 2026 reauthorization changes the picture.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Federal Grants
SF-424 Explained: The Federal Grant Cover Form
A plain-English guide to the SF-424, the federal grant cover form: what it asks, where to get the correct fillable copy, which variant you need, and the errors that get packages rejected.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Grant Management
Single Audit and 2 CFR 200 Compliance Explained
When federal spending triggers a single audit under the current $1,000,000 threshold, what the auditor tests, what you file with the Federal Audit Clearinghouse, and how to prepare all year.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Small Business Grants
Small Business Grants for Women: Current Programs and Federal Help
Women-focused business grants confirmed as current in October 2026, with amounts, eligibility, and fees, plus the federal programs for women-owned businesses and how to judge a grant offer.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Proposal Writing
SMART Goals and Objectives for Grant Proposals, With Examples
What each letter of SMART means, how goals differ from objectives, and before-and-after examples of grant objectives for education, health, workforce, and housing programs.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Small Business Grants
Startup Business Grants: Programs You Can Apply To (October 2026)
A checked list of startup business grants with amounts, eligibility, deadlines, and fees as of October 2026, what happened to the $10,000 SBA grant, and where to find local programs.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Writing
Statement of Need: How to Write One, With Examples
What a grant statement of need must prove, a four-part structure, worked examples in education, health, housing, and workforce, a weak-to-strong rewrite, and where to find the data.
June 12, 2026 · 6 min read
Education Grants
STEM Education Grants for K-12: Current Funders and How to Apply
Which K-12 STEM grants are actually open in 2026, who each one accepts (teachers, schools, or research partners), and what changed at NSF and other federal funders.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Writing
Grant Sustainability Plan: How to Write the Section Funders Score
What a grant sustainability plan has to answer, the strategies that keep programs running after the grant period, and how to write the section for foundation and federal funders.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Writing
Theory of Change: How to Write One, With a Worked Example
What a theory of change is, the steps to write one by mapping backward from your goal, a complete worked example, and how it differs from a logic model.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Federal Grants
2 CFR 200 Uniform Guidance: The Basics
A plain-language map of 2 CFR 200: how the six subparts fit together, the figures that changed in the 2024 revision, the cost principles, and where the 2026 proposed rewrite stands.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Hiring a Grant Writer
What Does a Grant Writer Do?
What a grant writer does at each stage of the grant cycle, what they produce, what they need from your organization, and how the role differs from a grant manager or consultant.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Federal Grants
What Is a NOFO? The Funding Notice Explained
What a Notice of Funding Opportunity is, the eight sections every federal NOFO now follows, how it differs from an RFP or RFA, and how to read one before you commit.
June 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Finding Grants
What Is Grant Prospect Research? Process, Scoring, and a Sample Profile
What grant prospect research produces, the five steps from search terms to ranked list, how to score fit, what a funder profile should record, and how much time to budget.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Proposal Review
Grant Rejection: Why It Happened and What to Do Next
How to read a grant rejection, the reasons proposals are declined at each stage of review, how to ask for feedback, and how to decide whether and how to resubmit.
June 12, 2026 · 4 min read
Ready to win your next grant?
Get a flat-fee quote from an experienced grant writer. No commission, no guesswork, just a funder-ready proposal.