Grant Writing Series

When it comes to grant writing, you may be a good writer, or even a great writer, but everyone can improve their skills at any time in their career.

2024 Schedule: February 28 – March 20.

Four half-day sessions, 9am – 12pm PT. Via Zoom.

The series conducted on Zoom consists of lectures, scenario-based learning, and group discussions that reinforce the material, involves peer review and includes writing exercises.

The series will support participants learning more about:

Key components of a grant proposal.
Approaches to funder research.
Crafting a boilerplate grant for one of the organization’s programs.
Terminology in the grant seeking field.
Eligibility criteria to apply for grant programs.
Program budget development.

CVNL is pleased to offer partial scholarships to Black, Indigenous, People of Color, and under-represented individuals who are nonprofit staff or volunteers serving in Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano Counties.

These scholarships are made available by generous grants from the Peter A., and Vernice H. Gasser Foundation, the Community Foundation of Sonoma County, the Solano Community Foundation, Marin Community Foundation, and U.S. Bank. For more information on scholarships, please contact us at learning@cvnl.org

View the Info Session for the Grant Writing Series

Program Details

Tuition: Full series $795 for CVNL members, Member with Early Bird is $645; $895 for non-members, Nonmember with Early Bird is $745.
Apply by Jan. 19 for $150 Early Bird Discount
Discounts: 10% discount for groups of 3 or organizations with budget size under $750K.
Tuition includes: All materials, including handouts and additional web resources.
Limited to 20 participants.
Registration deadline: Feb. 19
BIPOC scholarship available for eligible BIPOC participants who are CVNL members serving Marin, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties.

Schedule

Session 1 - Wednesday, Feb. 28 from 9 am – 12 pm PT

Grantwriting – Organizational Description

This session provides a solid foundation to deepen understanding of describing your organization and its strengths to grantors. The focus of this course is to know how to highlight the best qualities to the funders, so your organization shines among the many applicants. Session will cover:

Describe the history of your organization
Highlight the strengths of your organization’s effectiveness, practices, and board
Describe the outstanding qualities of your program
Learn to write a compelling need statement

Session 2 - Wednesday, Mar. 6 from 9 am – 12 pm PT

Grantwriting – Program Description

Without a strong program description, your grant proposal cannot highlight your capabilities. This course will dive deeper into specific structures and processes of your program. Session will cover:

Craft an easily understandable program description
Write clear and strong goals and objectives
Apply the basics of program evaluation to demonstrate your ability to produce outcomes

Session 3 - Wednesday, Mar. 13 from 9 am – 12 pm PT

Budgeting

A key element in grant-seeking is presenting a strong budget. This session explains the different types of budgets used by a non-profit organization. We will do an exercise to create the basics of a program budget. Session will cover:

Learn the nonprofit budgeting terms
The budget line items are used to explain the rationale for grant funding
Understand how foundations and corporations evaluate budgets to determine grant giving

Session 4 - Wednesday, Mar. 20 from 9 am – 12 pm PT

Budgeting

Discover what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders that align with your organization’s needs. This session will take you through the process of creating a grant calendar and discussion on building relationships with funders. The training includes:

Who funds nonprofits and what are their motivations
What do funders really want to know about the organizations they are interested in funding
How do you identify potential funders and make the first approach

Cancellation policy: If plans change and you are no longer able to attend, we will transfer your enrollment and payment to the next program cycle. Funds must be applied and used within a 6 (six) month period. We do not offer refunds.