How to Write a Grant Proposal for a Small Business Updated 2023

The final step is to complete and submit your grant application form before the deadline has passed. Although it may seem intimidating, completing a grant requires only a few hours of work and can have substantial benefits for your business down the road. The next step is to identify which grants are best suited for your business. The most important factor to consider is the eligibility criteria of the grant. Each grant has its own set of qualifications, so take the time to review these guidelines carefully. Show how your small business plans to sustain the project’s impact beyond the grant period.

• If the review does not go well, you will be able to reach out to the program official to discuss next steps.
• See our equipment list and browse a sample selection of what we can source.
• A grant proposal is a request that a funder joins the nonprofit as a partner to achieve specific results.
• It will be important to convey the scope of the problem or need of addressing and what sets you apart from others trying to solve the same problem or need.
• This serves as an overview of why your organization wants the grant, what your funding needs are, and how you plan to follow through with the project.

The Sloan Foundation offers grants that support original research and education focused on science, technology, engineering, and more. The foundation’s funds are provided through the accumulated wealth of Alfred P. Sloan, and its mission is to use its funds and grantmaking abilities in the service of the public good. The US Department of Energy (DOE) lists funding opportunity announcements (FOAs) on their website according to offices within the department. You can search through its database based on program, fiscal year, and post date or close date.

Grant Proposal Writing is Exciting, Imaginative Work

Start a free trial to check out all of our proposal software features, including reusable content snippets, e-signatures, viewing and signing analytics, and more. You can also work with a procurement center representative (PCR) if you need help securing government contracts. Because PCRs are able to see government procurement strategies before they’re announced, they are in a good position to help you in touch with a small business opportunity.

The Pet Care Clinic respectfully requests a grant of $30,000 for our South Boston Health Center Project. Save time by using document management software like PandaDoc to assist you in this difficult task. It’s important to have an existing relationship with the grant-giving organization to improve the likelihood of acceptance.

Grant Proposal Instructions

Add and edit information as you customize your document, using the outline provided in the template, to cover everything your client needs to know. The grant selection committee wants information not only about the type of business you operate but also about your objectives for that business. Start by reviewing your business plan, and make a list of all information about your business’ mission and goals. Take the time to write out this information for yourself in advance. For a lot of organizations and small businesses with limited manpower, doing this internally is difficult; they may end up sending half-baked proposals that don’t result in anything. A grant proposal consists of a cover letter, an executive summary, and sections detailing the project that needs funding.

This section is written best by separating different issues and ideas into separate sections. This will make it easier for you to write the section by focusing on one idea at a time and make it easier on the reader as well since the section won’t jump how to write a small business grant proposal all over the place. A grant is essentially free money which you don’t have to pay back. Funding can come from various places, including your local and state governments, the federal government, public and private organizations, and even individuals.

Before You Start, Research

Describe the project or business need that the grant will support and how it aligns with your company’s mission and objectives. Tie your goals into the overall organizational goals of the granting institution, and it’s even better. Understand how the funds can be used and plan for that ahead of time. Thinking through this can also help you when it comes time to start your application — if you know how the funds need to be spent, you can create goals and a budget around that. Excedr has worked with a number of clients who secured grant funding in order to fund research and development, specific business initiatives, and provide services to the communities around them. There are many free online grant proposal templates to choose from.

• No matter the type of agency, funding sources always want to see that there is a purpose behind your work.
• Nonprofits, universities, colleges, K-12 schools, and government organizations can apply for competitive grants.
• This includes helping businesses secure funding and contracts and compete in emerging markets.
• The FedEx small business grant, as one would expect, is available to US-based, for-profit small businesses that have been in operation for a minimum of six months.
• As you reach toward this unrealized vision by developing a grant proposal, you should think about successful grant writing as an act of imagination.
• Here are some tips for writing a grant proposal for your nonprofit or small business.