Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing

by Barbara Floersch

The Grantsmanship Center’s 1972 publication, Program Planning & Proposal Writing, established the accepted model that grantseekers use to develop proposals and funders use to develop application guidelines. That seminal publication written by Norton J. Kiritz and named the “grantseekers’ Bible” by the New York Times in 2006, was used in over 40 countries, published in four languages, and used by over 1 million people.

The new, 2015 book, Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing, distills insights Grantsmanship Center trainers have gained from over 125,000 nonprofit professionals and provides essential guidance that is clear and assessable. This book maintains the vision and voice of the original publication, but is vastly updated and expanded to cover everything today’s nonprofit professionals need to know to create effective programs and competitive grant proposals. It will set new grantseekers on the right track, and challenge experienced nonprofit professionals towards increased rigor in their work.

The new edition includes updates of the well-loved checklists from the original and also tackles new and pressing topics.
∙ Understand universal concepts in grantsmanship so you
can translate any funder’s application guidelines.
∙ Understand the eight components of a logical case for
support, how they fit together and why they must.
∙ Learn to develop meaning outcomes for a “prevention
program.”
∙ Develop a simple, useful program evaluation plan by
answering 8 essential questions.
∙ Understand the anatomy of a budget and varied ways
funders calculate matching fund requirements.
∙ Adapt this foundational model for various types of
proposals: arts & culture, capacity building, capital
projects, general operations, planning, and research.

Genres: Writing

214 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

After managing nonprofits and winning millions of dollars in grant funding, I have more than a few opinions about how to do the work right. To that end, I've developed educational programs, trained thousands of people throughout the US and internationally, reviewed federal grant proposals, published hundreds of articles in the NonProfit Times, authored the updated version of the seminal book in the field, and testified before Congress. My new book, You Have a Hammer, is not a how-to book. There are lots of those. It's a why-to book that challenges nonprofits to focus on grants as tools for social change.

Reviews

[Carolyn Appleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara Floersch kindly sent me a copy of this book, and I was delighted to receive it. My first "development" job involved an intensive, week-long stint at The Grantsmanship Center in Los Angeles, California. My non-profit flew me there from Austin, Texas to learn how to write grants, with an eye to ramping-up the organization's fundraising efforts. I was attending graduate school at the time, and I like to say I graduated from The University of Texas at Austin AND from The Grantsmanship Center (double degree, smiles).

This book is a must-have for anyone wanting to learn how to write professional non-profit grant proposals. But also, it is helpful for those of us who need to refresh our knowledge now-and-again. Author Norton J. Kiritz provides numerous examples of "real" grant text from non-profit organizations representing many areas of service, from health to the environment. The text examples are especially welcome to new grant writers, as they help shed light on the difference between poorly and strongly constructed arguments.

Kiritz takes the reader through well-documented stages of developing a grant proposal. Included are how to create an executive summary, how an organization should introduce itself, how to present the problem the non-profit seeks to address, how to discuss proposed outcomes, and how to explain the methods to be used to get the job done. Evaluating the proposed project is covered, as is how to talk about life beyond the grant (future support). One of my favorite sections concerns different types of budgets and the anatomy of each (including non-cash and other kinds of contributions non-profit organizations might include).

Last but not least, proposal formatting guidance is shared - hard copy and electronic. Norton also provides excellent guidance about how to handle and address full approval of a grant, partial funding of a proposal, or rejection (as the case may be). "Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing" is clearly written, well designed, and its logic is impeccable. I recommend it highly.

[Brian Hilliker · Rating 4 out of 5]

It can be difficult to write a useful textbook that also encourages easy reading. Grantsmanship does that and more. Each section is easy to get through, provides actual examples that support understanding, and makes me want to be better at understanding the importance of solid proposal development. Proposals are a dime a dozen in the humanitarian space, and it can be easy to get bogged down in multiple ways an effective proposal can be built. This book streamlined the process, and gave me a good introduction into the chaotic, beautiful world of grantsmanship.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comprehensive, beginner-friendly approach to grant writing. If I were a few years back in my grant writing career, this would have been a bible for me. As it was reading this in 2023, it was a good refresher in standards and strategies for grant proposal development. I think I would have preferred the Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing book to the textbook I had for my grant writing coursework in college, and all in all this was a beneficial read.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually a very useful resource. I've been writing grants for almost a decade and this offer a new perspective for private sector approaches and grants and funding outside of the Federal word. Lots of examples, key ideas, and straightforward tips.

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really helpful book in my professional development to enter into the Grant world. I would recommend this for anyone who is looking to better understand how to pursue a grant successfully.