There are all kinds of grants available: college grants, small business grants, grants for writers, grants for educators, grants for specific genders, nationalities, projects, etc. The key is to find the grant that will fit your needs. See my related article: How to Find a Grant to discover some tried and true grant searching tips. Once you have found the grant you wish to apply for, you need to carefully construct the proposal. Grant proposals need to follow very specific criteria so pay close attention to the requirements of the grant. Start by following the tips below.

Step One

Do your research. The grant writing process is complicated and not something that anyone can do without thorough preparation. Many companies (including colleges) employ full time grant writers. You can take courses, buy books, or in the early stages of your research go to a local library and read up on the topic. Following are only three of the hundreds of books available:
• Perfect Phrases for Writing Grant Proposals: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Phrases to Present Your Organization, Explain Your Cause, and Get the Funding You Need by Dr. Beverly Browning (McGraw-Hill, 2008) NOTE: I have worked personally with Dr. Browning and found her to be an excellent resource for grant writing information and I highly recommend this book.
• The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need: Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets (2nd edition) by Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox (Basic Books, 2006)
• The Complete Book of Grant Writing: Learn to Write Grants Like A Professional by Nancy Burke Smith and E. Gabriel Works (SourceBooks Inc., 2006)

Step Two

Read other grant proposals. Many agencies offering grants will make previous successful proposals available. Ask for the unsuccessful ones, too. That way you can see what it takes to create both good and bad proposals. Another way to see other proposals is to volunteer to be a grant reviewer. Check professional websites (like LinkedIn) for postings by granting agencies looking for reviewers. You will probably need experience in the discipline for the grant, for example working in higher education if you wish to review education grants. Most granting agencies will also require that you have a degree or are enrolled in a degree program.

Step Three

Ask if you can shadow a grant writer or someone working on a grant committee and discuss the work and experience necessary to become a professional grant writer. If there is a grant writer at your place of employment, ask if you can be on the next committee to work on a grant. It helps to become familiar with the process before striking out on your own to write your first grant. Grant writing is not easy, but if done right, can be very lucrative.

Step Four

Spend time on the Internet. You will find more calls for grant proposals and applications online than anywhere else. The institutions offering grants are also all online, along with information about their processes and requirements. The books mentioned in Step One will give you lists of useful Internet sites. Be sure to search those sites for grants for ideas you have. If you do your research online, using the steps and guidelines you find in the grant writing books you read or the grant writing courses you take, you will have the most up to date information out there and will be ready to take on that first grant proposal.

• When searching for a grant, be sure the ones you find match what you want to do with the money. For example, do not apply for a small business grant if you are trying to find money to repair your roof.
• Grant writing is a long process, do not plan on writing the proposal today and getting the funding tomorrow.
• When you do get funded, follow all the documentation and reporting processes carefully, keeping within the rules and guidelines of the grant. Not following these processes could result in you loosing or even paying back the funding.