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you want to know about franchisingHigh
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PR & Media Relations in Spanish - Website positioning
MAKE MONEY BY FINDING FREE MONEY FOR OTHER PEOPLE -- BECOME
A GRANT WRITER
Grant writing is an excellent home business idea for any one with a
high
school education or better, and for those of you who did fairly okay
in
your English classes.
Your first notion may be to just disregard grant writing as a possibility
for you. Don't! Writing grants is not nearly the high art
or difficult
science that many people believe it to be. The fact is, thousands
of
grants are written successfully every year by nonprofessional writers,
such
as social workers, day care providers, church members and other people
who
need grants to further their goals of helping their community or helping
people.
Just what is grant writing? Well, you know what a grant is.
It's a sum of
money which a government or private foundation grants to an organization
or
an individual for a specific purpose. A grant is not a loan which
needs to
be repaid. It is a gift, or sorts, given for a worthy cause.
As we
mentioned, a grant is very often given for nonprofit community or charity
projects to help people and make a town or neighborhood a better place
to
live.
But grants are given for many, many other purposes as well. Individuals,
such as artists, scientists, educators and students often apply for
grants.
Private businesses both large and small apply for grants to be used
as
venture capital for entrepreneurial projects.
Who gives grants? There are two primary sources of grants - government
and
private foundations. The federal government hands outs literally
billions
of dollars in grants each year. In addition to government sources
of grant
money, there are thousands upon thousands of private organizations,
called
foundations, which were established with the specific purpose of giving
away money to worthy causes.
That's where grant writing comes in. In order to get a grant,
you must
make a pitch - in writing - to the government agency or the private
foundation you want money from. That pitch is a written document,
which is
called a proposal, or grant. Thus the need for a person to write
that
document - a grant writer.
That's where an opportunity for you comes in. You can hire yourself
out as
a professional grant writer. Because hundreds of thousands of
people are
organizations are seeking grants all the time, you may find yourself
plenty
of business no matter where you live.
How do you write a grant?
As we said, writing a grant is more simple than you might think.
The fact
is, many grants are as simple as filling out a lengthy questionnaire
which
is provided by the granting institution. Most other grants follow
a
certain formula, something like: Introduction, statement of need,
description of project, outline of the budget and conclusion.
It is a good idea to take a couple of grant writing classes, which are
often available through community education programs, or as night courses
at local colleges. Generally, you can learn everything you need
to know
about grant writing at one weekend seminar. Some programs, such
as that
offered by The Grantsmanship Center of Los Angeles, are week-long,
intensive seminars that prepare you extremely well for this business.
Once you have written your first couple of grants, you will fall into
a
groove. Also, many granting institutions provide you with specific
guidelines and points to cover when you make a request. In that
case, it's
simply a matter of covering all the points mentioned. When you
give all
the information asked for, you're done!
To get started in this business, you need to get the word out that you
are
a grant writer. In most states, you do not need a license or any
special
qualifications to set up shop.
The best way to get started is to approach a local charity organization,
such as a food shelf, a homeless shelter, YMCA or YWCA, community center
-
and tell them you want to write a grant for them, and that you will
do it
for free. Doing a few grants for free will teach you how
to write a
grant, and will give a potential grantee incentive to give you a try.
Start small with easier grants of perhaps $5,000 or less. The
smaller the
grant, the easier it will be to write, in general.
Even if you can successfully obtain a $500 grant for someone, you will
have
passed an important milestone. You will have proven that you can write
a
proposal that brings in money.
Having a few grants under your belt is important because the first thing
potential clients will ask you is about your experience, and what grants
you have obtained successfully. If you can claim even one small
success,
your position will be greatly enhanced.
Once you have cut your teeth on some of the smaller grants for local
charitable institutions, you can begin to charge for your service.
Obviously, what you need to start making money are clients. That
means you
have to market yourself. There are several ways to do that.
The first is advertising. We recommend you start with a small
display ad
or classified ads in your local newspapers. Be persistent and
consistent
about running your ads. Don't expect a one-time ad to bring you
any
clients or results. Most ads take 6 to 8 appearances to catch
people's
attention, and encourage people to call you.
It is a very good idea to buy a Yellow Pages ad as well. Some
80 percent
of all people use the Yellow Pages when they look for a specific service.
A large part of your calls will be generated by a Yellow Pages ad.
When people begin to call you, you must be prepared to answer their
questions and put forward a professional image that projects confidence.
That means you need a professional looking business card, letter head
and
envelopes that will identify you as a grant writer.
Surprisingly, though, one of the best ways to drum up business as a
grant
writer is to do it in person, and by word of mouth. As we said,
you should
first approach local charitable institutions and offer your services
for
free. Once you do that, however, you will have your foot in the
door among
the social services community. In most cities, the local providers
of
human services - from churches to food shelves - will most likely keep
you
busy for as long as you want to be busy.
How Much Should You Charge?
Some grant writers work on a percentage basis, such as 5 to 10 percent
of
the total grant award. For example, if you land a $10,000 grant
for
someone, you get 10 percent, or $1,000. Sounds simple, but in
general,
working for a percentage is not always a good idea. The reason
is obvious.
Most grants, now matter how well written, are turned down. If
you fail to
get the grant, you will have nothing to charge a percentage on.
It's better to work for a flat fee. That way you get paid whether
your
grant is successful or not. You should make it clear to your clients
that
applying for a grant is never a sure thing - far from it. Even
the best,
most sophisticated grant writers have a very small success rate.
But you
still need to get paid for you work. Just as a lawyer gets paid
whether he
wins or loses, you as a grant writer get paid for you efforts, no matter
what the outcome.
Some grants writer have a flat fee of $1,500 per grant. Obviously,
you
cannot charge that much for a grant of less than amount. Just
use common
sense. If you are trying to get a small grant of $1,000 or less
for
someone, you should charge about $200. That's okay money because
small
grants will generally take just a day or two to complete. Just
make sure
you size up the job, the complexity of the grant that will be be required,
and charge accordingly. Remember, some grants can run up to 100
pages in
length! For a grant that big, you should earn big bucks - perhaps
$5,000
to $10,000 - at least!
For more information on grant writing and how to get started, contact:
The Grantsmanship Center
P.O. Box 6210
Los Angeles, CA 90014.
World Class Grant Writing
P.O. Box K
Greenbush, MN 56726
Toll-Free Phone: 1-888-404-5365
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High
Frequency Marketing
PR & Media Relations in Spanish - Website positioning
MAKE MONEY BY FINDING FREE MONEY FOR OTHER PEOPLE -- BECOME A GRANT WRITER
Grant writing is an excellent home business idea for any one with a high
school education or better, and for those of you who did fairly okay in
your English classes.
Your first notion may be to just disregard grant writing as a possibility
for you. Don't! Writing grants is not nearly the high art or difficult
science that many people believe it to be. The fact is, thousands of
grants are written successfully every year by nonprofessional writers, such
as social workers, day care providers, church members and other people who
need grants to further their goals of helping their community or helping
people.
Just what is grant writing? Well, you know what a grant is. It's a sum of
money which a government or private foundation grants to an organization or
an individual for a specific purpose. A grant is not a loan which needs to
be repaid. It is a gift, or sorts, given for a worthy cause. As we
mentioned, a grant is very often given for nonprofit community or charity
projects to help people and make a town or neighborhood a better place to
live.
But grants are given for many, many other purposes as well. Individuals,
such as artists, scientists, educators and students often apply for grants.
Private businesses both large and small apply for grants to be used as
venture capital for entrepreneurial projects.
Who gives grants? There are two primary sources of grants - government and
private foundations. The federal government hands outs literally billions
of dollars in grants each year. In addition to government sources of grant
money, there are thousands upon thousands of private organizations, called
foundations, which were established with the specific purpose of giving
away money to worthy causes.
That's where grant writing comes in. In order to get a grant, you must
make a pitch - in writing - to the government agency or the private
foundation you want money from. That pitch is a written document, which is
called a proposal, or grant. Thus the need for a person to write that
document - a grant writer.
That's where an opportunity for you comes in. You can hire yourself out as
a professional grant writer. Because hundreds of thousands of people are
organizations are seeking grants all the time, you may find yourself plenty
of business no matter where you live.
How do you write a grant?
As we said, writing a grant is more simple than you might think. The fact
is, many grants are as simple as filling out a lengthy questionnaire which
is provided by the granting institution. Most other grants follow a
certain formula, something like: Introduction, statement of need,
description of project, outline of the budget and conclusion.
It is a good idea to take a couple of grant writing classes, which are
often available through community education programs, or as night courses
at local colleges. Generally, you can learn everything you need to know
about grant writing at one weekend seminar. Some programs, such as that
offered by The Grantsmanship Center of Los Angeles, are week-long,
intensive seminars that prepare you extremely well for this business.
Once you have written your first couple of grants, you will fall into a
groove. Also, many granting institutions provide you with specific
guidelines and points to cover when you make a request. In that case, it's
simply a matter of covering all the points mentioned. When you give all
the information asked for, you're done!
To get started in this business, you need to get the word out that you are
a grant writer. In most states, you do not need a license or any special
qualifications to set up shop.
The best way to get started is to approach a local charity organization,
such as a food shelf, a homeless shelter, YMCA or YWCA, community center -
and tell them you want to write a grant for them, and that you will do it
for free. Doing a few grants for free will teach you how to write a
grant, and will give a potential grantee incentive to give you a try.
Start small with easier grants of perhaps $5,000 or less. The smaller the
grant, the easier it will be to write, in general.
Even if you can successfully obtain a $500 grant for someone, you will have
passed an important milestone. You will have proven that you can write a
proposal that brings in money.
Having a few grants under your belt is important because the first thing
potential clients will ask you is about your experience, and what grants
you have obtained successfully. If you can claim even one small success,
your position will be greatly enhanced.
Once you have cut your teeth on some of the smaller grants for local
charitable institutions, you can begin to charge for your service.
Obviously, what you need to start making money are clients. That means you
have to market yourself. There are several ways to do that.
The first is advertising. We recommend you start with a small display ad
or classified ads in your local newspapers. Be persistent and consistent
about running your ads. Don't expect a one-time ad to bring you any
clients or results. Most ads take 6 to 8 appearances to catch people's
attention, and encourage people to call you.
It is a very good idea to buy a Yellow Pages ad as well. Some 80 percent
of all people use the Yellow Pages when they look for a specific service.
A large part of your calls will be generated by a Yellow Pages ad.
When people begin to call you, you must be prepared to answer their
questions and put forward a professional image that projects confidence.
That means you need a professional looking business card, letter head and
envelopes that will identify you as a grant writer.
Surprisingly, though, one of the best ways to drum up business as a grant
writer is to do it in person, and by word of mouth. As we said, you should
first approach local charitable institutions and offer your services for
free. Once you do that, however, you will have your foot in the door among
the social services community. In most cities, the local providers of
human services - from churches to food shelves - will most likely keep you
busy for as long as you want to be busy.
How Much Should You Charge?
Some grant writers work on a percentage basis, such as 5 to 10 percent of
the total grant award. For example, if you land a $10,000 grant for
someone, you get 10 percent, or $1,000. Sounds simple, but in general,
working for a percentage is not always a good idea. The reason is obvious.
Most grants, now matter how well written, are turned down. If you fail to
get the grant, you will have nothing to charge a percentage on.
It's better to work for a flat fee. That way you get paid whether your
grant is successful or not. You should make it clear to your clients that
applying for a grant is never a sure thing - far from it. Even the best,
most sophisticated grant writers have a very small success rate. But you
still need to get paid for you work. Just as a lawyer gets paid whether he
wins or loses, you as a grant writer get paid for you efforts, no matter
what the outcome.
Some grants writer have a flat fee of $1,500 per grant. Obviously, you
cannot charge that much for a grant of less than amount. Just use common
sense. If you are trying to get a small grant of $1,000 or less for
someone, you should charge about $200. That's okay money because small
grants will generally take just a day or two to complete. Just make sure
you size up the job, the complexity of the grant that will be be required,
and charge accordingly. Remember, some grants can run up to 100 pages in
length! For a grant that big, you should earn big bucks - perhaps $5,000
to $10,000 - at least!
For more information on grant writing and how to get started, contact:
The Grantsmanship Center
P.O. Box 6210
Los Angeles, CA 90014.
World Class Grant Writing
P.O. Box K
Greenbush, MN 56726
Toll-Free Phone: 1-888-404-5365
