Grant Writing as a Career: Multiple Paths to the Grants Profession

When asked, many seasoned grant pros will tell you they started out as “accidental” grant writers. They came into the profession because the organization they were working with needed a grant proposal written, didn’t have anyone else to do it, and they were pegged because they were organized and wrote well.

Nowadays, more and more Nonprofit Management or similar professional programs at the college level are cropping up that teach Grant Writing or include Grant Writing as a required skill. A few that come to mind are The Fund Raising School (part of the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy) and the John Glenn College of Public Affairs (part of The Ohio State University). 

But a degree is not required to enter the Grant Writing industry. There are other qualities (both personality and skill) that are needed (required) and desired (good to have), but a college degree is not one of them. 

Whether that plays into your decision (or curiosity) about becoming a Grant Writer or not, there are several factors — some fact, some fiction — that we can visit here. 

Does This Sound Like You?

Let’s first look at how you’ve possibly come to consider Grant Writing as a career:

• You’ve had a bookish career, and have always had good written communication skills
• Your college major was something writing-related (like English or Journalism), or people-oriented (like sociology or history)
• You’ve worked in a nonprofit and been intrigued by the work the Grant Writers do, or they need a Grant Writer
• You’re starting a nonprofit, or you run a start-up nonprofit, and you need grant funding but there’s no one but you to go out for it 

Certainly there are other reasons to consider a career in Grant Writing (the popular term is Grant Writing, but it’s really “Proposal Writing,” since we “write Proposals” in order to get the grant), but however you’ve come to be curious about it, I am here to answer most of your burning questions — since I’ve been there! 

Why People Choose Grant Writing

My story is unique to me, and you probably have your own particular reasons for looking at Grant Writing as a new career. Others have told me they got into Grant Writing because:

• They like to write and the flexibility of sub-contracting work [for a consulting group] meant they could work from home with their young children
• Their new nonprofit needed grant funding and they liked that part of the work
• They worked in grants at the federal level or were Program Officers in higher ed, and wanted to transition to a hands-on nonprofit job 
• They worked as program staff in a nonprofit and wanted to use their understanding of the people served to write grants 

All noble and reasonable motivations for getting into grants. A one-hand-washes-the-other situation, or a revelation/discovery of underlying talent, or a wish to serve causes that are close to them. Those are all great stories. True, and from the heart.

Here’s What They Don’t Tell You

But I want to make sure we’re coming at this with eyes wide open. Let’s clear this up right now. 

There’s lots of charlatans out there, there’s lots of impostors and swindlers and scammers out there that promise the moon and take a nonprofit’s money and RUN! I’m not talking about THAT brand of Grant Writing. 

When I was first toying with the notion of getting into grants, I mentioned it at a cocktail party and two of the four people I was talking to said “Oh! Yes, I’ve written a grant! It’s not that hard!”  

Maybe my friends’ one-off experiences were a walk in the park, but I am here to tell you, they are the exception, not the rule. Some of those common misconceptions about Grant Writing as a career:

• Grant Writing is easy!
• Grant Writing is not a lot of work.
• Grant Writing is something anyone can be successful at.
• Grant Writing is a good career choice for shy people.
• Grant Writing is a solitary pursuit.

What Grant Writing Actually Requires

But here’s what I know from my 15 years in the industry. The reality about a career in Grant Writing:

• You need to have a strong grasp of the English language and a facility with the written word.
• You need to have an eye for numbers and a strong facility in balancing budgets.
• You interface with a lot of different people (and personalities) in different departments.
• You may need to “manage up” and advocate for your proposal’s needs with superiors. At any rate, you need to work with people at all levels of your nonprofit.
• You need to communicate effectively with funders, establishing and maintaining relationships.
• You need to become a “content expert” in your nonprofit’s programs and the audiences they serve.
• You are a member of a team and need to coordinate your efforts with other team members.
• You need to be able to act as a Project Manager, stay calm under pressure and juggle multiple deadlines.

The best Grant Writers also have:

• Strong strategic thinking skills
• Ability to work with others
• Ability to synthesize a lot of information
• Strong organizational skills
• An understanding of the importance of data as a communication tool

Any of that sound like you? Because if it does, you may be a good candidate for a Grant Writing career.

But how does one start? Where do you look for work? 

Three Ways to Work as a Grant Writer

There are three basic ways to approach a career in Grant Writing. These three avenues are not exclusive to one another. You can start off in one, and transition to another. You can work in multiple ways if that suits you (and your employer). 

Here are some (not all) of the upsides and downsides of each. 

The upshot is, there are some risks to becoming your own boss as a solopreneur. Success and tenacity as a solopreneur has mostly to do with your tolerance level with uncertainty.  It’s not for the faint of heart. Many enter the Grant Writing industry that way after serving as a staffer for a time, gaining street cred and experience. Then, some even end up consulting for their old boss! 

But in any case, growing relationships throughout your community is definitely a part of establishing yourself if you wish to go down that consulting path as a solopreneur. With relationships and a strong reputation in your community, your off-ramp to consulting is more likely paved with client contracts.

How to Get Started in Grant Writing

Want to give Grant Writing a shot? Here’s my advice to get the furthest, the fastest:

1. Take a job at a nonprofit whose work you respect, even if it’s low pay and part-time.  

My first Grant Writing job was at Columbus Museum of Art. I was hired by the Development Director (a 30+-year CFRE), to help further and advance the tremendous work her full-time Grant Writer was already doing. For five years, I worked directly under her, part-time, and learned best practices about a Grant Writer’s work, and our part as a member of the Museum’s development team.  

2. Volunteer to do Grant Writing with a small or start-up nonprofit that needs the help.

Starting and growing a grants program from scratch could be a great experience. But don’t expect to learn best practices at a start-up. Rather, you’ll probably be teaching THEM about what to expect from grants, and what they should be contributing to the effort. I volunteered with Phoenix Rising Printmaking Cooperative early on in my career, and gained a ton of great skills I still use today.

3. Join a grant-focused membership association (like Grant Professionals Association (GPA))

GPA sets the standard with their commitment to ethical practices, high-quality educational offerings, and excellence in resources. And there are tons of learning opportunities through GPA, both nationally and at the chapter level. My Central Ohio chapter is very active, with monthly education events and opportunities to network with other members and learn about their career trajectories and experiences. Many other chapters host virtual education sessions, so you can join from anywhere!

PRO TIP: GPA’s national conference (GrantSummit) offers 3.5 days of professional development and networking you can’t get anywhere else. 

4. Attend webinars on grant writing, or any grant-adjacent topic

Soak up any opportunity to learn more about your craft, and where Grant Writing fits into the entire schema of a nonprofit’s fundraising. In that way, I would recommend going to webinars where you may know a bit about the topic, as well as those where you are a complete novice. One-hour webinars are great, you can learn new tips and tricks, and often have takeaways for your Grant Writing practice. 

PRO TIP: By all means, only take webinars grounded in ethical practices, with certified instructors. I like Chad Barger, ACFRE’s monthly Productive Fundraising webinar series, check it out!

5. Take a GRANT WRITING course

One-hour webinars can only take you so far in your total understanding of the Grant Writing industry, the entire scope of the Grant Writer’s work, and where grants fit into a whole development plan. Probably the best way to solidify your Grant Writing skills is to take a Grant Writing course. 

A full Grant Writing course — led by a GPC (Grant Professional Certified), based on ethical Grant Writing practices, that offers a Certificate of Completion (which is different from being Credentialed) — can help propel your Grant Writing career plans.

But there are so many available, how can you choose? A side-by-side comparison of a few of the major players may help you decide what’s best for you:

Of course I am biased. The Unlock-Grants course sets itself apart from the rest with the LIFETIME support, ability to submit your draft proposals for review, and have your grant-related questions answered. I am also very proud of the Topic Library, which holds 15+ additional hours of content (and growing), on topics such as Careers in Grants; Grant Tools; the Logic Model; Grants and AI; and tons more. Unlock-Grants students also have exclusive access to my one-hour “Beyond the Spray-and-Pray: Strategic Prospect Research That Actually Works!” webinar recording. 

But whichever path you choose, you now are armed with more intel to make the right decision for YOU.

Why Grant Writing Is Worth It

For me, Grant Writing has been a really rewarding career. For 15 years, I have been very lucky to be consistently working in, learning about, and supporting several different sectors through my grants work. I now know more about early childhood education, low-income housing, bird sanctuaries, cemetery architecture, workforce development, drug rehabilitation, STEM, prison programs, mental health — and yes, even art storage, stormwater management, and equestrian therapy — than I ever thought I would need to know. 

I encourage you to explore Grant Writing as a career. It’s challenging but so very gratifying. You’ll work with people who are devoted to causes they care deeply about. And if you’re very lucky, you will too. And the feeling you get when, because of your work, a program gets funded or people get the services they need, will have you hooked.