How to Write a Winning Grant Proposal
Master the fundamentals: needs statements, objectives, methodology, evaluation plans, and budget narratives that score high on every rubric.
Resources
Grant writing resources
Everything you need to find, write, and win grant funding for your organization.
Grant writing guides
Understanding Federal Grant Requirements
Navigate SAM.gov registration, UEI numbers, CFDA codes, and compliance requirements before you start your first federal application.
SBIR/STTR Application Guide
Phase I and Phase II strategies for small business innovation research grants across all 11 participating federal agencies.
Building a Strong Organization Profile
How to present your team, track record, and capabilities to maximize match scores and reviewer confidence.
Grant Budget Preparation Tips
Direct vs. indirect costs, cost sharing, matching funds, and how to build budgets funders approve without questions.
Common Grant Application Mistakes
The top errors that get applications rejected — and how to avoid every one of them.
Grant glossary
- NOFO
- Notice of Funding Opportunity — the official announcement that a grant is available for applications.
- RFP
- Request for Proposal — a document from a funder soliciting proposals for a specific project or program.
- CFDA
- Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance — a unique number assigned to each federal assistance program (now called Assistance Listings).
- SAM.gov
- System for Award Management — the federal portal where organizations must register before receiving federal grants.
- UEI
- Unique Entity Identifier — a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned to entities registered in SAM.gov (replaced DUNS).
- Cost Sharing
- The portion of project costs not covered by the grant — your organization's financial contribution.
- Matching Funds
- Funds from non-federal sources that a grantee must provide as a condition of the award, often 1:1 or percentage-based.
- Indirect Costs
- Overhead expenses not directly tied to a project (rent, utilities, admin) — covered by your negotiated indirect cost rate.
- F&A Rate
- Facilities and Administrative rate — the percentage applied to direct costs to cover indirect costs, negotiated with your cognizant agency.
- LOI
- Letter of Intent — a brief document expressing your intent to apply, sometimes required before submitting a full proposal.
- SBIR
- Small Business Innovation Research — a federal program funding R&D at small businesses. Phase I ($50–275K), Phase II ($400K–1.75M).
- STTR
- Small Business Technology Transfer — similar to SBIR but requires partnership with a research institution.
Useful links
Grants.gov
Official portal for all federal grant opportunities
SAM.gov
Entity registration and federal contract/grant search
SBIR.gov
Small Business Innovation Research program portal
NSF Award Search
National Science Foundation funded projects
NIH RePORTER
NIH-funded research projects and grants database
Simpler.Grants.gov
Modernized federal grant search with better filtering