ACRIP
The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need
Book

The Only Grant-Writing Book You'll Ever Need

Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets

Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox
Basic Books, 2009
Buy book or audiobook

Read or listen offline

Amazon Kindle
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Veteran grant writers and nonprofit funding development specialists Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox again combine their vast experience in this updated third edition of their best-selling handbook for preparing successful grant proposals to foundations and government agencies. Whether you are a veteran grant writer or whether you are new to grantsmanship, you are sure to learn fresh strategies and effective techniques for presenting solid, well-designed proposals. Full of information, explanations, practical advice and examples, the book provides an appendix featuring 50 useful tips, a proposal checklist, a glossary, sample grant forms, a state-by-state directory of community foundations and a list of important websites. The book also presents a revealing “Funders’ Roundtable” of grant makers discussing the effects of the 2008 economic recession. getAbstract recommends that serious grant writers – and those who aspire to be – keep a copy within reach at all times.

Summary

An Altered Grant Funding Landscape

For many years, the grant funding process was fairly predictable. But in 2008, the recession in the US and worldwide complicated matters for grant makers and grant seekers. In these difficult economic times, funding is limited, and funders are reallocating grant monies. The climate in which the game is played has evolved, but the rules remain the same: A well-crafted proposal that accurately, comprehensively addresses a funder’s questions is the centerpiece of your grant-seeking strategy.

The “Funders’ Roundtable,” a “large and diverse group of grant makers from government funding agencies and foundations,” reveals the new realities of philanthropy and government funding. Substantive changes are afoot in grantors’ financial positions, the amount of money they can afford to distribute, and the level of information and detail they insist upon in application packages. Fiscal uncertainty surrounding the business affairs of all members of the nonprofit community – donors, funders and applicants – complicates everything. More applicants are vying for increasingly scarcer resources. Success requires doing your homework before proceeding.

About the Authors

Ellen Karsh developed and wrote foundation and government grant proposals for New York City. Arlen Sue Fox has extensive experience in grant writing, program planning, evaluation and consulting.

Comment on this summary