Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond

Presenter: Diane H. Leonard

Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond provides participants with in-depth information about the variety of grant funding organizations, the process of applying for grant funding, and the most common components of a grant application.

Taught by Diane H. Leonard, a grantwriting consultant with more than ten years of experience including as a program officer for a statewide public foundation, Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond will provide participants with the knowledge to help their organization be more competitive in the fund seeking process and assist you in increasing your success ratio.

This session will cover the following broad topics:

• Funded versus denied proposals

• Grantwriting process

• Keys to conducting funder research

• In-depth key elements of proposal documents including: Cover Letter, Executive Summary, Statement of Need, Project Description, Budget, Organizational Information, Conclusion and Attachments

This session will provide detailed information and insight for participants about:

• What are the common qualities of successfully funded proposals

• What are the key qualities of denied proposals

• What makes a well written proposal

• What are some tips and tricks for a more effective needs statement

• What are some tips and tricks for a more effective evaluation narrative

This session will also provide participants with knowledge about:

• The benefits of a proactive grant seeking approach as well as how to implement and follow such an approach in your organization.

• The best way to convey your budget and budget details via the funders required form as well as through your budget narrative.

• The key pieces to focus on in the evaluation section.

• The benefit of utilizing organization strategic plans, organization action plans and program logic models when writing a grant proposal.

Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond is designed to be beneficial for the individual(s) in nonprofit organizations who the staff primarily responsible for grantwriting/foundation relations be they a grantwriter, development director, program director, or executive director.

A recent class participant had the following to say about Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond: "Diane has established herself as one who is highly knowledgeable and effective in communicating her knowledge with others."

This session assumes a level of knowledge and familiarity with the basic proposal writing elements as well as a level of practical experience in writing and submitting grant proposals. Grantwriting: Mastering the Basics and Beyond is designed to primarily benefit those with minimal to moderate formal training in grantwriting or grant seeking, but at least some hands on experience in grantwriting as the course is designed to provide a higher level of understanding for how to best seek grant funding.

Class Format: This class is recorded from the live class. On registering, you are transported to the classroom page, where you may play the class player to view the slides and hear the class presentation and discussion. You may log in as many times as you wish for one year from the date of registration, enabling you to replay portions of the class as you wish.

How to Register: Add the class (and any others that you wish to take) to your shopping cart, then proceed through the checkout process. As soon as you have completed the payment, you will be taken to the classroom page for this class, where you will find the class player where you play the class and view the slides. You may log in to listen to the class as often as you wish for up to one year from the date of registration.

About the Instructor: Diane Leonard

Diane Horey Leonard has more than eight years of experience in grant development for a variety of nonprofits — primarily in the Northern New York and Metro Detroit areas.  An experienced grant professional and speaker on the topic of grantwriting and grants management, she consults with nonprofit organizations of all sizes — including social service agencies, advocacy organizations, elementary and secondary schools, and municipal corporations.  

Diane founded DH Leonard Consulting in 2006 in order to further her passion of increasing the capacity of local nonprofit organizations.  DH Leonard Consulting, based in Clayton, New York has raised more than $6 million dollars in funds for its clients.  It is the goal of DH Leonard Consulting to assist nonprofit organizations secure grant funding in order to reach their potential in serving their clients and having a significant impact in the communities that they serve.  The grantwriting work of DH Leonard Consulting has supported organizations with missions including women and girls, aging, home ownership counseling, local independent school districts, and environmental advocacy and conservation.  

The services of DH Leonard Consulting include funder research and strategizing, program planning and design, proposal writing and editing, and grants management.  DH Leonard Consulting works with nonprofit organizations of all sizes, but specializes in working with grassroots organizations or organizations that have no to very little grant support in their existing budget.  Therefore, through her work with DH Leonard Consulting, Diane strives for her clients to receive the benefits of a seasoned grantwriting professional who understands both sides of the table in terms of grant funding, and has big city experience, but with small town and personalized feel and relationship.  

Diane has professional grant related experience as a Program Officer for a statewide public foundation and then as Foundation and Grants Coordinator for a major voluntary health organization in a large metropolitan area.  Diane is a member of the Grantwriting Professionals Association (previously the American Association of Grantwriting Professionals).  She is also a graduate of Cornell University.