Reading List: Developing Successful Grants: How to Turn Your Ideas into Reality

Awww, the good old days of the early 2000s :D 

In my defense, I just discovered this book this month, so this isn't one of those that I've had on my to-read bookshelf so long it's gone out of date while waiting for me to read it.

This is an insightful analysis of the process of writing grants, with lots of good ideas of how to go about the process, from first knowing what you need to fund then to finding grants, writing the application, using a Common Grant Application, preparing your budget, on and on. 

The book was written in 2005, so reading it in 2026 there are quite a few "tips" that are now outdated (like saving your documents to a zip disk, going to your local magazine store to purchase a phone list, and not submitting electronically); however, overall the advice and process is still relevant and helps you avoid pitfalls. 

The Upsides:

• Start with taking an inventory of your needs - program needs, equipment, etc. Once you know those things, then you can begin looking for funding. 
• They lay out the process in really easy to understand steps.
• There is lots of advice and quite a few samples (samples of how to format goals vs. objectives in a table, samples of breaking text into bullet points to be visually appealing, advice on using emotional language, etc.).
• They explain how to make the general layout they recommend match a funder's RFP or required layout.
• They include what items/aspects you should include in your application, even if the funder doesn't ask for it.

The Downsides:

• The age of the book. There were quite a few things that I thought, "Ooh! I didn't know about that. Let me go look it up," only to find a website that is for sale instead of having whatever it had in 2005, or the aforementioned tip of getting a list of funders at your local reputable magazine store. (There were also a number of suggested websites that I remember from long ago, felt nostalgic when reading about them, then was sad to visit their website and realize they don't exist anymore or not in the same way they used to.)
  
• One thing they repeatedly highlight is having a group to work on grant applications, including people familiar with the program(s) being funded, a proofreader, a writer, someone to compile everything, community supporters, ... These are great ideas and would certainly help a grantwriter feel less pressured and stressed, but let's be real - how likely is it a small organization is going to have that many people available to help with a grant? Even if you recruit members of your community for some of these positions, you're still not likely to have this grand Team they recommend. But it's a nice ideal.
  
  

Overall: This is a really great look at the process of writing grants, and despite the age of it, it's still very informative and useful. I recommend this to people working on finding funding and preparing grant applications, especially people who are new to the role.  

 

Developing Successful Grants: How to Turn Your Ideas into Reality, 2005

Mike DuBose, Martha Davis, Anne Black, and Research Associates

230 pages