Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Use Grant Writing Skills to Boost Nonprofit Fundraising Efforts

PCC Community Education

Are you interested in working with nonprofits and supporting those organizations in fundraising? With grant writing courses from PCC Community Ed, you can learn how to use grant writing to boost their fundraising efforts and help them secure funds that will bring their dream projects to reality.

What is a Grant?

A grant is one of the ways the government funds your ideas and projects to provide public services and stimulate the economy. According to Charity Navigator, $50 billion is awarded through foundations and corporate grants every year. Grants support critical recovery initiatives, innovative research, and many other programs listed in the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA). Though they do require preparation, grants allow many people to pursue projects they wouldn’t have had the chance to pursue otherwise.

Types of Grants

1. Improving facilities

These grants help schools, nonprofits and other organizations that do not have the funds to complete renovations on their own. They provide funds for rebuilding or renovating damaged structures, weatherproofing buildings, making structures more environmentally friendly, or adding additional structures to serve the needs of a growing population.

2. Social programs

These grants cover environmental improvement projects, literacy centers and programs that assist people with disabilities. Most of the time, a program must have nonprofit status, be a government institution or be affiliated with a school to receive a grant of this nature.

3. Other grants

There are a number of other grants available for organizations seeking funds, such as grants that provide educational opportunities, emergency preparedness, research and artistic endeavors.

The grant procurement process follows a linear life cycle that includes creating the funding opportunity, applying, making award decisions and successfully implementing the award. Portland Community College offers a number of classes that help you understand and navigate the process:

Grant Writing

The Grant Writing Introduction class helps you understand how to properly position the need your project plans to fill within your community. It will cover a step-by-step plan for writing a grant, from concept, to research to a viable letter of inquiry. The instructor will also guide you through techniques for clear and concise writing, presentation and use of appropriate agency. The class is designed to take the guesswork out of grant writing and help you get started with helping organizations reach their financial goals.

Fundraising

With our fundraising classes, you will learn the fundamentals of raising money as well as tips and strategies for securing project funds. In the Fundraising Fundamentals class, we’ll cover how to create a fundraising plan for an organization, which includes building a development plan, identifying a focus area, working with volunteers, establishing donors and more. The Fundraising Events – Raising Money class teaches participants how to plan, coordinate, evaluate and follow up a successful special event, which is an essential part of fundraising.

Individuals who know how to write grants are in high demand, as organizations need guidance on how to properly structure the document and use the right wording. Grant funders take these documents very seriously and want to make sure funds are going to the right projects. A grant writer is the person to ensure all these variables are in place.

The classes above are a perfect way to begin helping nonprofits that are striving to make a difference. For many organizations, a grant is the stepping stone to making their dreams and projects become a reality. Sign up for a class today at Portland Community College to learn more about how you can make a difference in the community and serve a higher purpose through grant writing.