Special Deal: $495 for first participant. Invite your colleagues for $75 each!
Five Weeks. 10 One-Hour Sessions.
Tuesdays & Thursdays 3pm – 4pm Eastern
March 17 – April 16, 2026
May 5 – June 4, 2026
June 23 – July 23, 2026
July 28 – August 27, 2026
Evening Classes Available:
TBD
Tuesdays & Thursdays – 7pm – 8pm Eastern Time
ALL SESSIONS ARE RECORDED
Registration: $495 (includes recording of each session. Additional registrants $75)
The Grant Writing Practicum is now a Certificate Program. Take and Pass the Grant Writing Practicum Examination and receive a certificate attesting to your attained knowledge and skill level
70% of grant proposals fail — not because of weak ideas — but because of poorly written narratives or failure to follow guidelines. Organizations with trained grant writers have a 40 – 50% higher success rate in competitive foundation applications.
This five-week practicum will show you how to: tap into the $105 billion awarded annually by U.S. foundations, target emerging funders responding to federal policy shifts, understand government grants, and gain proposal strategies that increase your win rate.
Sessions are one-hour each. Lecture on Tuesdays and Lab on Thursdays.
AGENDA (Lectures on Tuesdays, Lab on Thursdays.)
LECTURE ONE: Introduction to the Grant Application Process
- Prospect research
- The Letter of Intent (LOI)
- Requests for Proposal (RFP)
- Overview of the full Grant Proposal, plus
- Tips for what grantors are looking for in a proposal
LAB ONE: Locating Grant Opportunities through Prospect Research
- Creating a personalized prospect list
- How to identify grant opportunities that align with your organization’s mission
- How to decide which grants to apply for
LECTURE TWO: Prospect Research and Beginning the Application Process
- Review of strategies for grant prospect research
- Locating private foundation and government grant opportunities
- Developing templates for grant tracking
- Introduction to the basic components of a successful LOI
- Using Artificial Intelligence to Facilitate Prospect Research
LAB TWO: LOIs and RFPs
- How to write a persuasive Letter of Intent
- Evaluating Requests for Proposal
- Learning how to determine which Requests for Proposal to respond to and which to pass on
LECTURE THREE: Framework of a Grant Proposal and Best Foot Forward Techniques
- Effective writing techniques
- Building a framework and highlights of key sections of the grant proposal
- Conveying your organization’s goals and objectives: What you will do with the grant
LAB THREE: Proposal Outline and Key Sections
- Creating a detailed outline for your grant proposal
- Begin writing the key sections of your grant proposal
LECTURE FOUR: The Cover Letter and Supporting Documents for a Grant Proposal
- Basics of a compelling Cover Letter
- Overview of supporting documents: the “Need Statement”, your organizational Budget, Program models, and more
LAB FOUR: Grabbing the Attention of a Grantor – – Your Cover Letter and Introduction to Your Grant Proposal
- Setting the stage for winning a grant: Crafting an impactful Cover Letter
- Focusing the grantor on your mission and needs: Writing the introduction to your grant proposal, plus
- Fine tuning each section of your draft grant proposal
LECTURE FIVE: After You Submit Your Proposal and Beyond
- Impactful follow-up: The Site Visit
- What’s next if you get the grant and if you don’t
- How to strengthen your grant portfolio
- How to make your proposals stand out from other organizations’ proposals,plus,
- Navigating an ever-changing funding environment
- Tips for diversifying your funding streams
- Continuing your programs after the initial grant: Finding partners and building coalitions
- Crafting sections of grant proposals using artificial intelligence
LAB FIVE: Finishing Your Draft Proposal and Planning Ahead
- Finalizing your draft grant proposal
- Creating boilerplate language for future proposals
- Strategies for personalizing your boilerplate for individual grant applications
AI and Grant Writing
Utilizing AI for grant writing can save time and streamline your proposals. Through this practicum, you will be ahead of the curve, walking away with all of the necessary skills and knowledge to transform how you craft grant proposals from 2025 and into the future.
Series Recordings, Group Rates, Transfers and Cancellations
Recordings of all sessions will be available for all registrants the day after each session takes place until the end of the five-week Practicum. Registrants who purchase recordings will have permanent access to all session recordings.
Registration Cancellations and/or Transfers are permitted up until the registration link is provided
The Zoom.us registration link will be emailed to you two days prior to the course commencement
Instructor
Bill Edelstein is a consultant specializing in helping not-for-profits develop diversified revenue streams. He holds Advanced Degrees in Education and Not-for-Profit Development. His professional work is focused on donor relations, grant writing and fundraising. Bill is an adjunct professor at Hunter College of the City University of New York.
Bill Edelstein https://www.linkedin.com/in/bill-edelstein-ba8159112/
Testimonials
I participated in the P2P webinar which, by the way, was amazing. Thanks for all the information you shared. – Elliot, Adcieo
Thank you Bill!! I enjoyed the presentation, in fact one of the best I have attended in some time. – Wendy, Ferris State University
A great Grant Writing Class 101! – Cheryl, Tulane University
Keep up the great work. Really glad I was able to join today. – Anna, Community Bridges
Thanks so much for an amazing Webinar. So much info there. I’ve already sent my notes to the fundraisers but I am glad they will be getting your recording! – Diana, St. Joseph Center
Thank you for your time and effort teaching this course – I am really enjoying participating with other ‘students’! – Liz, AFTD
GREAT CLASSES! – Karen, Chicago Urban League
I’d like to thank you once again for the great virtual facilitation and training sessions. You were patient, understanding, engaging, and checked in with us on our learning in several ways. I admit that this is a very busy time for me as it is reporting season so I wasn’t able to participate in the homework the way I would have liked. I was so grateful that I felt nothing but understanding from you and was able to learn so much from your sessions! – Clarinda, United Way of Central Minnesota
Thank you Bill. I found the course helpful because you provided a comprehensive overview of all the moving parts with grants management and specific resources to help. – Julia, Wings for Kids