Nonprofit Grant Proposal Template

If you are applying to a US federal agency, the notice tells you how you will be scored. Federal rules say a notice of funding opportunity must describe each criterion and sub-criterion and, if the criteria vary in importance, how they are weighted¹. Where relevant, it must also state page limits, formatting rules, the order of sections and any required headings.

A foundation's guidelines may be shorter, but they are still the rules you write to. The University of Kansas Community Tool Box suggests turning the instructions into a checklist of required components, deadlines, limits, file formats, registrations and attachments². Read every page, appendices included, and pull out five things before you draft:

• Every scored criterion and sub-criterion, with its points, in the funder's words and order
• Every limit: narrative pages, abstract characters, form fields, file sizes and file names
• The headings the funder requires, copied word for word
• Every required attachment, and any signature or date rule that applies to it
• Formatting rules: font, size, margins, spacing and file type

Points are awarded criterion by criterion. At the Justice Department's Office of Justice Programs, each section of the proposal narrative and the budget gets a numeric score³, and the notice gives each one's weight. So set a page budget before you draft: multiply the narrative page limit by each criterion's share of the points.

Watch for a common drift. The need statement grows, because local data is easy to find and the story is real. The approach runs short, because it means committing to who does what, and when. In this example, Need earns 2 points per page and Evaluation 7.5. Cutting Need to its 3.75 pages frees exactly enough to bring Approach and Evaluation up to target.

Use the funder's headings word for word, in its order, so reviewers find each answer where they look for it. Answer every sub-criterion in its own paragraph. A missing one scores nothing, and it is easy to overlook because the draft still reads as complete.

Promise only what you can show. The Community Tool Box warns against claiming your project caused a change unless the evaluation design supports it², and against promising sustainability that is unrealistic. If the approach is hard to explain, sketch a logic model first: each outcome should trace back to an activity and a measure.

Anything that needs someone outside your organization sets the real deadline, such as a partner's signed letter or a finished audit. Know which kind of letter the notice wants. The Office of Justice Programs separates letters of support from memoranda of understanding³. A support letter vouches for your work. An MOU commits a partner's staff or resources and is signed by both organizations.

A federal application also needs registration first. The rules require most applicants to be registered in SAM.gov before submitting an application⁴ and to include their Unique Entity ID. The Office of Justice Programs encourages its applicants to start SAM.gov registration or renewal at least 30 days before the Grants.gov deadline³. It also urges submitting the SF-424, the first part of an OJP application, at least 48 hours early, leaving time to fix a rejection.

Before you submit, read the draft the way a reviewer will: criteria in hand, one criterion at a time, under its heading. Mark each sub-criterion as answered specifically, answered in general terms, or not answered. Then hand it to someone else. The Community Tool Box recommends a review by at least one person who was not the primary writer², checking clarity, consistency, accuracy and compliance.

If a foundation wants a short letter before a full proposal, start with the letter of inquiry template. Build the budget in the funder's own categories with the grant budget template. The template on this page holds the page budget, limits and attachment checks above. Edit with AI opens it in River, which reads the notice and does the arithmetic for you.