Non-ProfitFree tool
Grant Proposal Writer for Foundations
A complete grant proposal written to one foundation's own questions, order and page limit, built from your facts, with missing ones marked, never invented.
Free to start · Opens in your River workspace, ready to edit and share
How to write a grant proposal for a foundation
A foundation grant proposal asks a private, family, corporate or community foundation to fund your program or organization. A strong one follows the funder's guidelines exactly and opens with the amount, the people served and the funder priority the work advances. It then shows a local need with sourced figures, outcomes that measure change for people, a realistic budget and a plan for when the grant ends.
Fit matters more than polish. A foundation funds the priorities its board has set, and a well-written request outside them rarely succeeds. So research the funder first, then answer its questions in the order it asks them.
Check the fit before you write
Find out what the foundation funds and how it wants to hear from you. Read its guidelines, annual report and list of past grantees, and note the words it uses for the problem you work on. You'll echo them in your opening paragraph.
Read its grants list
For a private foundation, Part XIV of Form 990-PF1 lists the grants paid that year, with each recipient, purpose and amount. ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer2 has these returns, so read the last three years.
Check it takes proposals
Part XIV also has a box for foundations that give only to preselected charities. If it's blank, the return should say who applications go to, what to send and by when.
Size the ask
Look at grants to groups like yours and ask within that range. If first-time grantees get less than long-standing ones, size your ask to match.
Call if you can
If the foundation has staff and welcomes contact, a short call can confirm your program fits this year's priorities before you spend a week writing.
The preselected box is common. Candid, formed when Foundation Center and GuideStar merged, found that 71% of the 112,733 private foundations filing for fiscal 2023 checked it3, though staff may still consider requests. If the guidelines ask for a short letter first, send a letter of inquiry and save the full proposal for an invitation.
What goes in a foundation grant proposal
Build the proposal from the foundation's guidelines, not from your last application. Use their headings in their order, answer each question where they ask it, and keep to every page, word and character limit. Candid warns that leaving out information a funder requires gives your proposal a much lower chance of being seriously considered4.
Where the guidelines set no structure, use these parts in this order.
The parts of a foundation grant proposal
| Part | What it answers | Keep in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Summary | What you want, for whom, and why it fits | Put the amount and the funder's priority first |
| Need | What's missing in your community, and how you know | Local figures, each with its source and year |
| Program | What you'll do, where, when and with whom | Name who runs it and give a timeline |
| Outcomes and evaluation | What will change for people, and how you'll know | Two to four measurable objectives |
| Organization | Why you're the right group to do it | About a page: history, mission, staff and board |
| Budget and sustainability | What it costs, who else pays, what happens after | All income and expenses for the grant period |
| Attachments | Proof you're eligible and well run | IRS determination letter, financial statements, board list |
Based on Candid's list of typical proposal elements. A cover letter signed by your executive director usually goes on top.
Draw the need and your history from your case for support, if you keep one, so every funder hears the same facts.
Open with fit, then the need
The opening paragraph does the most work. Name the program, the amount and the term, who it serves and where, and the funder priority it advances, in the funder's own words. A program officer should know from that paragraph whether to read on.
Before: "Northside Reads has served children for 25 years. We are seeking $40,000 to continue our important literacy work."
After: "Northside Reads requests $40,000 over one year for after-school reading help for 60 third to fifth graders at two Title I schools in Eastfield. The program advances the Hartwell Family Foundation's priority of 'every child reading at grade level by fourth grade.' Last year, 41 of 58 students gained a full grade level."
- Leads with the ask. The amount, the term and the program come in the first sentence.
- Uses the funder's words. It quotes the priority exactly as the foundation states it.
- Says who and where. Grades, schools and town, not "children in need."
- Offers proof. One past result shows the team can deliver.
Then turn to the need. As Candid's guide puts it, a statement of need is not about what your organization needs to do its work, but what your community needs4. Use local figures with their source and year, from the Census Bureau, your county or your school district, rather than national statistics.
Promise outcomes you can measure
Foundations want to know what will change for people, not only how busy you'll be. A 2003 Urban Institute guide for nonprofits draws the line: outputs show the quantity of work activity completed5 and on their own say nothing about results. Outcomes are the results, usually a change in the condition or behavior of the people you serve.
- Output: "We will hold 120 tutoring sessions."
- Outcome: "By June 2027, at least 42 of our 60 students will gain a full grade level in reading on the district's spring test."
Write two to four objectives like the second one, each saying who, how many, how much change, by when and how you'll measure it. Base the targets on your own past results.
The evaluation plan says what you'll measure, with which tool, who collects it and when you'll report. Match it to your capacity. A small program can track progress with assessments it already uses, so don't promise an outside evaluator you can't pay for.
Never round a result up
If 68% of students improved, write 68%. A program officer who catches one stretched figure has reason to doubt the rest.
Show the budget and what comes next
Give the program's full cost for the grant period, the amount you're asking for, and where the rest comes from, marked committed or pending. Include the staff time, rent and other shared costs the program really uses, unless the guidelines exclude them. Every figure in the narrative should match the budget.
Some foundations want each line explained. For them, write a grant budget narrative from the same numbers.
Finally, answer a question program officers often ask: what happens when this grant ends? Name a real plan, such as other funders already approached, earned income, a partner taking over or a smaller version you can sustain. "We will seek additional funding" is not a plan.
Check it before you send it
Before you submit a foundation proposal
- The first paragraph names the amount, the people served and the funder's priority
- Every question is answered, under the funder's own headings and in their order
- It fits every page, word and character limit
- Every figure has a source and a year, and none is rounded up
- Objectives measure change for people, not just activity
- Budget figures match the narrative
- Every requested attachment is included, current and named as asked
When a foundation says no, ask the program officer what would have made the proposal stronger, and whether to apply again.
Short on time? The tool at the top of this page drafts your proposal to one foundation's questions from your notes, with each missing fact marked for you to fill. To work by hand, the nonprofit grant proposal template has a need statement, project narrative and sustainability plan to complete.
How it works
Start with the foundation's guidelines and whatever you've written about the program: notes, an outcome report or last year's proposal. Only have the funder's name? River looks up its published guidelines. Then it writes the proposal into your workspace in the funder's own order, headings and limit, working from your facts. It names any public source it adds and marks each missing fact as a gap to fill.
Below the draft, River adds a short "Before you submit" list. It shows the gaps still open, required attachments you haven't mentioned, any request outside the funder's stated range and any requirement the draft couldn't meet. Then it names the gap that matters most.
Add the guidelines
Paste or attach the foundation's guidelines, or just name the funder, plus your program notes or last year's proposal.
River reads the guidelines
It looks them up if you only named the funder, then answers each question in their order, headings and limit.
Get your proposal
A full draft in your workspace from your facts, with each missing fact marked as a gap to fill.
Refine and adapt
Fill the gaps, cut to the page limit, add a budget narrative, or adapt it for another foundation.
What you get
- An opening paragraph naming the program, the amount, who it serves and the funder priority it advances
- Sections in the funder's own order and headings, written to their page, word or character limit
- A need statement about your community, built from your local figures, with each public source named
- Two to four measurable objectives that track change for people, from your own baselines and targets
- An evaluation plan and budget summary that use only the tools and numbers you already have
- A "Before you submit" list: open gaps, missing attachments, any out-of-range ask and unmet requirements
Common questions
What should a foundation grant proposal include?
Whatever the foundation's guidelines ask for, in the order they ask. When they set no structure, use the usual parts: a summary with the ask, the need, the program, outcomes and evaluation, your organization, a budget and a sustainability plan. Typical attachments are your IRS determination letter, recent financial statements and a board list.
How much should I ask a foundation for?
Ask for an amount inside the range the foundation actually gives to groups like yours. A private foundation's Form 990-PF lists each grant it paid, so three years of returns show its usual grant size. If you're new to the funder, aim for the middle of that range rather than the top, unless a program officer suggests otherwise.
Can I send the same proposal to several foundations?
Reuse your facts, not the finished proposal. Candid cautions that one standard proposal sent to several funders increases your risk of missing key requirements4. Rewrite the opening, headings and emphasis for each foundation's questions. Send one written for another funder only when the guidelines invite it. The Robert Sterling Clark Foundation's grants page, for example, welcomes an application you've used with another funder6.
Should I contact the foundation before applying?
Yes, if it has staff and hasn't asked you not to. Program staff can tell you whether your work fits what the board is funding now, which saves you writing a proposal it can't fund. Candid's advice is that when a funder states no contact preferences, it generally is safe to call7. Come prepared, and ask about fit, timing and the right amount.
Will River make up statistics or outcomes?
No. River uses only the facts you give it and public sources it names in the text. Where the foundation asks for something you haven't supplied, such as last year's attendance or a baseline score, the draft shows a marked gap with the exact question to answer. If you give no targets, any it proposes from your past results are labeled as proposed.
How do I write a grant proposal with River?
Paste the foundation's guidelines and your program notes into the box at the top of this page, or attach last year's proposal. River reads the guidelines first, then writes each section to the funder's questions and limits in your free River workspace, marking every missing fact as a gap. Fill the gaps, then ask it to cut, adjust or adapt the draft.
Is the grant proposal writer free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your grant proposal opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it with your team or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
Sources
IRS. “2025 Form 990-PF.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
ProPublica. “Nonprofit Explorer.” projects.propublica.org (opens in a new tab)
Candid. “How often do foundations accept unsolicited requests for funds?” candid.org (opens in a new tab)
Candid. “How do I write a grant proposal?” learning.candid.org (opens in a new tab)
Urban Institute. “Key Steps in Outcome Management.” urban.org (opens in a new tab)
Robert Sterling Clark Foundation. “Grants.” rsclark.org (opens in a new tab)
Candid. “How do I find a funder's application instructions?” learning.candid.org (opens in a new tab)
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.