As professional grant writers, our job spans the entire life cycle of a grant. That means finding grant opportunities, writing and packaging applications for submission, and helping with follow up tasks like grant reporting and site visits. So, yes, grant writers do find grants.

When we’re working with a client, finding grants is often the first step. While some clients know exactly which grants they want to apply for, more often we first conduct a grant search.

Assessing needs and goals

Before we can start finding grants, we first have a thorough discussion with the client and learn about their funding needs. In this discussion, we talk about what areas of the organization are in need of funding. This may include exciting programs, operations, growth/expansion, or new programs.

Then, we discuss what types of grants the client is interested in pursuing. This will range from federal grants to state and local government grants to foundation and corporate opportunities. We also learn more about the client’s geographic range. For example, if the client only works on a local level, applying to national funders may not be a good fit — though there are exceptions.

All of these elements will help us craft the appropriate search terms, ensuring our research returns a good batch of opportunities.

How to find grants

After the initial discussion, we get to work. We comb the databases we subscribe to using the search terms we identified. The initial search often yields opportunities that are not actually a good fit. In these cases, we eliminate some funders from that first list.

In our company, we collect our findings into a spreadsheet and a report that the client can use to make decisions about where to apply. These documents include application instructions, deadlines, and information about how to apply. Our goal is to empower the client to make informed decisions about their grant application strategy. Of course, if the client wants to work with us on the application development, we can provide that service as well.

Learn more about our grant writing services here.