Q: Where can I find examples of grant proposals?
A: "Already-written proposals" are usually difficult to find, via print or the Internet, because they are typically very specific to the organization requesting funding as well as to the donor's mission, and they work only within that context. However, there are some resources you can view and adapt to your organization's situation.
The Grantseeker's Guide to Winning Proposals is a great place to start! It's the latest addition to our Winning Proposals series and includes 35 actual, funded proposal reprinted in their entirety. The Grantseeker's Guide features proposals to international funders including the Mott Foundation; large regional funders such as the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation; corporate funders including the Mitsubishi Foundation, as well as regional/local foundations. The featured examples cover a wide variety of projects, from start-up costs to a major medical center. Each proposal includes remarks by the foundation's program officer who approved the grant. This book is also available to borrow from our lending library.
The following books in our library's collection include sample grant proposals:
- Proposals that Work: A Guide for Planning Dissertations and Grant Proposals, by Lawrence F. Locke, Waneen Wyrick Spirduso, and Stephen J. Silverman.
- Proven Strategies Professionals Use to Make Their Proposals Work, by Michael K. Wells.
- The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing, by Jane C. Geever.
For more sample proposals in printed materials, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's library catalog. You could start searching on the term "sample proposal" in the keyword field.
You can also try a number of Internet search engines, like Google, using the keywords: "sample nonprofit grant proposal".
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