Grant Proposal Template and Sample (Section by Section)

Download the grant proposal template (.docx)

Free, with no sign-up. It opens in Word or Google Docs. Placeholders are in blue brackets, and each section has a box listing what reviewers look for.

What is the standard grant proposal outline?

Most proposals cover the same ground in roughly the same order:

1. Cover letter. Who you are, what you’re asking for, and why it fits.
2. Executive summary. The whole proposal in a page or less.
3. Statement of need. The problem, with local data.
4. Goals and objectives. What will change, in measurable terms.
5. Methods. What you will do, who will do it, and when.
6. Evaluation. How you will know it worked.
7. Sustainability. How the work continues after the grant.
8. Budget and budget narrative. What it costs and why.
9. Organization background. Why you can deliver.

Always use the funder’s outline if it gives one. For federal grants, the notice of funding opportunity must describe each review criterion and, if the criteria carry different weight, how much each one counts (2 CFR 200, Appendix I). Write each section to those criteria. Our guide to reading a NOFO the way a reviewer will shows where to find them.

The samples below are for a made-up nonprofit, Harbor City Youth Mentoring, and its Pathways Mentoring program. Every name and number in them is fictional.

Grant proposal vs. grant application vs. LOI

People use these terms loosely, but each one asks for something different, so it helps to know which you’re being asked for.

A foundation LOI and a full proposal work as a pair. Our post on writing to a foundation covers the LOI, the proposal, and the report that earns a renewal.

How do I write a grant proposal cover letter?

Keep it to one page, on letterhead, signed by your executive director or board chair. Say what you’re asking for in the first paragraph: the amount, the purpose, and the time period. Then give the need and your approach in two or three sentences and show how the project fits the funder’s priorities. A reviewer should be able to stop after the first paragraph and know exactly what you want. Many federal applications don’t use a cover letter at all, so check before you write one.

What goes in a grant proposal executive summary?

Write it last. In half a page to a page, cover who you are, the problem, what you’ll do, the results you expect, and the amount requested. Some reviewers read only this section, so it has to make sense on its own, and its numbers have to match the rest of the proposal exactly.

How do I write a statement of need?

Describe the problem where you work, not in general. Use recent local data, cite every source, and explain why it matters now and what gap your project fills. If you can, include what the people you serve have told you. Reviewers notice quickly when a need statement leans on national figures or numbers with no source, and it costs you credibility for the rest of the proposal.

How do I write goals and objectives?

A goal is the big change you want. An objective is a measurable step toward it, with a target and a date. Most proposals need one to three goals, each with two or three objectives. A good test: could someone check at the end of the grant whether you hit each objective, and do the targets look doable with the money you’re asking for?

How do I describe methods in a grant proposal?

Lay out each major activity, who leads it, and when it happens. Name your partners and their roles, and attach their letters of commitment. Say why this approach works, with evidence if you have it. A simple timeline table helps reviewers follow the plan, and it’s where they’ll check that you’ve left time for startup and have enough staff time to do what you describe.

What should a grant evaluation plan include?

Tie each measure to an objective. Say how and when you’ll collect the data, who will collect it, and how you’ll report results and use them to improve the program. If you hire an outside evaluator, put the cost in the budget. The plan should be something your actual staff could carry out, not a research design you couldn’t afford.

How do I write a sustainability plan?

Explain how the work continues after this grant. Name your other current and planned funding, any earned revenue, and partners who share the cost. Be honest about what will change when the grant ends. Funders know most programs can’t promise to run forever. What they want to see is that the work doesn’t depend on them alone.

What goes in the budget and budget narrative?

Use the funder’s budget form if there is one. Show the math for every line, explain why each cost is needed, and keep indirect costs within the funder’s rules. The numbers in the narrative must match the budget exactly. Our grant budget template and narrative example walks through a full budget, with a free Excel template.

What goes in the organization background section?

Show that you can do the work and manage the money. Give your mission, history, and who you serve. Describe results from similar past work, with numbers. Name key staff, describe board oversight, and mention your most recent audit or financial review. The track record you describe should relate to this project, and your staff and systems should look like a fit for the size of the request.

What are the most common grant proposal mistakes?

The one we see most is ignoring the funder’s instructions. The wrong format, page count, or headings can get a proposal set aside before anyone reads it. Close behind is writing to the program description instead of the review criteria, when the criteria are what reviewers actually score.

After that, it’s usually a budget that doesn’t match the narrative (every activity needs a cost, and every cost needs an activity), objectives too vague to measure (“improve outcomes” can’t be checked, but “match 40 youth by June 30” can), and a need statement with no local data. National statistics alone don’t show the problem exists where you work.

Frequently asked questions

This article is general information. It is not legal, tax, or accounting advice.