The Art of Heart-Centered Grant Writing
Tools, Strategies, and Inspiration to Help You
Write a Winning Grant Proposal

“Soon after taking your workshop, I co-wrote a proposal and we received a two-year $100,000 grant to build teen clubs in our home town. The workshop was a great investment. ” — Shari, New York

Are you frustrated at not being able to spend time writing a grant proposal that wins? Are you spending time on proposals that are just not getting the results that you want?

Does the grant writing process feel daunting and intimidating? Is it a struggle? Do you have really solid ideas but don’t know how to convey them to funders? Even though you’re really committed to the program you’re working with, you can’t seem to find the time and motivation to write grant proposals in between everything else that’s crucial.

Grant writing is daunting and you know there must be an easier way to do it!

I get it. Grant writing takes time, energy, and strong commitment. And there is usually so much pressure on people in non-profits that it can be really, really difficult to find the space in your day to make it happen even when you want to.

And sometimes the whole process looks downright daunting and incomprehensible. It’s as if there is some secret code to cracking the grant writing process that someone forgot to tell you.

You may have already tried learning about grant writing but nothing did the trick.

• You looked at grant trainings or national conferences but they were just too expensive or too far away for your travel budget.
  
• You took a course but it was too rudimentary or the instructor wasn't actively preparing grant proposals and lacked the depth of experience that you expected – and you haven’t had time to apply what you did learn.
  
• In the daily whirl you simply don't have time to read all the grant writing books that are out there and still have a life.
  
• The panoply of information on the web is overwhelming and just too much to keep up with on a day-to-day basis.

As a result you get stuck and your program goes underfunded and you’re constantly feeling the pressure of wondering how you are going to keep the program going, let alone have it thrive. You feel daunted, stressed, and frustrated.

Would YOU like to be learn the skill of
grant writing so that you can have the impact the world really needs right now?

I can help.

I have been writing award-winning proposals for many years for both large and small non-profit organizations. I’ve written well over 60 successful grant applications and raised over $28 million dollars in the last decade. And I’ve dealt with the nitty gritty of grants from excruciatingly tight deadlines, even tighter budgets, and a burning desire to make a difference in face of some deep-rooted societal problems.

From glowing success stories AND "What on earth should I do now?" experience, I can help you push through whatever is in your way and get you moving along to write a proposal that you can be proud of and that will bring results into our community. It’s truly important to me that you learn this skill so that you can be an agent of change in your part of the world.

I can help you step into grant writing in a way that feels right and doable.

The truth is that preparing proposals that win is not as complicated as you may think. The Art of Heart-Centered Foundation Grant Writing is designed to get you on the road to winning foundation grants that will make a real impact on the problems that your organization tackles.

There are a few things that you need that you need to succeed in grantwriting:

• a clear picture of how the foundation funding system works
• a solid understanding of where your organization stands and what you have to offer the community you serve
• guidance on how to present what you have to offer in a way that funders respond with a “YES”
• a supportive community of people to help you as you learn about preparing foundation grants
• and finally, you need to approach the work from your heart so that you can be more effective and empowered to manage the grantwritingprocess

Our approach emphasizes the practical application of skills in a supportive and fun atmosphere that incorporates connecting with your heart. We have found it to be a winning combination that produces results and a rewarding life.

This workshop, designed by a grants professional, will provide you with valuable new skills and the opportunity to draft a proposal during the class and receive support and feedback from your peers.

What you'll be able to do after the workshop:

• You'll have a proposal draft that is a reflection of your organization’s mission and vision for the future.
• You'll know how to conduct foundation research and see which foundations are interested in your current project.
• You’ll have the courage to call foundation program officers and talk with them about your project.
• You'll feel more creativity and ease in writing proposals.
• You won't find yourself saying, "I don't know how to say this in a way that will make them fund it." Or "How on earth can I get a proposal submitted on time with everything else that I have to do?" Or "My grants never get funded" Or "I just don’t know grants language."
  
  

What’s in the Course?

Five bursting-with-support classes

During the 8-week course you will draft a grant proposal and review it with peers. Many people find that the peer review process and mutual support is the most helpful element of the class. During the class we will use a heart-centered planning approach and focus on:

Class 1: Planning Your Project

You can jump right in and write a proposal without careful planning but it won’t get funded. We take time to look at what makes your organization unique and where it is headed so that you only propose projects that are a perfect fit for your agency.

Class 2: Researching Foundations

You can develop a great idea and write it with the skill of Hemmingway but if you send it to the wrong funder, it will lose. In this class, we’ll see that foundations aren’t that mysterious if you know how to research them. I’ll show you how to find funders who are interested in your project.

Class 3: Building Relationships with Funders

The adage “People give money to people not programs” is a truism in the grant writing world. It not sufficient to just ‘write’ a proposal and send it out to an anonymous funder. The best investment you can make is to spend time building relationships. We’ll explain why and how to do it in this class.

Class 4: Writing Your Proposal

We’ll spend two days getting down to the nitty-gritty of writing a proposal that you can be proud of. We’ll work in small groups and you’ll get lots of coaching along the way. We’ll carefully go through each of the proposal components and what you need to say- and not say- in each of them. This is where you take all your preparation and put it into action.

Class 5: Review

Participants tell me that this is the most valuable part of the course. You will share your draft with your peers and receive their honest feedback from their perspective about what works and what doesn’t BEFORE you send it to a foundation.

The focus will always be on writing a proposal that truly reflects your organization’s strengths and deepest commitments. It will give you precise tools for dissolving your fearful and/or erroneous stories about grant writing and what it takes to win. We will also help you develop approaches that are nurturing and leave you with a sense of confidence and trust in your own abilities. You can expect to work in teams to draft a proposal during the course and there will be plenty of time for Q&A and on-the-spot coaching.

Time Commitment: To get full the benefit, you should plan on spending 1-3 hours a week between sessions doing assignments and set aside at least 16 hours to work on your draft proposal between April 20th – May 3rd.

The Heart-Centered Grant Writing Manual

A 150 page manual packed full of

• information about how the grant writing process works and step- by-step instructions on how to write a proposal
• Samples of grant proposals including budgets and logic models
• 14 exercises designed to walk you through the process

This manual is worth the cost of the course alone. Past participants have told me that they use it as a reference years after taking the course.

Private Google Group

A place to share homework and connect with each other

When

Where:

Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Rd., Ithaca, NY 14850

How will you be a better, more satisfied grant writer when you're done?

This course is for you if:

• Your funding is dwindling and you need to diversify your funding base
• Your boss asked you to start writing proposals
• You’ve already written a couple of small proposals that were successful but want to learn more
• You have written a couple of proposals but feel overwhelmed by the process
• You have great ideas and are committed to getting them funded and just need some support and guidance
• You are able and willing to spend time between classes putting what you have learned into action
• You been procrastinating and second-guessing yourself for far too long and are ready to take action
• You are determined to create change in the world and know that you can do it with the right support

If you are ready to write a proposal that can win --- even if you don’t know how right now ---- then join me for the Heart-Centered Grant Writing class. The world really does need creative, compassionate people like you to create an impact.

Why Grants Champion?

The Grants Champion approach combines practical knowledge to give you the skills to take action and connect with your heart so that you can be more effective in making a better world. What does that mean in practical terms? Well, we spend time teaching you the ins and outs of the grants game so that you can win. And, we also focus on making sure that we take a heart-centered approach so that you work from a place of strength and don't get drained. We know from experience that when you write with power from your heart and top it off with a sprinkle of fun you’ve got a recipe for success.

You’ve probably seen lots of other grant trainings and wonder how this is different. Of course, my first priority is to yield results and secure grant funding, but it's the emphasis on accomplishing this from a heart-centered place that sets us apart from the rest.

And we know that for you to reach that goal you need to have skills, feel comfortable applying them, and have time to do the work. So, this grant training program is unique in our field.

1. Time to Learn. The class isn’t just lecture – a blast of information that no one can digest in a short time. The classes incorporate lots of exercises and are spread over several weeks so that you can digest and assimilate what you learn.

2. Practice Applying What You Learn. You will sign up for this class to win grant funding. We know that. And the best way for you to win funding is to write a grant proposal. We won’t just tell you how to do it. We’ll guide you and support you as you craft a proposal during class. Learning a new skill takes time and we give you the space and support to really incorporate what you learn into your life.

3. Community. We can learn so much from one another when we are given constructive, supportive feedback. This class incorporates plenty of time for reflection, questions and critiquing of each other’s work – always within a safe and supportive atmosphere. There are no wrong answers or silly questions at Grants Champion. We are all on the same journey towards creating a positive impact each in our unique way – and we don’t forget that. Our goal is that at the end of the program you will have a solid proposal draft ready for you to tailor to the needs of a specific foundation or funding agency.

4. Heart-Centered Approach. All this happens within a framework of working from your heart. Our experience is that when you incorporate your heart into your work it is more meaningful, effective and deeply satisfying. That means that we take time to heartstorm as well as brainstorm, that we take time to be grateful for your organization’s strengths, and to envision what you would like to create. Our approach is based on ‘higher ground’ principles of gratitude, courageous action, truthful communication, collaboration, and creativity so that the actions that you take “feel right” from a core level.

We also incorporate simple energizing practices into the training so that you can manage the day- to-day stress of grant deadlines with ease and grace. That may sound superfluous but after lots of experience taking a heart-centered approach we have found that the process is more fun and the results more rewarding. You don’t have to run yourself ragged to meet grant deadlines – you can do it with ease and still get results.

Click here to listen to an interview about the Heart-Centered
Grant Writing® Approach.

The bottom line is that I am committed to creating a world that is a better place for future generations. And that can’t happen very effectively when our creative social innovators are getting burned out. So, I’d love to share my experience and skills to help you thrive in the grants world so that we ALL thrive. When that happens we all win.

All Grants Champion classes are

• taught by seasoned professionals
• short and yet packed with fresh ideas and up-to-date information about the grants field
• nourishing to you and your organization so that you thrive over the long run
• designed to include time to talk with your peers about how they have creatively solved common problems
  

Here's what you get:

1. The Heart-Centered Grant Writing Seminar

This includes all 5 sessions spread over 8 weeks – including 2 full-day sessions. As with all HSC sponsored classes there will be breakfast and break refreshments offered for the half-day sessions and lunch delivered for the full-day sessions.

2. The Heart-Centered Grant Writing Manual

The 150 page course manual includes plenty of examples of good grants and not-so-good grants and one-of-a-kind, amazingly helpful exercises and sample proposal components.

3. Proposal Review

When you are ready to submit, I will review the proposal you developed in class. I will give you feedback and a critique for you so that you can feel the comfort of having your proposal read by an independent reviewer before it even gets to the funding agency. If you'd prefer a consultation time instead, just ask. I want to do what's most helpful for my students to succeed.

4. Community

A private Google group to share homework and connect with the teacher and peers. We can ask questions, share information and share drafts of our work. We simply cannot do anything in this world alone - at least not well or with a sense of joy. Accepting that, we will work together to help everyone in the class learn as much as possible.

If feeling daunted takes the fun out of grant writing, please let me help.

You're not alone.

Cost:

Package Tuition: $840

Early Bird Tuition: $720 if you register by January 31, 2012.

Group Discount: If 2 people from your organization register $520.

I know that many people have considered this class well worth the cost. The manual alone is a perennial resource for you to draw on for years to come. If you are committed to winning grant funding for your organization and are ready to focus your time and energy on it during February and March then this could be the right class for you. The value you’ll receive will last, but the opportunity to take the class will not.

If there is something inside you that tells you that this is the right class at the right time then register now. You won't regret it. If it doesn’t feel right, then please honor that too. But, if you are hesitant and have questions that I can answer feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to talk with you about them.

Is there a guarantee? Yep, 100% Satisfaction Guarantee – with 2 questions asked.

I’m in business to create a better world by providing excellent grant trainings. If you fully participate in the course (attend all sessions) and feel that the course was not a sound investment of your time and money simply tell me and I will give you a 100% refund.

My only questions will be:

1) What was your experience?

2) How can we do better?

That’s it. No quibbles. No arguments. Simply a request for feedback so that I realize my dream of empowering you to create great communities.