Grant writing is one of the most tricky and complex tasks when you are working in the public sector or are an academic researcher looking for funding. It is an established truth that the world is unequal and some groups have more money than others. This truth also makes it difficult for some types of work to be valued and funded as much as required. Nonprofit staffers often find themselves writing proposals and asking for funding from sponsors. But when a grant proposal does not come through, one often wonders how they could have put their point forward differently for better results. Here is where a course in grant writing and attaining a grant writing certification could really be helpful. What are the best grant writing certifications, though? Let’s take a look!
What Does A Grant Writing Certification Mean?
Grant writing certification means that you will be able to learn how to write grants successfully and professionally. With a grant writing certificate, you can also work as a consultant for nonprofits, academics, public health workers, etc. to guide them to write the best grant proposals possible. If you are in any of these professions yourself, this is a very beneficial course.
Are All Certificates The Same?
All certificates in grant writing do not hold the same value in the market. Anyone can take a course online and call themselves a professional grant writer because they have a certificate to show for it. However, some of the best grant writing certificate programs are accredited by reputed boards and bodies and will take those who have completed the course a long way. The following are some of the best grant writing certification programs one can consider.
Best Grant Writing Certifications
ExpertRating—Grant Writing Certification
The Grant Writing Certification course from ExpertRating is one of the best certification programs you can consider for grant writing. This is a program that will cover some of the fundamentals of grant writing which anyone with basic experience in the field will be able to keep up with. By the end of the program, the process of grant writing will be broken down into steps and students will be able to tackle each step with precision.
This is a great course for someone who is interested in grant writing, or requires the skill for their professional engagements, but does not know how to get started. This is an especially great course for academic researchers and people working in nonprofits who need to make pitches frequently for work. By the end of the course, you will have certain expertise at phrasing sentences articulately for making a proposal and for fundraising.
Once you have completed the courseware, you can take the exam at your own convenience. You have a year to clear the exam from the day you begin the certification course. Upon clearing the exam, the certificate will be sent to you immediately.
American Grant Writers’ Association, Inc.—Certified Grant Writer® Series
The American Grant Writers’ Association, Inc. offers another excellent grant writing certification program. The Certified Grant Writer® Series is a program structured with 8 courses, which students complete in 50 hours, typically over 4-6 weeks. This is a great course for academic researchers, people involved with nonprofit organizations, government agents, etc.
This is essentially a course for those who need to write proposals frequently for fundraising and other activities. The course does not require any prior experience in grant writing, you only need to complete the course work and appear for the exam. However, the minimum age to sit for the exam is 21 years.
San Diego State University—Professional Certificate in Grant Writing
The world of nonprofit, education, public health, academia, etc. is constantly in the need for more funding and exposure. This consequently also means that getting grants and having proposals approved are extremely hard as the market is competitive. The first step to winning a grant, however, is to know how to present yourself. This is a skill that the Professional Certificate in Grant Writing program, offered by San Diego State University, provides.
The course is divided into two, the first sequence of the course is designed for those who do not have too much experience in grant writing but are eager to better themselves. It involves the planning stage and trains you to successfully find research prospects. The second sequence deals more with the actual writing of the proposal.
The classroom is interactive and you will be sharing your work back and forth, receiving feedback, and in turn, providing feedback to your peers. The course is conducted online and it takes approximately 10 weeks to complete both parts of the program.
Courses for Success—Proposal Writing Online Certificate Course
The Proposal Writing Online Certificate Course offered by Courses for Success is delivered entirely online and the course material can be accessed 24×7. It is an interactive course that is great for people just becoming acquainted with grant writing. The instructors are open to answering questions and you can pose queries without hesitation. The great thing about the course is that it allows you to work at your own pace without imposing deadlines.
The course is meant to be easy to understand even for those with little experience. It will teach you how to successfully find available grants, and then using the available knowledge you have to write a winning grant proposal. The course will teach you the proposal formats that work best and are most widely accepted by public foundations. It will also take you through ways of budgeting and how to prepare a budget to propose in your grant application. This is one of the most important aspects of grant writing. When you apply for funds, you also need to be clear about how much you deserve and should ask for.
Universal Class—How to Write a Grant Proposal
The How to Write a Grant Proposal program offered by Universal Class maintains that everyone knows, in some form or the other, how to write a grant. However, it is the job of this program to draw out the resources you used when you apply for a job or write a testimonial for a friend and put into writing a grant proposal of your own.
The course comprises 16 lessons, through which you will be expected to complete 29 exams and assignments. The course will be conducted online and you can complete the lessons on your own time, as long as you can successfully complete the 342 total course points within six months. To get a CEU certificate, you are required to achieve an overall grade of 70% or higher.
Parting Words: Grant Writing Certifications
Even if you are excellent at your job, it often does not amount to anything if you do not know how to present yourself. A grant proposal is precisely that. It is an opportunity for you to put in words what you are capable of and why the work that you do deserves to be valued and supported. With the right grant writing training, you can have more success in winning grants and have your proposals be accepted. This is a great skill to nurture and cultivate, if not for your own work then to provide your services to others in need of a grant writing expert.
