Nonprofit grant proposal template, with a filled example
Every section most foundations ask for, in the order most proposals use them. Each one has a fill-in template and a filled example from a fictional food pantry. Use it as is, or have us write the first draft from your facts for $25.
Follow the funder's own guidelines first. If they give you a form, word limits or their own section names, use theirs and fit these sections into them.
The example: Harbor Table, a fictional volunteer food pantry asking the fictional Shoreline Community Fund for $7,500 to pay a part-time Saturday coordinator. Every name and number in it is made up.
Brackets mark what you fill in. In the examples, [FILL IN: ...] marks a fact left blank instead of guessed.
1. Cover letter
What it answers: Who you are, what you are asking for, and why this funder.
Template
Dear [contact name], [Organization] respectfully requests $[amount] from [funder] to [one-line purpose]. [One sentence on who you serve and how many]. This project fits your [named priority from the funder's guidelines] because [reason]. Thank you for considering our proposal. [Name, title, phone, email]
Filled example (fictional)
Dear Ms. Rivera, Harbor Table respectfully requests $7,500 from the Shoreline Community Fund to keep our food pantry open six hours on Saturdays instead of two. Last year we served 312 households, and Saturday is our busiest day. This project fits your priority of reducing hunger in Shoreline County because it reaches families who cannot come on weekdays. Thank you for considering our proposal. [FILL IN: name, title, phone, email]
2. Executive summary
What it answers: The whole proposal in one paragraph: need, plan, cost, result.
Template
[Organization] serves [who] in [where]. [The problem, with one number]. We will [what you will do] from [start] to [end], at a cost of $[total], of which we request $[amount]. As a result, [measurable outcome].
Filled example (fictional)
Harbor Table is a volunteer-run food pantry that served 312 households last year. On Saturdays, our busiest day, we can open for only two hours because two volunteers cover the shift. We will hire a part-time Saturday coordinator for 12 months and add food storage shelving, at a cost of $9,200, of which we request $7,500. As a result, the pantry will stay open six hours every Saturday.
3. Statement of need
What it answers: The problem in your community, in your own numbers, and why it matters now.
Template
[Who] in [where] [face what problem]. [Your number, and where it comes from]. [What happens now without this project]. [Why your organization is the one to fix it].
Filled example (fictional)
We served 312 households last year, according to our intake log. Saturday is our busiest day, yet the pantry is open for two hours because only two volunteers can cover it. People who arrive after the doors close have to travel to another pantry [FILL IN: distance to the nearest pantry]. Many of them work weekdays, so Saturday is the only day they can come.
4. Program description
What it answers: What you will do, who does it, and when.
Template
[Project name] will [activity] for [who] at [where]. [Who runs it and their role]. [Schedule: start date, frequency, end date]. [How people find out about it].
Filled example (fictional)
Harbor Table will hire a part-time Saturday coordinator who opens the pantry at 9 a.m., schedules volunteers, and keeps it open until 3 p.m. every Saturday for 12 months. New shelving lets us stock enough food for a six-hour day. The coordinator reports to our volunteer board chair. We will announce the new hours on our intake forms, at partner churches and on our Facebook page.
5. Goals and measurable objectives
What it answers: What will be different, with numbers you can check.
Template
Goal: [the change you want]. Objective 1: By [date], [measurable result]. Objective 2: By [date], [measurable result].
Filled example (fictional)
Goal: no family is turned away on a Saturday for lack of open hours. Objective 1: By month 2, the pantry is open six hours every Saturday. Objective 2: By month 12, Saturday visits are up [FILL IN: target] over last year, per the intake log.
6. Evaluation plan
What it answers: How you will know it worked, and what you will report to the funder.
Template
We will track [measure] using [tool or record], [how often]. [Who] reviews it. We will report [what] to [funder] by [date].
Filled example (fictional)
We will count Saturday households in our existing intake log every week. The board chair reviews the numbers monthly. We will send the Shoreline Community Fund a six-month update and a final report with the year's Saturday totals.
7. Budget and budget narrative
What it answers: What the money pays for, line by line, and why each line is needed.
Template
[Line item]: $[amount] ([how you got the number]). [Line item]: $[amount]. Total project cost: $[total]. Requested from [funder]: $[amount]. Other sources: [who and how much].
Filled example (fictional)
Coordinator wages: $5,616 (6 hours a week for 52 weeks at $18 an hour). Payroll taxes: $430. Background check and training: $154. Food storage shelving: $3,000. Total project cost: $9,200. Requested from the Shoreline Community Fund: $7,500. The remaining $1,700 comes from our annual spring food drive.
8. Organizational capacity
What it answers: Why your team can deliver what you promised.
Template
[Organization] was founded in [year] and [track record in one or two sentences]. [Who leads this project and their experience]. [Partners, if any].
Filled example (fictional)
Harbor Table was founded in [FILL IN: year] and has run a weekly pantry with volunteers ever since. Our board chair has managed the volunteer schedule for [FILL IN: years]. We receive food through [FILL IN: regional food bank partner].
9. Sustainability
What it answers: What happens when this grant ends.
Template
After the grant period, [how the work continues and who pays for it]. [Any commitment you already have].
Filled example (fictional)
After the first year, Harbor Table will fund the coordinator from its spring food drive and from a [FILL IN: second funder] application we will submit in month 9. If those fall short, Saturday hours drop back to four, never to two.
Straight answers
How long should a grant proposal be?
As long as the funder allows and no longer. Their guidelines usually set a page or word limit, and many use an online form with a limit per box. If none is given, keep each section short enough to read in a few minutes.
What is the difference between a letter of inquiry and a grant proposal?
A letter of inquiry is a short first ask, usually one or two pages, that some foundations want before they invite a full proposal. It uses the same facts: who you are, the need, the plan and the amount.
Can I use AI to write a grant proposal?
Yes, if the funder allows it, every fact is true, and you review it. Some funders, including NIH, restrict or ask you to disclose AI-assisted text, so check the guidelines. When we know of a rule like that, we show it next to your draft.
Rather not fill it in yourself?
Pick the grant you're after, tell us about your nonprofit once, and our AI grant writer drafts your application in about 20 minutes. Anything you have not told us comes back as a marked blank, not a guess. You edit every word and submit it yourself.
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