Being A Freelance Grant Writer: Show Me The Way To Improve My Skills

Working as a freelance grant writer can be a lucrative and rewarding career. Grant writers will generally work with non-profit organizations to find government and private grants. Through their work, the grant writer will be able to help non-profits succeed. Since many organizations provide a percentage of any grants awarded, it can also be a profitable enterprise for the writer.

The Requirements for Writing Grants

If anyone could write grants, companies would not pay a grant writer to do it. This job position requires someone to have strong writing abilities and in-depth knowledge about how to achieve government grants. Often, grant writers will be hired on a contract or project basis. Once the contract is awarded, the writer must research prospective grants and create a proposal.

Is a Degree Required?

Technically, a college degree is not a requirement. A writer may want to get a degree for two reasons. Having a diploma is a way to show company's that the writer is able to actually write. Likewise, a college degree will help the writer become better at expressing themselves through the written word. In general, classes in communications or English are the best topics to study for freelancers. Other subject areas like marketing, journalism or public relations could also help the writer to hone their talents.

When Full-Time College Is Not an Option

With work, family and other responsibilities, writers may not have time to enroll in a full-time degree program. Fortunately, there are many certificate programs and community service courses about the topic. Major cities will generally have regular grant writing courses. Writers can attend these short, in-depth courses to brush up on the latest developments in the field.

Becoming a Success: Experience is a Must

For a non-profit organization to hire someone, they will want to see a strong portfolio and job history. New grant writers may not have a portfolio from past projects. For the individual to get new contracts, they will have to showcase their work. The easiest way to do this is to work for free. Different companies and non-profit organizations will hire interns to help with grant writing. By working for free, the writer gains invaluable experience and potential portfolio documents. In addition, an internship is a fairly good replacement for schooling. An employer will want experience and a proven track record more than they want an education. This option is also ideal for the writer because they get to improve their skills without having to pay for schooling.

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