Writing a grant proposal is often a multi-step process that has its own style and conventions. This is also true for letters of inquiry, grant budgets, or scholarship letters. Learning to write in these formats not only strengthens the chances of a successful proposal, but is also a valuable professional skill. All of the resources linked below are free, although there may be additional resources from these providers that are not free.
Looking for background data to strengthen your funding proposal? You may also be interested in the research guide Grant Seeking and Proposal Background Resources.
| Resource | Type | Description |
| Candid.org: Writing the Letter of Inquiry | Letter of Inquiry | Details the components of a letter of inquiry, including when they are neccesary, what to include and what not to include, and links to sample letters of inquiry. |
| Candid.org: Proposal Writing Short Course | Funding Proposal (focus on foundations/community benefit organizations) | Concise online tutorial (approximately one hour) on the components of a funding proposal. Includes a hands-on activity that results in a completed proposal outline. |
| Candid.org: Proposal Budgeting Basics | Budget | Online course is designed to help with the basics of developing a project budget. For those who have general knowledge of proposal development. |
| Candid.org: Proposal Samples | Funding Proposal (focus on foundations/community benefit organizations) | Examples of successfully funded proposals from a variety of funding requests, including organization size, request size, and topic/area of funding. |
| Grants.Gov: Writing a Grant blog series | Funding Proposal (focus on research and federal/state proposals) | A complete series from the federal government on successfully writing federal grant applications. |
| Books and articles on proposal writing for grants | Funding Proposal | Links to books, articles, and other resources from the Fresno State Library on grant/proposal writing |
| Princeton Review: Writing a Winning Scholarship Essay | Scholarship Essay | Several tips for writing a successful essay as part of a scholarship application |
| University of Michigan: Proposal Writer's Guide | Funding Proposal (focus on research and federal/state proposals) | An excellent step-by-step proposal writing guide that breaks each section down into its key components, as well as highlights common mistakes in proposal writing. |