{
 "schema": "aiblocks-page/1",
 "id": "nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer",
 "type": "skill",
 "name": "Nonprofit grant proposal writer",
 "summary": "Write a nonprofit grant proposal, inquiry letter or grant report that follows your funder's rules. Give it the guidelines, program facts and budget.",
 "headline": "Nonprofit grant proposal writer",
 "subhead": "Share the funder's rules, your program plan and your approved budget. It follows the funder's required sections and flags totals that do not reconcile. You get a proposal, inquiry letter or grant report draft for program and finance review.",
 "job": {
  "id": "document-work",
  "name": "Write down how work gets done"
 },
 "level": "intermediate",
 "thinking": "high",
 "tested": true,
 "updated": "2026-10-28",
 "first_published": "2026-10-25",
 "inputs": [
  {
   "type": "question",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Question",
   "what": "the problem, decision or piece of work you want help with, and what a good outcome looks like"
  },
  {
   "type": "document",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Document",
   "what": "a finished document, such as a Word file, a PDF or a page of notes"
  },
  {
   "type": "spreadsheet",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Spreadsheet",
   "what": "a spreadsheet with its data, formulas and charts"
  }
 ],
 "outputs": [
  {
   "type": "copy_draft",
   "required": true,
   "label": "Copy draft",
   "what": "a draft of any copy (ad, page, email or script) that a check or edit pass works on"
  },
  {
   "type": "document",
   "required": false,
   "label": "Document",
   "what": "a finished document, such as a Word file, a PDF or a page of notes"
  }
 ],
 "you_give": [
  "The funder's guidelines or call for proposals, with page or word limits.",
  "Your program plan or logic model.",
  "Your approved budget and the amount you are asking for.",
  "Local data on the need, with sources (optional).",
  "Your approved indirect cost rate (optional)."
 ],
 "you_get": [
  "A draft in the funder's section order and exact headings.",
  "A budget narrative that shows the math for each line.",
  "A list of totals that do not match and attachments that are missing.",
  "A draft trimmed to the funder's limits without cutting the ask, outcomes or evaluation plan.",
  "A list of what program staff, finance and your director must check."
 ],
 "use_when": [
  "A funder has opened a call and you must write the proposal in their format.",
  "A funder asks for a short inquiry letter before a full proposal.",
  "You have a budget and need a clear budget narrative that matches it.",
  "A grant report is due and must match what you promised in the proposal."
 ],
 "skip_when": [
  "You still need to find or check funders. Use the Nonprofit grant funder researcher or ask a grant consultant first.",
  "You have no program plan yet. Build the program design and results plan first, then come back to write the proposal.",
  "You want to send the draft as it is. Program staff, finance and your director must review it before it goes out."
 ],
 "output_sample": {
  "input": [
   "Funder guidelines or the RFP (the funder's call for proposals)",
   "Your program plan or logic model",
   "Your approved budget and the amount you are asking for",
   "Local data on the need, with sources (optional)",
   "Your indirect cost rate, approved by finance (optional)"
  ],
  "prerequisites": [
   "An AI that can read your files, or the text pasted into the chat",
   "A finance-approved budget and indirect cost rate if the funder uses federal money"
  ],
  "output": [
   {
    "name": "Executive summary",
    "contains": "Who you are, the problem, the amount you ask for, and the result you expect."
   },
   {
    "name": "Statement of need",
    "contains": "The problem, backed by local data from named sources."
   },
   {
    "name": "Program description",
    "contains": "What you will do, drawn from your program plan."
   },
   {
    "name": "Goals, objectives and outcomes",
    "contains": "Measurable goals that separate services delivered from change achieved."
   },
   {
    "name": "Evaluation plan",
    "contains": "How you will measure results, with tools and a reporting timeline."
   },
   {
    "name": "Budget narrative",
    "contains": "Each budget line explained in words, with the math shown and totals checked against your budget."
   },
   {
    "name": "Review list",
    "contains": "Totals that do not match, missing attachments, open rate questions, and who must review each part."
   }
  ]
 },
 "how_to_use": [
  "Start a chat with the skill. Open it if you added it to your AI, or copy it and paste it in. No code or paid tool is needed.",
  "Paste the funder's guidelines first. Ask your AI to list the required sections, limits and attachments.",
  "Add your program plan, budget and local data. Mark anything you do not have, so your AI does not guess.",
  "Ask for the draft in the funder's section order. Then ask it to flag totals that do not reconcile.",
  "Have program staff check the facts and finance check the budget and rate. Confirm current federal rules with finance before you use them.",
  "Have your director sign off on every promise before you submit.",
  "If you need funders first, use the Nonprofit grant funder researcher. If you need a program plan first, use the Nonprofit program outcome planner."
 ],
 "checks": [],
 "next": [
  {
   "name": "Nonprofit program measurement planner",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-program-measurement-planner",
   "why": "Nonprofit program measurement planner"
  },
  {
   "name": "Nonprofit grant funder researcher",
   "url": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-funder-researcher",
   "why": "Nonprofit grant funder researcher"
  }
 ],
 "source": {
  "by": "Nonprofit Skills",
  "repo": "sector-skills/nonprofit-skills",
  "url": "https://github.com/sector-skills/nonprofit-skills/tree/7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8/nonprofit-skills-library/skills/fundraising-development/nonprofit-grant-writing",
  "licence": "MIT",
  "original_name": "nonprofit-grant-writing",
  "commit": "7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8"
 },
 "credits": [
  {
   "title": "nonprofit-grant-writing skill",
   "by": "Nonprofit Skills",
   "url": "https://github.com/sector-skills/nonprofit-skills/tree/7d8a2ca9d471fc975d0e9ccd02fcdd66520fd1c8/nonprofit-skills-library/skills/fundraising-development/nonprofit-grant-writing",
   "used": "Copied under the MIT licence. We gave it a plain name. We added notes marked \"Added by AI Blocks\" so it works in this library. We added Before you start and After this sections that link to other AI Blocks steps."
  },
  {
   "title": "Original author",
   "by": "Brendon Connelly",
   "url": "https://brendonconnelly.com",
   "used": "Wrote the skill; Nonprofit Skills shared it in their collection."
  }
 ],
 "files": [
  "LICENSE"
 ],
 "links": {
  "page": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer",
  "markdown": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer.md",
  "json": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer.json",
  "instructions": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer/SKILL.md",
  "download": "https://useaiblocks.com/skills/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer.zip",
  "api_item": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/items/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer",
  "api_document": "https://useaiblocks.com/api/v1/documents/skill/nonprofit-grant-proposal-writer",
  "mcp": "https://useaiblocks.com/mcp"
 }
}