Grant and Proposal Writing Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Grants Officers, Programme Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-NM-038

Before you join: Participants should understand the purpose of NGOs, development or humanitarian programmes, and basic project activities such as beneficiary targeting, work planning and budgeting.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Grant proposals compete for limited donor funding and are judged against strict eligibility, technical, financial and compliance criteria. Many otherwise credible NGOs lose opportunities because needs are weakly evidenced, project logic is unclear, budgets do not match activities, or submissions miss donor instructions. Effective proposal writing requires more than strong prose: it requires disciplined research, programme design, cost development, risk management and quality assurance.

This course equips participants to develop donor-ready grant proposals from opportunity assessment through submission and handover. Participants learn to interpret calls for proposals, assess donor fit, conduct problem and stakeholder analysis, build a Theory of Change and logframe, define indicators, draft persuasive narrative sections, prepare activity-based budgets and address partnership, safeguarding and risk requirements. The course also examines common donor scoring approaches and the practical controls needed to manage proposal inputs, versions, approvals and submission deadlines.

Teaching combines short instructor briefings with analysis of realistic development and humanitarian funding calls, group drafting tasks, budget development, proposal review simulations and structured peer feedback. Participants work with reusable tools rather than generic writing advice. They leave with a donor opportunity assessment template, proposal development plan, project design model, budget framework, compliance checklist and proposal quality review guide that can be adapted for future bids.

The course is designed for NGO and civil society staff who contribute to grants, programmes, finance, partnerships, monitoring and evaluation, or organisational leadership. It is also suitable for consultants and social-sector professionals preparing proposals for bilateral donors, foundations, UN agencies, international NGOs and corporate giving programmes.

What you will be able to do

  • Assess funding opportunities using donor-fit, eligibility and competition criteria
  • Develop evidence-based problem analyses using stakeholder, problem-tree and needs-assessment methods
  • Construct a Theory of Change and logframe with measurable results and assumptions
  • Draft persuasive proposal narratives aligned with donor evaluation criteria
  • Prepare activity-based grant budgets with clear cost assumptions and budget notes
  • Integrate safeguarding, risk, partnership and sustainability requirements into project proposals
  • Apply compliance checklists and proposal quality-review methods before submission
  • Create a proposal development plan with roles, milestones, approvals and version controls

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Write stronger technical narratives linked directly to donor requirements
  • Judge whether funding calls are worth pursuing before committing staff time
  • Build credible results frameworks that connect activities, outputs and outcomes
  • Prepare grant budgets that withstand finance and donor scrutiny
  • Coordinate proposal inputs using clear deadlines, review stages and approval routes

For your organisation

  • Improves selection of funding opportunities that match organisational strategy and eligibility
  • Reduces disqualification risks from incomplete forms, missing annexes and late submissions
  • Produces more consistent project designs across programme, finance and monitoring teams
  • Strengthens budget-to-narrative alignment before proposals reach senior approval
  • Creates reusable proposal tools that reduce repeated drafting and review effort

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can identify suitable funding opportunities and make evidence-based bid or no-bid decisions.

  • Funding opportunity scanning through donor portals, embassy notices and tender platforms
  • Eligibility screening against geography, legal status, thematic scope and budget thresholds
  • Donor mapping matrix ranks strategic fit, access, timing and competition
  • Reading guidelines for evaluation signals, mandatory annexes and compliance traps
  • Funder relationship protocols distinguish permissible clarification from improper influence
  • Bid calendar sequences registration, partner inputs, reviews, submission and follow-up

Participants can frame a fundable problem statement using credible evidence and stakeholder analysis.

  • Needs-assessment evidence combines secondary data, community consultation and service records
  • Problem-tree analysis separates root causes, core problems and visible effects
  • Stakeholder mapping identifies rights holders, duty bearers, allies and opponents
  • Gender and inclusion analysis identifies barriers affecting different population groups
  • Baseline data selection tests relevance, source credibility, recency and disaggregation
  • Problem statements connect quantified needs with donor priorities and geographic focus

Participants can construct a coherent results chain with testable assumptions and measurable indicators.

  • Theory of Change maps pathways from interventions to intended long-term change
  • Results chains distinguish activities, outputs, outcomes and impact without overlap
  • Logframe hierarchy links objectives, indicators, verification sources and assumptions
  • SMART indicators specify measure, population, timeframe, unit and direction
  • Assumption analysis tests external conditions required for results to occur
  • OECD DAC criteria inform relevance, coherence, effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability

Participants can convert a results framework into deliverable activities, milestones and monitoring arrangements.

  • Work breakdown structures organise outputs into activities, tasks and deliverables
  • Activity schedules sequence dependencies, seasonal constraints, procurement and staffing requirements
  • Responsibility assignment matrices allocate accountable, responsible, consulted and informed roles
  • Monitoring plans define data sources, collection frequency, ownership and quality checks
  • Disaggregation plans specify sex, age, disability and location data requirements
  • Feedback mechanisms document complaints, response routes, escalation and closure records

Participants can draft clear, donor-aligned proposal sections that demonstrate technical credibility.

  • Executive summaries state need, solution, beneficiaries, results and funding request
  • Donor language mirrors call terminology without copying unsupported claims
  • Methodology sections explain delivery approaches, sequencing, staffing and quality controls
  • Evidence paragraphs use claims, sources, interpretation and programme implications
  • Value propositions distinguish organisational capability from generic sector descriptions
  • Sustainability narratives address ownership, capacity transfer, financing and institutional continuation

Participants can prepare an activity-based budget and explain the assumptions behind requested costs.

  • Activity-based budgeting links each cost line to planned deliverables
  • Cost assumptions document unit rates, quantities, exchange rates and inflation
  • Personnel budgets calculate salary allocation, benefits, taxes and level of effort
  • Direct and indirect costs follow donor rules and organisational cost policies
  • Cost-share calculations distinguish eligible contributions, valuation methods and evidence requirements
  • Budget narratives explain unusual costs, procurement choices and efficiency measures

Participants can address delivery partnerships and material implementation risks within proposal requirements.

  • Partner due diligence reviews governance, financial controls, capacity and safeguarding arrangements
  • Consortium roles define lead responsibilities, work packages, reporting and decision rights
  • Risk registers score likelihood, impact, mitigation actions and risk owners
  • Safeguarding commitments cover prevention, reporting, survivor-centred response and accountability
  • Fraud and corruption controls address procurement, cash handling and conflict disclosures
  • Do-no-harm analysis identifies potential conflict, protection and exclusion consequences

Participants can manage proposal compliance, approvals and electronic submission requirements.

  • Compliance matrices capture every donor requirement, evidence source and assigned owner
  • Application forms require consistent figures, terminology, dates and beneficiary numbers
  • Mandatory annexes include registrations, audits, policies, CVs and partner documents
  • Document control uses naming conventions, version histories and approved master files
  • Internal approvals confirm technical, financial, legal and executive sign-off
  • Electronic submission checks portal access, file limits, format rules and timestamps

Participants can evaluate proposal quality against likely donor scoring criteria and correct weaknesses.

  • Evaluator scorecards assess relevance, methodology, capacity, value and risk
  • Red-team reviews challenge unsupported claims, gaps, contradictions and weak evidence
  • Cross-checking verifies narrative consistency with logframes, workplans and budgets
  • Plain-language editing removes jargon, ambiguity, repetition and unsubstantiated assertions
  • Compliance review separates pass-fail conditions from scored technical criteria
  • Final quality gates confirm readability, completeness, signatures and submission readiness

Participants can capture bid learning and maintain a structured pipeline for future funding opportunities.

  • Submission records retain final files, budgets, approvals and donor correspondence
  • Donor debrief requests seek scoring feedback, strengths and improvement priorities
  • Win-loss reviews identify recurring technical, financial and process weaknesses
  • Opportunity pipelines classify prospects by value, probability, deadline and strategic fit
  • Content libraries organise approved evidence, organisational profiles, CVs and policies
  • Ninety-day action plans assign proposal improvements, owners and review dates

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Donor opportunity assessment matrix
  2. Proposal development workplan
  3. Theory of Change and logframe template
  4. Activity-based grant budget template
  5. Donor compliance checklist
  6. Proposal quality review scorecard

Who should attend

  • Grants Officers — need stronger methods for researching, coordinating and submitting donor proposals
  • Programme Managers — need to translate field priorities into fundable project designs
  • Business Development Managers — need disciplined donor targeting and proposal management processes
  • Monitoring and Evaluation Officers — need to define credible results, indicators and verification methods
  • Finance Managers — need to prepare donor-compliant budgets and cost narratives
  • NGO Directors — need to improve bid quality, approval controls and funding pipeline decisions

Skills and tools covered

Donor opportunity assessmentProject design writingLogframe developmentGrant budget preparationProposal compliance reviewBid process management

Tools and standards

Theory of Change, Logical Framework Approach, SMART criteria, OECD DAC evaluation criteria

How the course runs

Training methodology

The course uses short briefings to introduce grant-development methods, followed by guided analysis of donor calls and realistic NGO project scenarios. Participants practise donor-fit assessment, problem analysis, logframe drafting, narrative writing, budgeting and proposal review in small groups. Simulated review panels test how evaluators identify strengths, gaps and scoring risks. Facilitated discussion compares donor expectations across foundations, bilateral agencies, UN bodies and corporate funders. Each participant prepares an application plan for a live or anticipated funding opportunity.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should understand the purpose of NGOs, development or humanitarian programmes, and basic project activities such as beneficiary targeting, work planning and budgeting. Experience contributing to donor reports, concept notes, project plans or grant applications is helpful but not essential. Participants should be comfortable reading formal documents and working with budgets in spreadsheet format. No prior fundraising qualification, advanced financial training, specialist monitoring and evaluation expertise, or previous success in grant writing is required. The course does not assume knowledge of a particular donor.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

You should understand basic NGO programme work and be comfortable reading formal donor documents. Previous proposal-writing experience is useful but not required.

Bring a laptop if possible, along with a current or recent funding call, concept note or project idea. Course materials and templates are provided, and participants without a live opportunity can use the training case.

It suits grants, programme, finance, monitoring, partnership and leadership staff involved in securing institutional funding. It is particularly useful where proposal development requires contributions from several departments.

This course focuses on the technical and operational work of producing a compliant grant proposal. Fundraising and donor-relations courses place greater emphasis on relationship building, campaigns and individual or major-gift giving.

Participants can use the templates to assess live calls, structure project designs, allocate proposal tasks and review draft submissions. The methods apply to foundation, bilateral, UN, corporate and international NGO funding opportunities.

The programme runs from 08:30 to 16:30 each day, with about 6.5 contact hours daily. Time is divided between instructor input, case analysis, group drafting, budget work, review simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

Related courses in NGO Management