Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing (The Complete Idiot's Guide) [Paperback]

Waddy Thompson (Author)

Book Description

Series: The Complete Idiot's Guide | Publication Date: January 6, 2004

With this comprehensive guide, individuals as well as grant seekers for companies/organizations will learn each step of the grant writing process, including how to: determine who can receive a grant and for what; find government, corporate, and foundation donors; attract the donor's attention; create a budget; write a compelling proposal and solicit feedback; overcome obstacles, and more. Also includes a CD loaded with sample applications, proposals, and follow-up letters.

€ Many grant writers have no formal education in writing proposals-books are the primary learning resource.€ Includes a CD-ROM with sample materials. 
€ There are 70,000 private foundations in the U.S. that give away $27 billion annually

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A fun and informative read from first chapter to last, [it] is also an invaluable reference tool for grant writers of any experience level."

Paula Roth, Writer

New York, NY

--The Foundation Center

About the Author

Waddy Thompson is director of development for Symphony Space, where he oversees fundraising activities from individuals, foundations, corporations, and government sources, bringing in $2 million a year, and has worked as a grant writer for organizations including Poets & Writers, Inc., Second Stage Theatre, OPERA America, and the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (January 6, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592571514
• ISBN-13: 978-1592571512
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,217 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Although a native of South Carolina, I have made my home in New York City since 1979, where I have worked for a variety of arts organizations, including Interschool Orchestras (currently) and Symphony Space, OPERA America, New York Foundation for the Arts, Poets & Writers, and Whitney Museum of American Art. I also teach grant writing for New York University's Heyman Center for Philanthropy and Fundraising.

Like most people, I fell into fundraising by accident, first writing grants to support my life as a composer. It is amazingly satisfying to know that you are responsible for making a nonprofit organization thrive, for people to be employed, for artists to create work, etc. I highly recommend it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read for New and Experienced Grant Writers, May 24, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

This guide is a fantastic reference for grant writers, from those just starting out to very-experienced fundraising professionals-there really is something here for everyone. It's clear, well-organized, and engagingly written. It's also incredibly comprehensive, with information on every possible aspect of the business. The book walks you through the entire process, including who has the money and why they give it away, cultivation of possible sources, the actual writing process, budgets, even sample proposals of all kinds. The advice it gives is concrete and the information in it is easy-to-use. As an experienced grant writer, I highly recommend this book!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're Not An Idiot If You Buy This Guide!!!!, January 29, 2004

By 

Claire McMillan (Bamberg, SC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

As a person who is just delving into the grant writing arena, I have discovered this book to be an easy to understand "must have" guide. Reading this book put the whole business of grant getting together for me. The section on research was really thorough and the budget chapter was really helpful.

2.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, but I found it to be lacking in detail, January 14, 2011

By 

karmawizard - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete Idiot's Guide to Grant Writing (The Complete Idiot's Guide) (Paperback)

This book was pleasant to read, and it does provide many links to outside sources of information as well as templates for various stages and sections of a grant proposal. However, I found that a lot of the book seemed like filler or "fluff", and it didn't contain a whole lot that I thought was anything more than just common sense. If you are at all good at writing a simple form letter, you can probably draft a proposal for most simple projects. The only thing I would say this book is exceptionally helpful with is outlining things to avoid and things to include--ie it provides a useful list of appropriate sections for proposals and what should be included in each section. If you need a boost of confidence to point you in the right direction, this book is good for that. If you can get it cheap, it might be worth it just to have as a reference; otherwise, check it out of the library, or better yet, get your hands on a proposal that someone has done that has gotten funding.