I believe what will make this site work for you is framing it with a powerful principle that is always front and center in my training and consulting. Moreover, I am convinced that your proposal writing and grant seeking will be strengthened, as will the organizations you write for, when you wrap your mind around this powerful way of operating. Think of it as the opportunity for organizational development through your proposal development.

So, this is a place for us to share what we know, do, and wonder about our resource development and grant seeking work in and around the nonprofits we care deeply about. We do this work as grant proposal writers or grant writers, a weird and widely used term. If we've worked together you know why I say it's weird – if we haven't, stick around.

Whatever our handles, we're the ones who chase down government grants in the public sector, and research foundation grant making in the private sector. We often toil in splendid isolation, and this is all the more reason to use this web site to help and learn from one another.

Just so you know, my first brush with grants came in 1964, when I stumbled into the late, great War on Poverty as it started up. We, in the Chicago Regional Office, were all about grants all the time then, as we helped set up local antipoverty efforts in several states. And I learned on the fly.

I parlayed those early days into experiencing every aspect of grant seeking and grant making ever since – notably as a highly regarded trainer with The Grantsmanship Center, and a grantee-focused Program Officer at the California Community Foundation. You can find more details about the rest of my life's work by clicking the About Me tab. Look for The Tree Of Experience when you get there.

I've added comments from others about my work on the Testimonials tab, and also tabbed My Values for your eyes. If you take a look at these, along with my work experience, I'm confident you'll understand how I've come by my stature as a trusted trainer and consultant. There's also something to be said for getting long in the tooth, you know.

Over the years, I've come to appreciate the love/hate affair about grants, heard us mutter about how we can't stand them, but can't do without them. I can tell you confidently that grants emerge again and again as the object of attention among people in and around nonprofits. And that they can be an essential part of the constant efforts among such nonprofit organizations to develop resources.

Since this is true, I want return to the idea that there is more to writing proposals than the writing. Let me use a brief excerpt from my book First the Organization, Then The Money: Getting Smart About Getting Grants to get us back to the concept:

It's amazing how often this concept of adding value to a fundamental activity, going after grants, is missing in action. But, this is also why I have stayed busy all these years. Advocating the development of this principle – dare I say best practice? – is my passion when we work together. And, as you saw previously, I'll stick with it here.

Returning to my book, you can see it prominently featured right here on this page. This is because I want you to buy it. If you don't want to go that route, come to one of my workshops, and you'll get your very own copy. Either way, you are strengthening your hand for the proposal writing and grant seeking you do or want to do.

If you need more convincing about Chess, the author, take a gander at the Writings tab. This is also where you will find a link to my blog, Grantsmarts Chronicles, where I hope to get you involved in some back and forth and give and take. After all, this is an opinionated website.