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Grant Writing for Nonprofits and Freelance Writers (Udemy.com)

Learn how to "grantsmith" winning proposals, think like a funder, draft a solid boilerplate, and build relationships.

Created by: Tim Whitney

Last updated January 2015

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What you will learn

  • Identify relevant government and private foundation funders
  • Draft solid and efficient proposal boilerplate language that can be used for years
  • Strategically align funder priorities, organizational mission, program design, program budgets
  • Use provided sample language as a guide in your own proposal writing

How it compares

Against the other 1,210 rated Udemy courses in Business on CourseDuck:

  • Rating4.6 out of 5higher than 74% of them
  • Reviews3,172#222 of 1,211 by number of reviews
  • Length1.6 hoursshorter than 75% of them
  • Last updatedJanuary 2015earlier than 99% of them

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Course Description

Many nonprofits are worried about tax law changes affecting donations. To be competitive, you need to diversify and build your skills for generating revenue.

This course is designed for nonprofits that want to not only get better at writing successful proposals, but also get better at the process of researching and applying for foundation and government grants. The course is also for grant writers or freelance writers who want to offer their clients a more comprehensive approach to grant writing.

When you’re done with the course, you’ll have assembled one of the most powerful tools a nonprofit can have – a proposal boilerplate.

The boilerplate contains about 75% of the language you’ll need as you’re drafting proposals. Working on the boilerplate outside the pressure of a proposal deadline will result in language that is better-written, as well as more thoughtful and strategic. It will also set you up to be uber-efficient as you’re writing proposals in the future.

Throughout this course we'll be using real examples and real language, and each lesson includes a transcript, so you can kickstart your own boilerplate.

You’ll also be given strategies and tips for finding foundation and government grants, including:

  • Identifying five relevant local foundations
  • Gathering information about grants at the local, state, and federal level for you to start pursuing

Finally, we’ll be walking through key strategies for completing solid applications, including:

  • Letters of intent
  • The budget
  • Meeting a funder’s expectations

Each video session includes two downloads: a PDF of the slides in handout format, and a Word document transcript.

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Instructor Details

Tim Whitney

          Tim has a dual background in marketing and nonprofit management. His passion is helping nonprofits align all of the necessary communication tools and strategies to be effective at accomplishing their goals. These tools range from branding and communication strategy to print campaigns, web development, video production, web applications, copywriting, legislation, policy and program development. Tim has helped organizations like Phil's Friends, the Home Centered Care Institute, the Willow Creek Association, Awana Clubs International, TASC, DuPage PADS, Bright Hope International and nonprofits of various shapes and sizes in the Chicagoland area. Most recently, Tim served as grant director for his local community college. 

          Tim has also worked at the intersection of social service, drug treatment and criminal justice policy in Illinois for 17 years. As Special Counsel for Policy for a statewide nonprofit, he was responsible for research, analysis and policy support for a number of agency activities, primarily legislative analysis, and policy and program design in the areas of criminal justice and diversion / alternatives to incarceration. He also co-authored a number of papers on treatment, diversion and disproportionate minority confinement. Tim also directed and co-produced a documentary on the history of the federal court in Chicago, entitled "A Court at the Heart of America", which was nominated for a local Emmy. 

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Reviews

4.6

3,172 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

By Lara Lynn Massey on 8/16/2026

It is a good match for me further down the road. I have not started a non-profit organization yet, but it gives me food for thought on developing the organization I would like to create.

By Laryssa Wilson on 6/27/2026

So far, I am happy with my decision to purchase this course. It was affordable and the downloadable resources provide valuable information that I can review later as needed. It wasn't clear on the type of file the downloadable resources were, but I eventually realized that one document is a Word document (the transcript) and the other is a PDF (slides).

By Christian Dzema on 5/13/2026

Very easy to follow and because it was self paced, I was able to take as many notes as I’d like as well as take as much time as I needed to pause, regroup my energy and then continue. It was also very thorough and specific so that I had very few lingering questions as completed each module. Ultimately I am left with a very good understanding that has helped me build my skill set and applicable knowledge.

By Candle Barnes on 4/24/2026

Loved this course. Very informative and easy to follow. I loved the resources attached to each lesson that allowed me to print, follow along and come back to for future reference. I also loved that there was homework that was productive and helpful.

By Robert H. Christie on 3/10/2026

This course was a very good introduction to a topic that was new to me. I did not do any of the homework assignments and am sure they would have been even more valuable to me. I feel like I am prepared to move on to more advanced courses.

By Kerstin M. Olson on 2/16/2026

I am hoping to transition from a corporate environment to a non-profit organization and want to learn as much as possible about the grant process. I like the examples from different possible non-profits to show similarities and specificity among the approaches.

By Sarah Klein Fortin on 11/25/2025

Yes this is perfect. I have no experience with grant writing and need to learn quickly because I'm jumping into the deep end. This course content is clear and direct and I can use it to get something started.

By Rose Davis on 2/15/2022

This course lays out a step by step process along with examples which provides strong guidance that will allow me to become an effective grant writer and the perfect liaison between nonprofits and donors.

By Alycia Crane on 11/5/2021

This was a great introduction to Grant Writing for those who have not done it before or maybe for those who need a refresher! The instructor was very knowledgeable and I enjoyed the examples. It really helped me understand what goes into this career.

By Valerie on 11/22/2020

I am new to the process so this was very informative.

By Ethel Monique Domingo on 11/22/2020

It was great. I just wish the course finished with a sample project proposal.

By Jennifer Castro on 11/15/2020

I have taken one other grant writing class online with Udemy. So, far this one is superior. I love the structure and organization along with the resources.

Showing 12 of 281 reviews

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Overall Score : 92 / 100