The Grantsmanship Center

A lot of nonprofits treat a logic model like a formality, something to include because the funder asked for it, not because it actually helps. But when you build one before you start writing, something useful happens. The outcomes get clearer. The activities make more sense. The connections between what you're doing and what you expect to change become easier to explain.

Reviewers notice that kind of clarity, even when they can't name exactly what they're responding to. A proposal built on solid program logic reads differently than one that wasn't, and funders can tell the difference.

We broke down what a logic model actually is, how to build one without overcomplicating it, and why the time you spend on it before writing pays off in every section of the proposal.

Read the full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog
Check out our webinars: https://www.tgci.com/training

Here's a test worth trying with your next grant proposal. Once the summary is written, read it out loud to someone who has never heard of your program. Then ask them three questions: What problem is this organization trying to solve? What are they planning to do about it? What are they asking for?

If they can answer all three from the summary alone, you're in good shape. If they can't, the summary needs another pass before that proposal goes anywhere.

The summary is short, but it carries a lot of weight. We broke down exactly what it needs to include and why so many miss the mark.

Read the full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog
Check out all our trainings: https://www.tgci.com/training

Los Angeles County nonprofits — this one's for you.

Project Grantsmanship's next cohort runs June 1-5, 2026, and seats are filling fast. This intensive 5-day virtual training gives your team the skills to write compelling grant proposals and build real relationships with funders who care about your mission.

Thanks to generous support from the Annenberg Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, and The Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, tuition is just $200–$300 per person — a fraction of the standard $1,260 fee.

You're eligible if your organization:
• Is based in and serves L.A. County
• Holds 501(c)(3) status
• Has an annual budget under $14.5 million

Don't leave funding on the table. Apply today and give your nonprofit the tools it needs to compete for the grants your community deserves.

Apply here: https://bit.ly/ProjectGrantsmanshipApplication
Questions? Reach Ashley Wright at mailto:[email protected]

Most grant proposals spend the most time on the sections in the middle: the problem statement, the methods, and the budget. The summary gets written last, often quickly, and it shows.

But the summary is the first thing a reviewer reads. It sets the tone for how they'll approach everything that follows. A strong one gives them a clear picture of the problem, the plan, and the ask before they've read a single other page. A weak one leaves them searching for a reason to keep going.

We wrote about what a genuinely useful summary looks like, why writing it last is actually the right call, and how to tell if yours is doing the job it's supposed to do.

Full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog

Check out our webinars: https://www.tgci.com/training

It's not too late to register for our Essential Grant Skills course that starts next week.

Perfect for newcomers, career changers, or staff who need to sharpen their skills fast. This 2-day live online course distills the essentials of the 5-day program into focused, hands-on sessions.

Learn how to plan programs, find the right funders, build logic models, and draft key proposal sections for your own organizations, leaving them with a real work product ready to refine and submit.

If that sounds like something that would be useful to your organization, sign up now! The next ESG runs May 28th and 29th, 2026. Click here to register: https://www.tgci.com/training/online-essential-grant-skills

Here's something worth checking in your current grant proposal. Look at each outcome you've written and ask: Is this describing what my program does, or what changes for the people we serve because of it?

If your outcomes are counting activities — workshops delivered, people served, hours of programming provided — they're outputs, not outcomes. Outputs matter, but they don't tell a funder whether anything actually changed. That's the question the outcomes section has to answer.

Strong, measurable outcomes don't require a research team or complicated data systems. They require clarity about what success looks like and a realistic plan for how you'll know when you've achieved it. We wrote about exactly how to get there.

Full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog

Check out our trainings: https://www.tgci.com/training

One of the most common reasons grant proposals don't get funded isn't the budget, the organization's credibility, or even the writing. It's that the outcomes section describes what the program does instead of what changes for the people it serves.

Those are two very different things, and funders are trained to spot the difference.

"We will provide job training to 50 individuals" is an activity. What happens to those 50 people because of that training? That's an outcome, and that's what reviewers are looking for when they read your proposal. We broke down what measurable outcomes actually look like, how to write them with the specificity funders need to say yes, and the simple three-question test you can apply to every outcome before your proposal goes out the door.

Full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog
Check out all our trainings: https://www.tgci.com/training

Running a small nonprofit means wearing a lot of hats. Grant proposal writing is often one of them, and it's a skill that takes real time and practice to build.

If your organization is navigating the current funding landscape with a lean team, we put together some practical guidance on where to focus your energy and what funders are actually looking for right now.

We hope it's helpful.
Full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog

Check out all our trainings: https://www.tgci.com/training

Grassroots nonprofits are doing some of the most important work in their communities right now. And more funders are actively looking to support organizations like them.

But writing a competitive grant proposal with a lean team and limited resources is genuinely hard. If that's where your organization is, this one's for you.

We broke down what's happening in the current funding landscape and what it means for smaller, community-rooted nonprofits trying to compete for grants.

Full blog: https://www.tgci.com/blog

Check out all our trainings: https://www.tgci.com/training