Grant Management
User Guide

1. About This Tool

Improve a document you already have: As well as generating documents, you can upload one you already wrote and have AI improve it. Open the AI Automations page and use the "Improve an existing document with AI" card: pick a file (Word, text, or a text-based PDF), and AI returns a cleaner version plus a summary of what changed, with your original kept.

Grant funding is one of the most leveraged forms of nonprofit revenue. A single $50,000 foundation grant might require 20-40 hours of work to win, but $1,250-$2,500 per hour invested is a return individual fundraising rarely matches at that scale. For most nonprofits with limited development staff, grants are how revenue grows past the personal-network ceiling.

The challenge: grants require discipline. Most rejections aren't because the program isn't worthy, they're because the proposal didn't address the funder's actual interests, missed the deadline, used boilerplate language that signaled lack of research, or asked for the wrong amount. Without a system, grant writers waste hours on bad-fit funders, miss deadlines on good ones, and let award reports slip past their deadlines.

The Grant Management app structures the full lifecycle: funder research, pipeline management, LOI drafting, proposal building, deadline tracking, and post-award stewardship. Designed for nonprofits writing 5-30 grants per year (the range where a system pays off but enterprise tools like Foundant or Submittable are overkill).

2. Getting Started

Who this is for

• Development Directors managing a grant portfolio
• Executive Directors writing grants without dedicated development staff
• Grant writers (staff or contracted) tracking multiple submissions
• Board members with grant connections wanting to track relationship status
• Founders applying for their first grants

What you'll need to begin

• Your mission, vision, and 1-3 sentence elevator pitch
• Most recent annual budget and 3-year financial projections
• Most recent audited or reviewed financials
• Most recently filed Form 990
• Board of directors list with affiliations
• Brief descriptions of your programs (one per program)
• Outcomes data if available, number served, key metrics
• List of major past funders (foundations, government, corporate)
• IRS Determination Letter (some funders require attachment)

How long it takes

Initial pipeline setup: 30-60 min. Adding a funder + LOI draft: 1-2 hrs. Full proposal: 4-12 hrs depending on complexity (federal grants take 40+). Annual stewardship reporting: 1-2 hrs per active grant.

★ Your First Session: Win Your First Grant in the App

This is the fastest path from a blank app to a finished, exportable proposal. Follow these steps in order, using the exact buttons and labels you will see on screen. Plan on about 45 minutes for your first run.

Step 1: Sign in and open the app

1. Open the Grant Management app. The sign-in screen appears automatically.
2. Type your email address and click Email me a sign-in link (or use Sign in with Google), then open the one-click link we send you. No password to create.
3. You land on the Dashboard (the top item in the left sidebar). The same sign-in works across every All In One Nonprofit app.

Step 2: Fill in your organization details once

1. In the left sidebar, open the Account group and click Organization Settings.
2. Enter your organization name, mission, and program summary. These details auto-fill into your proposals and feed the AI drafting tools, so you only type them once.
3. Your changes save automatically. Click Dashboard to return.

Step 3: Save the funder you are targeting

1. In the sidebar, open the Library group and click Grant Sources to browse the curated directory of federal, state, foundation, and corporate funders. Use the search box and the cost filter to find prospects.
2. Click Funder Library, then the + Add Funder button. Fill in the funder name, type (foundation / corporate / government / individual), typical grant range, and notes on fit. Your changes save automatically.

Step 4: Create the proposal

1. In the sidebar, open the Active Proposal group and click All Proposals.
2. Click the + New Proposal button (top-right).
3. In the prompt, type a name like Hartley Foundation 2026 and confirm. The app opens the new proposal in the Proposal Wizard.

Step 5: Work through the Proposal Wizard

1. The numbered step bar across the top shows all 11 steps: Proposal Overview, Need Statement, Project Description, Goals & Objectives, Methods & Logic Model, Evaluation Plan, Budget, Sustainability, Timeline, Attachments Checklist, and Build Proposal.
2. On Proposal Overview, attach the funder you saved, set the ask amount and deadline, then click Save & Continue: Need →.
3. Fill the text on each step and click Save & Continue to move forward. A green check mark appears on each completed step. You can click any step in the bar to jump to it.
4. Stuck on the writing? See Step 6 to let the AI draft a section, then keep going.

Step 6 (optional): Let the AI draft sections for you

1. Click AI Automations (directly under Dashboard in the sidebar). Cards are grouped by module and start collapsed; click a card header to expand it.
2. Expand Full Proposal Compiler and click Draft all sections to generate all seven narrative sections at once, or expand a single card like Letter of Intent Drafter and click Draft LOI.
3. In the draft window, review and edit the text, then click Apply on a section to drop it into the matching Wizard step. Return to the Proposal Wizard to keep refining.

Step 7: Build and export your finished proposal

1. Click the last step, Build Proposal (or the 📄 Build & Preview Proposal → button on the Proposal Overview).
2. Review the assembled document, then choose an export: ↓ Word for funder submission, Text for online forms, Print, or Copy.

3. Managing Your Grant Pipeline

The pipeline view

The app organizes funders and opportunities by stage:

• Identified: funder researched, fit confirmed, not yet engaged
• Cultivating: in conversation with program officer; relationship building before submission
• LOI Submitted: Letter of Intent sent, awaiting response
• Invited to Apply: full proposal requested
• Proposal Submitted: full proposal in funder's review queue
• Awarded: grant funded; in award period
• Declined: not funded; may re-apply in future cycles
• Reporting: in award; report obligations pending
• Closed: grant complete; relationship maintained for future

Funder records

Each funder record captures the context needed to make submission decisions and customize proposals:

• Funder name, type (foundation / corporate / government / individual), location
• Mission and stated funding priorities
• Geographic focus, population focus, program area focus
• Typical grant range (smallest, largest, average)
• Application cycle (rolling, annual deadline, by invitation)
• Application process (LOI required? full proposal? online portal?)
• Program officer name and contact
• Relationship status (cold, warm, established)
• Past giving history with your org
• Past giving to similar orgs (research source)
• Notes on cultivation, prior conversations, fit assessment

Deadline calendar

The app surfaces upcoming deadlines: LOI deadlines, proposal deadlines, report deadlines. Color-coded by urgency. Set reminders for 30/14/7 days before each deadline.

Click-path: add a funder to your library

1. In the sidebar, open the Library group and click Funder Library.
2. Click the + Add Funder button.
3. Fill the funder name, type (foundation / corporate / government / individual), and the notes and range fields. Entries save automatically as you type.
4. To remove one later, open the funder card and click 🗑 Delete.

Finding funders again: the Funder Library search box understands plain-language requests, it matches synonyms and related words and ranks the closest funders first, so searching "youth education money" surfaces the right foundations even if those exact words aren't in the name. Leave the box empty and the library keeps its normal sort.

Click-path: track a proposal through its stages

1. In the sidebar, open the Active Proposal group and click All Proposals.
2. Click any proposal row to open it in the Wizard, then go to the Proposal Overview step.
3. Change the status field (Identified, Cultivating, LOI Submitted, Invited to Apply, Proposal Submitted, Awarded, Declined, Reporting, Closed) as the prospect advances. The All Proposals list shows each status as a colored chip and lets you filter and sort by it.
4. When you set status to Awarded, the proposal also appears under Awarded Grants (top of the sidebar) for reporting and spend tracking.

4. Building Proposals

The Proposal Wizard, step by step

Every proposal is built in the Proposal Wizard, a guided sequence of 11 steps shown as a numbered bar across the top. Each step is one section of the proposal; a green check mark marks completed steps, and you can click any step to jump to it.

Click-path: start a new proposal

1. In the sidebar, open the Active Proposal group and click All Proposals.
2. Click + New Proposal, type a name in the prompt (for example Hartley Foundation 2026), and confirm.
3. The proposal opens in the Wizard at the first incomplete step. Work each step and click Save & Continue to advance. You can also open the Proposal Wizard sidebar item at any time to resume where you left off.

Click-path: build the budget

1. Open the proposal and click the Budget step in the Wizard bar.
2. Click + Add line item for each cost. Enter the description and amount.
3. Use the Budget Justification Narrative automation (on the AI Automations page) to draft the explanation for each line, then return to the Budget step.
4. Remove a line with the ✕ button at the end of its row.

Worked example, end to end: a $25,000 foundation proposal

1. Save the funder. Library → Funder Library → + Add Funder, enter "Hartley Foundation," type "Foundation," range "$10k-$50k," save.
2. Create the proposal. Active Proposal → All Proposals → + New Proposal → name it "Hartley Foundation 2026."
3. Set the overview. On Proposal Overview, attach the Hartley funder, set ask to $25,000 and the deadline, then Save & Continue.
4. Draft the narrative fast. Click AI Automations, expand Full Proposal Compiler, click Draft all sections, review, and Apply each section into its Wizard step.
5. Add the budget. Budget step → + Add line item for staff, supplies, and evaluation totaling $25,000.
6. Check attachments. Attachments Checklist step → mark each required attachment's status.
7. Export. Build Proposal step → review → ↓ Word. Submit per the funder's guidelines.

LOI builder

Letters of Intent are 1-2 page summaries of your proposed grant. Most foundations request an LOI before inviting a full proposal, this saves both sides time and helps the funder triage. The LOI builder generates:

• Organization overview (mission, brief history, scale)
• Project / program description (1-2 paragraphs)
• Population served and need addressed
• Project budget summary (total and request amount)
• Why this funder, why now (the fit statement)
• Contact information for follow-up

Proposal builder

Full proposals follow funder-specific guidelines but most share a standard structure. The proposal builder generates drafts of each standard section:

• Cover letter: personalized to program officer
• Executive summary: 1 page; the proposal in miniature
• Statement of need: the problem being addressed, with evidence
• Project description / methodology: what you'll do and why it will work
• Goals, outcomes, and evaluation: what success looks like and how you'll measure it
• Sustainability plan: how the project continues after the grant
• Organizational capacity: why you can deliver this
• Project budget: line-item costs with justifications
• Organizational budget: current and prior year
• Required attachments: IRS letter, 990, board list, audited financials

Customization for each funder

Every funder has specific guidelines. The proposal builder lets you adapt the draft for each funder's requirements: word counts, required sections, attachment lists, formatting preferences. Saving customized versions per funder lets you iterate without losing earlier versions.

5. Predictions

The Predictions page sits directly under the Dashboard in the left sidebar, next to AI Automations. It reads your own pipeline data and turns it into forward-looking guidance: a pipeline forecast, a funder-fit indicator for each proposal, and deadline risk for proposals coming due. The page and its scores are free for everyone.

Grants pipeline forecast

Each open proposal's requested amount is weighted by its current stage to an expected value (an early-stage prospect counts for less than a submitted proposal, which counts for less than one already awarded). Summed across your pipeline, this gives a realistic projection of likely grant revenue rather than a sum of every ask at full value.

Funder-fit indicator

For each proposal, the page shows a fit indicator comparing your work to the funder. It weighs how your ask compares to the funder's typical grant range, the keyword overlap between your project and the funder's stated priorities, and your attachment readiness. This is a fit indicator, not a probability of award: it tells you where to focus your attention before you submit, not your odds of winning.

Deadline risk

Proposals with a due date approaching are flagged by how close the deadline is, so the work most at risk of slipping surfaces first.

Grant Pipeline Brief (AI)

One button on the Predictions page, Grant Pipeline Brief, turns the scored data into a short, prescriptive action brief: what to prioritize this week, which proposals need attention, and where to push or hold. The full automation is documented in the AI Automations guide.

6. Exporting Documents

Three export options:

• Download as Word (.docx): formatted for funder submission; most foundations require Word format
• Download as HTML: for online portal submissions that accept HTML
• Copy to Clipboard: plain text for online forms with character limits

7. Why Grant Management Matters

For most nonprofits past the founding stage, grants are the path from "small organization" to "established organization."

What grant revenue does for a nonprofit

• Diversifies funding base: reduces dependence on any single individual donor or relationship
• Funds program expansion: major program investments often require grant capital that operating revenue can't fund
• Validates credibility: foundation approval is a signal to other funders, donors, and partners
• Enables capacity building: grants for staff development, technology, evaluation are often grant-only revenue
• Funds restricted purposes: specific program initiatives that wouldn't fit unrestricted donor giving

The fundraising mix

Most mature nonprofits aim for a balanced revenue mix:

The leverage of grant capacity

An organization that successfully wins one or two $25,000-$50,000 foundation grants per year has a different financial trajectory than one that doesn't. The compounding effect, grants leading to introductions, validating future asks, funding evaluation that supports more grants, is significant over 5-10 years.

8. The Grant Pipeline Explained

Successful grant writing is portfolio management. Each prospect moves through stages with characteristic timelines.

Stage timelines

Pipeline ratios (rules of thumb)

• Identify 50-100 prospects to cultivate 20
• Cultivate 20 to LOI 10
• LOI 10 to invited proposal 5
• Submit 5 proposals to win 1-3

Win rates vary dramatically by funder relationship strength (cold cold cold, under 10%; warm with program officer cultivation, 50%+; previously funded with strong report history, 70%+). Track your own ratios over time to set realistic targets.

Pipeline maintenance

• Weekly: review upcoming deadlines (30/14/7 days out)
• Monthly: review cultivation pipeline; advance or remove stuck prospects
• Quarterly: research and add new funder prospects
• Annually: analyze pipeline performance; adjust funder mix strategy

9. Finding Grants & Funder Research

Winning grants starts long before you write anything. Most of the work is finding the right opportunities and confirming fit. The single biggest predictor of grant success is funder fit; the single biggest predictor of rejection is a bad-fit submission.

Where to look: the five funding streams

Grant money comes from five places, and a healthy organization works several of them rather than chasing only one:

• Federal: the largest awards, the most paperwork. Search and apply through Grants.gov, understand programs on SAM.gov Assistance Listings, and follow the agencies that fund your mission (NEA, NEH, IMLS, HHS, USDA, Dept. of Education). See who already won similar awards on USAspending.gov.
• State and local government: often the best fit for small and mid-size nonprofits. Search "[your state] grants portal" plus your state arts, humanities, health, and education councils, and your city or county.
• Foundations: private and family foundations and, especially for small orgs, your regional community foundation (find it with the Community Foundation Locator). Research foundations through Candid's Foundation Directory and free 990s on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
• Corporate giving: grants, sponsorships, in-kind gifts, and matching programs from the large employers near you (Walmart, Home Depot, banks, utilities, hospitals). Search "[company] community grants."
• Search platforms: paid databases like Instrumentl and GrantWatch, and free ones like the Zeffy Grant Finder, aggregate opportunities and funder data so you do not have to hunt funder by funder.

A simple prospecting routine

Finding grants is a habit, not a one-time hunt. A routine that works for a small team:

• Build a target list. Aim for 10 to 20 realistic prospects, mixing federal, state, foundation, and corporate sources.
• Qualify each one before you invest time. Check eligibility (geography, organization type, budget size), whether they fund your program area, their typical grant size, and whether they accept unsolicited requests. Disqualify bad fits early; a no-fit application is wasted effort.
• Track deadlines and stages. Note every deadline and whether each prospect needs a letter of intent first, and work backward from each deadline so writing never becomes a scramble.
• Set a recurring cadence. Spend an hour or two every week prospecting and updating your list, rather than only when money runs low.

Where to research funders

• Foundation Directory Online (Candid), the comprehensive foundation database; paid subscription
• GuideStar / Candid Nonprofit Profile: foundation 990-PFs are public; shows giving history
• Funder websites: mission, guidelines, application process
• Recent grants lists: published by most foundations; shows actual funding patterns vs stated priorities
• Annual reports: foundation annual reports show strategic direction
• Grants.gov: federal grant opportunities
• State and local foundation associations: often have searchable funder directories
• Peer organizations' 990s: Schedule B shows who funded them (subject to anonymity exceptions)
• LinkedIn: for program officer research and warm-introduction paths

The fit assessment

Before investing time in a proposal, score the fit:

• Geographic fit: does the funder fund in your geographic area?
• Program area fit: does the funder fund what you do?
• Population fit: does the funder support the population you serve?
• Size fit: is your org appropriate size for their typical grants?
• Capacity fit: do you have the operational capacity to deliver on a grant of this size?
• Strategic alignment: does the funder's strategy align with your strategy?
• Relationship potential: is there a path to program officer contact?

If you can't answer "yes" to at least 5 of 7, the prospect is probably a bad fit. Skip it; spend the time on better prospects.

Researching the actual giving pattern

Foundations' stated priorities often diverge from their actual giving patterns. Always check the recent grants list:

• Look at the last 2-3 years of grants
• Note grant size distribution, what's typical vs occasional
• Note grantee profile, nonprofit size, geography, program area
• Note repeat grantees, what does their grant trajectory look like?
• If your org doesn't look like the typical grantee, the fit may not be as good as the stated priorities suggest

10. Letter of Intent (LOI) Strategy

LOIs serve two purposes: funder screening (do they want to see more?) and your screening (do they take you seriously?).

When LOIs are required

• Most large foundations require LOIs as a triage step
• Some funders prefer LOIs even when not required, saves both sides time
• Cold prospects (no prior relationship) almost always benefit from LOI before full proposal
• Established grantees often skip directly to renewal proposals

LOI structure (1-2 pages typical)

1. Opening: one paragraph introducing the org and the proposed project
2. Need / opportunity: one paragraph on the problem being addressed
3. Project description: two paragraphs on what you'll do
4. Outcomes: brief statement of expected results
5. Budget summary: total project cost and requested amount
6. Why this funder: specific connection to the funder's priorities (NOT generic)
7. Closing: brief org credentials; contact info for next steps

What separates strong LOIs from weak ones

• Specific to this funder: not generic copy-paste
• Specific ask amount: "We're seeking $50,000" beats "We welcome any level of support"
• Specific outcomes: "Serve 200 youth across 18 schools" beats "Increase educational outcomes"
• Specific timeline: "Implementation begins September 2026" beats "We would implement this project"
• Concise: respect the funder's time; if the limit is 2 pages, use 2 pages
• Free of jargon: the program officer reads dozens of LOIs; clarity wins

11. Proposal Anatomy

Full proposals vary by funder, but most share a standard structure. Each section accomplishes something specific.

Cover letter (1 page)

Personalized to the program officer (or "Dear Foundation Trustees" if no contact). States who's writing, what's being requested, and the amount. Sets a relational tone the proposal itself can't.

Executive summary (1 page)

The proposal in miniature: organization, project, need, outcomes, budget, request. Many program officers read only the cover letter and executive summary before deciding whether to read further. Write it last, after the full proposal is complete.

Statement of need (1-3 pages)

Why this work matters. Includes:

• Specific problem being addressed (data, not assertions)
• Population affected (numbers, demographics, geography)
• Consequence of inaction
• Why current approaches are insufficient
• Why your organization is well-positioned to address it

Cite sources for data. Recent statistics beat decades-old ones. Local data beats national for local work.

Project description / methodology (2-5 pages)

What you'll actually do. Should include:

• Project goals (broad outcomes)
• Specific objectives (measurable interim achievements)
• Activities (the work itself)
• Timeline (when activities happen)
• Staffing (who does the work)
• Partners (collaborating organizations and their roles)
• Evidence base (why this approach is likely to work)

Outcomes & evaluation (1-2 pages)

How you'll know if it worked. Includes:

• Output metrics (units of activity)
• Outcome metrics (changes in beneficiary status)
• Data collection methods
• Evaluation timeline
• How findings will be used

Sustainability plan (1 page)

How the project continues after this grant. Many funders won't fund without a plausible sustainability path. Options: additional grant funding, earned revenue, individual giving, integration into operating budget. Be honest, funders see through hand-waving sustainability plans.

Organizational capacity (1-2 pages)

Why you can deliver. Includes mission, history, current programs, governance (brief), staff capacity, financial position, key partnerships, prior grant management track record.

Budget & budget justification

Line-item project budget. Each line should have a justification narrative explaining what it pays for and why. (See section 11 for more.)

Standard attachments

• IRS Determination Letter
• Most recent 990
• Most recent audited or reviewed financials
• Current annual budget
• Board of directors list with affiliations
• Organizational chart
• Letters of support from partners (sometimes required)
• Resumes/bios of key staff (sometimes required)

12. Building Grant Budgets

Budget construction often makes or breaks a proposal. Funders read budgets carefully.

Project budget structure

A grant budget has two parts:

1. Project budget: the cost of THIS project, including the funder's share and other sources
2. Organizational budget: your org's overall financial picture

Standard project budget categories

• Personnel: salaries (typically the largest line); benefits/payroll taxes (often 22-30% of salaries)
• Consultants / contracted services: evaluators, trainers, specialists
• Supplies and materials: program-specific supplies
• Equipment: items over $5,000 (per item) sometimes broken out separately
• Travel: staff travel for the project
• Occupancy: portion of rent/utilities allocable to project
• Communications: program-specific phone, internet, marketing
• Indirect / overhead: portion of org-wide costs (often 10-25% of direct project costs)
• Other: anything not fitting above

Indirect cost rates

Most funders allow some indirect cost recovery (operations costs not directly assignable to the project). Some federal grants require a NICRA (Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement). Many private foundations cap indirect at 10-15%. Some explicitly don't allow indirect at all. Know each funder's policy before building the budget.

Budget narratives

Each budget line should have a narrative explanation:

• Personnel: who, what % of time, what role on the project
• Consultants: scope, rate, time
• Equipment: what, why needed, alternatives considered
• Travel: purpose, destinations, frequency

Vague budgets ("Office supplies: $5,000") raise questions. Specific budgets ("Curriculum materials for 200 students × $25/student = $5,000") inspire confidence.

Matching funds

Many funders require a match, your org contributes X dollars for every dollar they grant. Match can include cash from other funders, in-kind contributions, volunteer time at fair-market rates, or organizational operating budget allocation. Read match requirements carefully, some funders count only cash; others count in-kind.

13. Grant Reporting & Stewardship

Winning the grant is half the work. Reporting and stewardship is the other half, and it's what determines whether you get the next grant.