A Master Grant Application Template is the key to saving hundreds of hours when writing grant applications.

Moreover, it is a powerful tool for fundraising, marketing, communications, AND leadership. 

A Master Grant Application Template

• Provides clarity on a project for your nonprofit organization (because of its comprehensiveness, it is essentially a business plan)
• Mitigates mission drifting
• Gets buy-in and support from top executives and board members on the direction of all programs
• Helps nonprofits and grant writers more easily find the best-fit grants 
• Can be repurposed for other funding assets
• Saves time with writing future grants since you will:
  • 1) understand the program(s) clearly, 
  • 2) have a LOT of research completed, 
  • 3) re-use or “copy and paste” text with small adjustments.

I have taught hundreds of grant writers to create and use this powerful tool. Today, I’m sharing it with you, too. 

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How to Create Master Grant Application Template: The Basics 

A Master Grant Application Template is a robust document (about 15-20 pages long). We call it an “application template” rather than just a “grant template” because it includes both grant narrative materials and essential attachments like line item budgets, logic models, and staff and board information. It also includes a two-page “letter of inquiry” that presents the application in a summarized format that can be used for funders that have a multi-stage process involving LOIs. 

In other words: the Master Grant Application Template is a comprehensive package of grant materials that provide EVERYTHING you need to easily submit dozens of grants to support the project or organization that is the template’s focus. 

We recommend that each Master Grant Application Template focus only on one to three priority areas for a nonprofit’s fundraising. This helps leaders and grant writers focus their fundraising energy most effectively and avoids a template that feels like a scattered laundry list of programs. 

Below, we list out all the elements to include in your template package. Because of its comprehensiveness, creating a Master Grant Application Template isn’t something you do on a whim. It requires planning and buy-in from an organization’s leadership and program leadership. 

Inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, we have a 30-day program that guides you through every step of creating a Master Grant Application Template along with examples, samples, templates, and more. Our students rave about this training because they get to know their nonprofit clients really well, find the best grants for them, and win a ton of grant money! 

If you’re a freelance grant writer, we recommend always including the Master Grant Application Templates as one of the first deliverables you produce with each new client. This is because the Master Grant Application Template provides almost everything you need to create a year’s worth of robust and focused fundraising assets or materials. 

What to Include in a Master Grant Application Template

Inside the Master Grant Application Template, you want to include the following items:

Narrative Elements

Firstly, it’s imperative to answer the questions, “Why does this need to be funded? What is the gap?”

You will answer these questions through your Needs Section. Your Needs Section will include relevant research information (such as statistics, testimonials, reports, surveys, etc.) to verify the need. 

For example, don’t just say, “We have low high school graduation rates in our city.” Instead, utilize real statistics that might show, “High School A in City A has a 35 percent graduation rate versus the national average of XX percent (SOURCE, YEAR). 

Include relevant research to showcase the need for your programs, and include where you got the information. 

Secondly, you need to show how you will solve the problems your research identified. You will include a goal and objectives. 

For our example above, your goal of increasing high school graduation rates in your city could be something like: “Program A will increase high school graduation rates from 35 percent to 40 percent by the end of two years.” 

Ensure that your goal will solve, or address, your main needs. Once you have a clear goal, then go ahead and write at least one to three objectives.

Objectives need to be SMART: 

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevent 
• Time-bound

Objectives are also how the goal will be implemented. 

For example, an objective for the above goal could be:

“By the end of year one, Program A will serve 200 at-risk high school students with free tutoring during lunch time.”

This is important because now you are having a Work Plan. 

Thirdly, include how the program will roll-out.

• Who needs to be hired?
• Will you have a wait list for beneficiaries to participate in your program?
• Will you have applications?
• How will they be reviewed?
• How will beneficiaries find out about your program?
• How will you measure progress?
• Who will measure progress? 

Really think through questions like these. This will help you as a grant writer learn how to be a program designer, as well. This will serve you well.

Financial Elements

A grant application template also needs to include the budget. It’s not just about writing, it is also about showing how your organization can and will manage money.

Afterall, you are asking for money.

Include a Financial Capability Statement inside your grant template. This Financial Capability Statement should include how the organization manages money. For example, does the organization use QuickBooks for Nonprofits or a different financial software? Who has access to it? Is there a bookkeeper or is all the money overseen by the Treasurer? Are there checks and balances with the finances? Does the organization have an Accounting Manual or Financial Policies and Procedures?

These are the types of questions to answer inside your application as it shows transparency for finances. 

Of course, a Line-by-Line Budget is also important! You want what you are wanting money for and how much it is. 

A Line-by-Line Budget can be as simple as an excel sheet that includes different categories, and you fill it out.

• Personnel
• Fringe Benefits
• Travel
• Equipment
• Supplies
• Other
• Contractors/Construction
• Indirect Costs
• Total

Next, you will want to include a Budget Narrative. That is simple, but can take some time. 

Look at your budget and describe it. If you need to hire a tutor for your program, then make sure you include the purpose of that tutor, what the qualifications will be, how much they will be paid, how many hours they will work, and other information about their role in the program.

In this way, your budget narrative gives context to your Line-by-Line Budget that primarily just lists costs.

Tools for Metrics and Evaluation

Now that you have shown what the need is and what you will do, as well as how much it will cost, you need to show how you will evaluate what will get done.

This is vital, as funding sources will want to know if their money was successful in reaching your grant application’s goal; and ultimately addressing the need.

You will include a Logic Model, which is a one-page visual of your program. The Logic Model will include:

• Resources / Inputs (such as the number of staff needed for your program and the amount of money from the grant)
• Activities (these are usually your objectives you’ve already written)
• Outputs and Outcomes (the results of the program)

You will also want to include an Evaluation Plan here. What is the easiest way to do this is to write down every task or activity that needs to be achieved for each objective and then write down how this task completion will be measured.

For example, hiring a tutor could be a task. Signing the contract would be a way to evaluate the completion of this task.

This can be simple. 

Supporting Materials

You will also develop supporting materials for your grant application template, that include documents like:

• Job Description
• Resumes
• Organizational Chart
• IRS Tax-Determination Letter
• Letters of Support

Using AI with a Master Grant Application Template

A Master Grant Application Template is a robust human-created resource that, when done right, can be used for grant applications and save you a ton of time!

We do not recommend using AI tools like ChatGPT to develop your template because AI cannot make the judgment calls or strategic decisions that are essential to the process. . 

But, once you do have a robust Master Grant Application Template, then AI for grant writing becomes effective. That is because you already have so much copy developed that you can use! 

How to Repurpose a Master Grant Application for Other Fundraising Assets

Besides utilizing the Master Grant Application Template for preparing dozens of grant applications, you can also use the copy for other fundraising assets.

You can easily create:

• Donor Letters
• Fundraising Appeal Letters
• Corporate Solicitation Letters
• Website Copy
• Social Media Caption Copy
• Presentations
• And more…

Because you are so clear on priority areas, have done the proper research, and developed a plan and budget, you now have the copy needed to write any fundraising assets. 

Who Doesn’t Want to Save Hundreds of Hours When Grant Writing? 

We all want to save time. And, for nonprofits and grant writers, we all want to win more grants! The Master Grant Application Template helps you do both and much more: 

is much more than that.

A Master Grant Application Template: 

• Is a product and deliverable for grant writers
• IS a business plan for nonprofits
• Keeps the nonprofit focused
• Creates other fundraising assets and materials
• Helps you find the best funding prospects
• Helps you win grants

Inside the Freelance Grant Writer Academy, we walk you through a 30-Day process of writing a complete Master Grant Application Template, along with templates for all items. We also offer a Done-for-You Customized review of your Master Grant Applications that you write, so you get personalized feedback on your template. 

Join now, so you can get started on writing high-converting grants!