Certificate in Grant Writing

Learn practical, hands-on grant writing tools and techniques to win proposals and advance your career.

This ten-week tactical deep dive into the realities of grant writing will build your skills and confidence so you can create winning proposals.

Who it’s for: Anyone looking to gain practical, current, and relevant experience in nonprofit grant writing. No previous grant writing experience necessary.

In this program, you will:

Gain a deeper understanding of the funding landscape, locally and nationally
Review current trends in philanthropy and types of grants
Learn practical grant writing skills, including prospect research, case statements, need statements, budgets, and submission processes
Understand how to work cross-departmentally to create, implement, and report on grants
Get real-world experience as you write a proposal

You will graduate the program with a completed, ready-for-submission letter of intent, and robust written materials from which to draw full length proposals.

The Certificate in Grant Writing (CGW) course was an excellent 101-level introductory course to the world of grant writing and organizing your pitch for funders with varying requirements. One of the best features of this course is the small class size, leaving tons of opportunities for questions, scenarios, and other specific assistance you might need with grant writing. Another great feature of the course is that it is set up with functional learning and working professionals in mind; they understand that students are at different spots in their development journey and that many of us are employed full-time. I appreciated their understanding that we are already spread thin by the demands of nonprofit work, keeping requirements low and applicable to the real world while keeping learning and growth opportunities high.

Kristin Leiber (she/her)

Executive Director, Lloyd EcoDistrict

Class Schedule

Start Date: Classes start on Monday, September 28, 2026
Meeting Frequency: Classes meet weekly from 1:00-3:00 p.m. (PST) on Mondays*.
Location: Classes meet virtually via Zoom.

*Dates may change to accommodate instructor availability

** There are breaks to observe federal holidays, and breaks/closures as listed by Portland Public Schools.

REGISTER FOR THE COURSE

Class Topics

Prospect research
Case statements and need statements
Creating budgets
Submission processes
Reporting to funders
Overview of current trends in the foundation world
Determining “fundable” projects at your organization
Matching proposals to your organization’s strategic priorities

Instructors

Our instructors are professionals currently working across the nonprofit sector. They offer lessons on best practices as well as real-world expertise on the challenges and opportunities of today’s fundraising landscape. You can learn more about our instructors here.

CFRE-Approved

Our courses and programs can provide continuing education points for the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). The Certificate in Grant Writing provides 40 points.

The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator is an Approved Provider for the CFRE credential program. Approved Providers are organizations that submitted their programs to CFRE International to review to verify that the programs meet CFRE International’s continuing education standards.

Only those Providers who have registered with CFRE International may advertise that the programs have been pre-approved by CFRE International for Continuing Education Points on the CFRE application for both Initial Certification and Recertification.

Tuition

We offer an accessible sliding-scale admission fee structure. For those who are able, the Community Builder admission fee helps cover the costs The People’s Nonprofit incurs to host and develop the training. If you are able to contribute more, please consider the Equity Builder admission fee, which will increase attendance accessibility to our programming. If you have questions about the sliding-scale, please contact courses@thepeoplesnonprofit.org.

Your tuition fee includes the classes in the Certificate in Nonprofit Fundraising, an annual membership and individual support from the People’s Nonprofit staff.

Tuition levels are based on organizational budget size.

Equity Builder: For organizations with annual budgets greater than $1,000,001.
Capacity Builder: For organizations with annual budget sizes between $500,001 and $1,000,000, and for individuals sponsoring themselves or unaffiliated with an organization.
Solidarity Builder: For organizations with annual budgets under $500,000 and for individuals who are self-financing and identify as BIPOC, queer, low-income, with disabilities, and other marginalized identities.

	Equity Builder	Capacity Builder	Solidarity Builder
Certificate in Grant Writing	$2,015	$1,495	$975

REGISTER FOR THE COURSE

Payments are due upon receipt or through a payment plan. Payment plans are done in 2 or 3 installments. If you need an alternative payment plan, reach out to courses@thepeoplesnonprofit.org.

Cancellations and Postponement

The People’s Nonprofit Accelerator reserves the right to cancel or postpone programs or classes with low enrollment. If classes are cancelled, any deposits collected will be refunded.