Top Grant Writers and Grant Givers Share Their Secrets

Great book that really helps to clarify the often confusing, meandering aspects of grant writing. This is grant writing instruction told straight. Very helpful and useful. A solid, reliable resource to improve your grant writing skills ... and you have them!

This was used as the textbook for my graduate school grant writing class. I had never done any grant writing before the course, it was an extremely helpful book that is both readable as well as comprehensive.

This book confirms my belief that there is no best way to write a grant; It is always going to depend on a number of factors. The book basically tells you to follow the instructions you are given in the application materials. There were some useful tips for finding grants but nothing that was groundbreaking or revolutionary. At best, it is an okay tool for beginners. I found most of the information in this book, for free online. Yes, the authors provide stories of times they were successful with grants and times they simply weren't which can be helpful. It is good to learn from there mistakes, but in my opinion this is hardly a reason to buy the book. I strongly believe that this book doesn't effectively cover the nuances of the entire grant-writing process as well as I would have liked or in a way that was visual and easy to understand. To sum-it-up was it a bad book...NO, is it the only grant writing book you will ever need.....Absolutely NOT!

This book is a little difficult to follow. It is not really for the first time grant writer. I would say it doesn't live up to it's title. I personally am a first time grant writer and I needed more than this one book.

The book provides detailed and comprehensive information for writing grants in not-for-profit, government, and school district settings (hence, the five-star rating). However, given the title of the book, I thought it might include substantial information on writing academic grants in a university context. It does not. For writing academic grants, a better choice would be The Nuts & Bolts of Grant Writing by Cynthia Carr. I have reviewed both books, and Carr provides good and useful guidance for effectively writing academic grants.

This book was so good and so reader friendly and interesting that I read the entire book in one day. It is recommended by a lot of grant writing teachers. I learned a lot and loved it. Excellent.

Recommended for anyone interested in grant writing.

I looked at all kinds of Grant Writing books before I purchased. This one was clearly the best. Forgiving for new comers, full of information on how to and how not to, clear and cleanly written and no fluff. They made good use of every page. I highly recommend this book over the others. This was well worth the price and my time. I'm sure I have a lot to learn, but this is the one book which gets me on the right track immediately.

Pretty comprehensive and useful for beginners. I'm not a grant writer and so I can't say that from the perspective of someone who's used it to actually do the work. As for being "the only", it says many of the same things - a little more detail - than various tutorials you can access for free online. However, if you're setting out to do grant writing, you should study every resource you can find and take it to heart. Grantwriting is very difficult and beginners often underestimate what is needed to do it successfully. Just because you are a good writer, does not mean you will be a good grant writer.

I enjoyed this book. It provided a succinct overview of the grant writing process and I feel I will be able to employ the recommendations when applying for funding. I am particularly fond of the roundtable discussion component.

I ordered this textbook for Spring 2013 semester and I wanted a new textbook for this class which is my major. I received the book in excellent brand new condition and days before I expected. I would use this seller again.

Nice easy read, and it helped me a lot. I am writing for an art grant and this book helped me finish my proposal and actually send it in. I will hear in a month or two, but I am sure I will acquire it.

It covers a lot. The problem that most people or organizations don't understand the difference between a grant and a loan package is that the grant doesn't have to be paid back if if you complied to the grant's requirements; whereas a loan you must payback whether or not you complied.

If you have never written a successful grant before or are primarily involved in raising funds for social services this book will likely be of help. However, for the rest of us it has little to offer. The book is narrowly focused on procedures one must follow before, during and after the grant writing process, but it fails to discuss writing strategies to enhance persuasiveness or improve the presentation of complicated technical subjects. I found it useless.

I ordered this book for a graduate course I am taking--I wanted it in 2 days as all the "local" book stores are an hour away... well the stores that had the book. Our local B&N did not carry it in stock. I had never ordered an express item and was a bit leery. Especially since road trippin' an hour away would cost me about what shipping did. I did not want to have to pay for both if the book did not arrive as promised. HOWEVER, the book DID arrive, in perfect NEW condition, as promised. THANKS!

The title of this book is very pretentious as is most of the text. If you are looking to develop an understanding of grants at the k-12 level or extramural programs for students k-12 or intermediate students, then this book may be of help. Others reviews suggest that this book it useful for all types of grant writing, which is far from the truth. Do not purchase this book if you are looking to refine your grant writing skills at the academic level. Although this book may of use for k-12 related programs, know that the material will be presented to you as if you were a third grader (note the title).

The review for this book is for the Grant and Proposal Writing course as a part of the Masters in Technology and Ministry program in City Vision University.
The authors revised this book several times over the years as the grant industry changes, making the information presented, valuable and timely.
The chapters in this book take one from the very beginning of the grant process all the way through to maintaining relationships with the grant funder.
Each chapter begins with “Opening Remarks” relating an example that is pertinent to the subsequent information, and ends with several multiple-choice questions and a short essay question and the answers are in the back of the book to help review the important ideas presented in the chapters.
In the next revision, it will be helpful to devote a chapter to online applications, with examples of how to reduce two or three paragraphs to 500 words or less. In addition, there is a growing trend for nonprofit grant makers to be part of an online grant management system, understanding this concept is important.
The Funders Roundtable was interesting to read and helpful in answering various questions throughout the course.
The Only Grant-Writing Book You’ll Ever Need, is a very useful book, however, there are numerous websites offering the same quality information for free, if you are into research. 
Congratulations to the authors for giving us quality information and at a very reasonable price!

In their mission to teach you concise grant writing, the authors bog you down in example after example of verbose possibilities, while telling you not to be verbose! A required book for my college class and didn't read it. I couldn't read it without becoming frustrated. I Got everything I needed from grantspace.com. Skip this unless you like multiple examples of the same information that is useless in writing a grant. Aced my final with out it (grant proposal and power point presentation).

Veteran grant writers and nonprofit funding development specialists Ellen Karsh and Arlen Sue Fox again combine their vast experience in this updated third edition of their best-selling handbook for preparing successful grant proposals to foundations and government agencies. Whether you are a veteran grant writer or whether you are new to grantsmanship, you are sure to learn fresh strategies and effective techniques for presenting solid, well-designed proposals. Full of information, explanations, practical advice and examples, the book provides an appendix featuring 50 useful tips, a proposal checklist, a glossary, sample grant forms, a state-by-state directory of community foundations and a list of important websites. The book also presents a revealing "Funders' Roundtable" of grant makers discussing the effects of the 2008 economic recession. getAbstract recommends that serious grant writers - and those who aspire to be - keep a copy within reach at all times.

I picked up this book the week before I started my first grant writing job and boy was I glad! I knew the organization relatively well, and combined with the insights this book gave me I was able to be successful, winning one major and several minor grants for the organization within my first four months. This book is perfect for grant writers, but there is certainly the bigger picture of fundraising that you ought to be aware of, especially if you are in a small organization. The book's title seemed a bit grandiose to me, but it lived up to its name.

Having pursued many grants over the years, I anguish at the number of hours I could have saved with only a bit of the wisdom offered in Karsh and Fox's book. Herein we learn not only canny methodology, but correct protocols and language to keep our proposals off the junk heap.
Most remarkably, the material is presented in a jaunty style which belies the notion that grant-writing (or -reading) has to be an onerous or dryasdust task. "Realty checks" may spare you the agony of wondering whether your proposal dropped into a black hole. You can't write a successful grant proposal without inhabiting the mind of a grantmaker, and even failed proposals can fuel you for the next, successful foray.
I wouldn't dream of attempting another grant without this book at my side. Buy it!

I bought this book when I wanted to jump into grant writing, and have found it to be a sound reference for the past three years. It gives good basics both what to do and what not to do, but also gives good reminders for people who have been writing for a long time. It's worth having this in your bookshelf if you do non-profit grant writing.

Purchased this book with a few others to get started on grant writing for a non-profit. Read the book front to back in less than a week because I enjoyed it so much. I found myself coming into my office each morning and checking out new websites from the book to help me. After reading the book, I truly understand what grantmakers are looking for in a proposal. Thank you so much!

I used this book for a grant writing class I've taken and found it to be a great guide. It's written well and very user friendly. This is definately a book that I'll keep and use through the years when it comes to writing future grants! The resources in the back are helpful and it's fun taking the quizzes and realizing how much I know. Good book...worth buying.

This book is very well-organized, presenting the information in a step-by-step manner that makes it manageable for neophyte would-be grant-writers. I have no doubt that it will serve me well as a continuing resource even as I gain skills and experience.

This was the first grant-writing book I ever purchased. It has been some time indeed. This is a quality book, but it doesn't provide alot of sources for funding. I would suggest Government Funding and You for a more complete view. But I would very strongly suggest this book.

I found this book especially reader-friendly in spite of the complexities of the grants process. The glossary of terms and the interviews with people who give grants offered valuable insight into the world of grants.
I especially appreciated the emphasis on the need for collaboration. This was presented in a convincing manner!

I live in London, am an interested observer of the relationship between local government and the private sector but not someone who would ever actually have to write a grant proposal. The beauty of this book lies in the combination of fascinating insider knowledge and graceful writing. It even made me laugh out loud at times.No small feat. All in all, a remarkable achievement.

Thanks so much for shipping the book quickly. I received just what I was looking for. The book is very informative. Not much on grant writing as a career but nonetheless I'm satisfied with my purchase.

As I am keeping this book for reference for a future date, I have not had the opportunity to read it fully. I gave it five stars as I did glance through to see if it contained all of the information I will need and it did seem well laid out and comprehensive.