MARQUETTE—Grant writing, the process of drafting proposals to secure external funding for nonprofit research and projects, has become an increasingly valuable skill as organizations try to achieve their goals with limited resources. Northern Michigan University is offering a grant writing course from 6-8:50 p.m. every other Tuesday during the winter 2012 semester, which begins Jan. 16.

“This class will focus on the essentials of writing a good proposal,” said Sally Davis, an independent contractor who teaches the course and previously spent 27 years writing federal healthcare grant proposals for Marquette General Health System. “Knowing how to put together a good proposal will help you sell an idea to someone—whether that’s your supervisor, your board of directors or a granting agency. Proposal development includes identifying funding sources, describing the need, developing the project with strong goals and objectives, setting evaluative metrics and developing the budget.

“I have found that a variety of people can benefit from this course. I also feel that the more expertise I can share with the community, the more people will be out there writing grants and bringing additional funding into the region.”

Andrew Smentkowski, associate director of research and sponsored projects at NMU, said grant writing has become more critical because funding opportunities are more competitive.

“Unless grant reviewers see all the pieces in the proposal—how the project will be managed, how the budget works, the clarity of your objectives, the quality of your evaluation—they’re not likely to fund it. Learning how to write a good proposal can increase your chances of being funded at a time when more individuals and organizations are applying for financial support.”

For more information on the grant writing course, call NMU’s political science and public administration department at 227-2019.