Grant Writer Resume—Example, Tips & Skills Guide for 2024

It’s one thing to meet all the formal requirements. To have everything they ask for and have it in the right order.

It’s something else entirely, though, to have your application win when up against all the others. This is as true of your job application as it is of a grant proposal. So make sure your grant writer resume puts your grant-writing skills on display.

In this guide:

• A grant writer resume sample better than most.
• How to create the perfect grant writer job description for resumes.
• How to write a resume for grant writer jobs that stands out.
• Expert tips and examples to boost your chances of landing a grant writer job.

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Need a different resume to leverage your particular skill set? Changing careers or looking for remote work opportunities? These are just some of our guides:

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• Technical Writer Resume Example

Grant Writer Resume Example

Grant writers research, write, and submit grant proposals on behalf of funding-seeking organizations. Grant writers must be able to effectively communicate the goals and needs of the organization to potential funding sources.

Now here’s how to write a grant writer resume they’ll love:

1. Choose the Right Grant Writer Resume Format for You

Have you ever responded to an RFP with an unstructured document and expected to get the grant? Or failed to fill out every part of a grant application, but got the funding anyway?

Of course not, and—

Hiring managers aren’t going to put up with similar flaws in your grant writer resume. Creating an organized, complete, professional resume format is the first step. Here’s how to go about it:

Grant Writer Resume Format

• Use the chronological resume layout if you’ve been employed on work contracts. You can consider the functional resume format if you’re writing a freelance grant writer resume, but keep in mind that many recruiters may not be familiar with it. 
• Choose a good font. In general, classics like Arial, Helvetica, or Calibri in 11–12 pt. make for the best resume fonts. 
• Leave the margins of your resume at one inch and don’t crowd the page.
• Make sure your resume is the right length. How many pages should a resume be for grant writers? One. Go to a second page only if you have a lot of varied-yet-relevant experience.
• Include at least these sections: Resume header, Summary, Experience, Education, and Skills.

As someone who writes for a living—

You know the advantages of submitting a resume in PDF rather than as a *.docx file. But, you might not know that some organizations scan resumes using ATSs (Applicant Tracking Systems) that can’t parse some PDF files.

So, always check the job ad for file format preferences before defaulting to PDF. Even if you use an ATS resume template, an outdated ATS will have trouble with it if it's saved as a PDF file. So if the job ad asks for resumes to be submitted as Word files, go for *.docx. Maybe the formatting won't be as pretty, but at least your resume will be fully machine-readable.

2. Start With an Attention-Grabbing Grant Writer Resume Profile

Starting your grant writer resume with a killer resume profile—

Is like starting a grant proposal with an abstract. It gives a nutshell account of your application and sets you apart from the competition, fast.

And after all, a resume profile is not unlike an abstract…with a marketing twist. It sums up the key findings from your resume, complete with an insight into the value you’ll bring to the company. 

Now then—

Been writing grant applications for a year or more?

Then make your profile a resume summary.

Use:

1. One adjective (efficient, creative, industrious)
2. Job title (Grant Writer)
3. Years of experience (2+, 5+)
4. How you’ll help (proactively seek out and secure funding opportunities)
5. Two or three of your most relevant achievements (planned strategic development for programs, ensuring eligibility for $450,000+ of funds over 10 years, established 27 boilerplate libraries, reducing response time to RFPs by 1–3 weeks)

These grant writer resume summary statements show how:

Grant Writer Resume Examples—Resume Summary

Industrious grant writer with 5+ years’ experience, skilled in strategic planning. Seeking to help Organization ABC efficiently secure adequate funding. At Shades Los Angeles, studied 200+ requests for proposals (RFPs) to streamline application process and wrote 90+ grant applications for state, federal, and private funding mechanisms.

Grant writer with 5 years’ experience. Seeking to join a tight-knit team working towards a good cause. At Shades Los Angeles, studied requests for proposals (RFPs) to streamline application process and wrote grant applications for various funding mechanisms.

See that?

The first grant writer resume example above beats the second one in two main ways:

It’s focused on what the candidate can do for the employer, not the other way around. And it manages to put numbers to duties, effectively turning them into achievements.

Got less than a year’s experience as a grant writer?

Make your profile a resume objective instead—

It’ll let you put the spotlight on relevant achievements from non-grant writer jobs. Take a look at these examples of resume objectives for grant writers: 

Grant Writer Resume Examples—Resume Objective

Dedicated grant writer with 11+ months’ experience, skilled in research planning. Seeking to help Organization ABC efficiently secure adequate funding. At Skirball Cultural Center, prepared 45+ progress reports for granting agencies and complied with up to 20 relevant standards and best practices.

Finished first gig as a grant writer and looking to keep this ball rolling. Looking for a nonprofit that works towards goals that actually matter. Can’t do weekends or Friday evenings.

Once again: the first example is focused on bringing value to the employer as well as quantifying that value.

Struggling with starting your resume with a profile?

Much like writing a grant-proposal abstract, it’s best to write your resume profile last.

3. Create the Perfect Grant Writer Job Description and Skills Sections

What’s the primary goal of your resume?

To get you an invitation to a job interview. And the best way to get that? By convincing them you can handle it all. Turn your resume work experience section into a showcase of impressive professional achievements.

How to write a job description for grant writers:

1. Re-read the job ad.
2. Take note of the grant writer skills and duties in it.
3. Think of times you’ve wowed employers with those skills.
4. Write resume bullet points that detail and quantify those times. Use impactful active verbs and plenty of numbers to make your achievements stand out even more. 

These grant writer resume examples show how:

Grant Writer Resume Examples—Job Descriptions

Grant Writer

Shades Los Angeles

May 2018–present

• Studied 200+ requests for proposals (RFPs) to streamline application process.
• Wrote 90+ grant applications for state, federal, and private funding mechanisms.
• Planned strategic development for programs, ensuring eligibility for $450,000+ of funds over 10 years.
• Established 27 boilerplate libraries, reducing response time to RFPs by 1–3 weeks.

Grant Writer

Shades Los Angeles

2018–present

• Studied requests for proposals (RFPs).
• Wrote grant applications for various funding mechanisms.
• Planned strategic development for programs.
• Established boilerplate libraries.

No contest.

The first example includes bullet points that are concrete and quantified. They are much more compelling than vague duties. Plus, those numbers really draw the eye, don’t they? 

Don’t have much grant-writing experience?

Lean on academic achievements, transferable skills, and experience from internships, projects, and other, non-grant-writing jobs. 

One more thing:

You’ll need to add the right skills for a resume for a grant writer, and it’s easiest to compose now, since you have the job ad in front of you. 

Why do you need the job ad? Well—

Overwhelming hiring managers with skill spam won’t work in your favor here.

So, instead, aim to cover the skills suggested by the job ad and not much more besides. Make a list of all of your professional skills, cross-check it with the skills mentioned in the ad, and put 5–10 matches on your resume. 

Here’s a list to get you inspired and started: 

Skills for a Grant Writer Resume

Hard skills

• Proposal writing
• Strategic planning
• Economic development
• Finding funding opportunities
• Academic writing
• Research skills
• Copywriting
• Editing
• Referencing
• Preparing infographics
• Advanced spreadsheet skills

Soft skills

• Communication skills
• Time management
• Organization skills
• Punctuality
• Critical thinking
• Interpersonal skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail
• Decision-making
• Leadership

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4. Turn Your Education Into Another Reason to Hire You

Grant writing draws on a wide range of skills and experience, and your education is a big part of that. Make sure to save some space on your resume for listing your highest degree of schooling. 

List:

Degrees (with majors), schools, and graduation dates. And then, add bullet points that speak to key skills. This grant writer resume example shows how:

Grant Writer Resume Example—Education Section

BA in Journalism

UT Austin, TX

2016

• Pursued a passion for journalistic ethics coursework.
• Maintained a 3.9 GPA.

Short on grant writer experience?

Extend the education section of your resume to include projects, classes, and accomplishments that show grant-writer skills like research and academic writing.

5. Fill Out Your Grant Writer Resume With Added Sections

Providing insufficient information—

Grounds for rejecting a grant application outright, and a great way to fall behind the competition in a grant-writing recruitment process. To make your resume stand out, add one or two extra sections:

• Additional Activities
• Foreign Languages
• Classes Taken
• Awards
• Hobbies and Interests
• Volunteering
• Certifications
• Professional References

These two grant writer resume examples show yes vs no:

Grant Writer Resume—Extra Sections

Certifications and Memberships

• Grant-writing certification, Laredo Community College, TX, 2016
• Member, American Grant Writers’ Association (AGWA), 2016

Languages

• English—native proficiency
• Spanish—advanced

Hobbies and Interests

• Reading fantasy novels written from the orc point of view
• Sprint training
• Balisong flipping

Languages

• English, Spanish

It’s easy to spot the winner here.

It’s not like there’s anything wrong with mentioning hobbies and interests on a resume, just as long as everything you include is very obviously relevant to the job ad.

One last thing before you click “send”:

You’ll need to write a cover letter, unless you’ve explicitly been told not to include one with your application. 

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Key Points

For a grant writer resume that gets interviews:

• Use the grant writer resume template up top. It’s your boilerplate for success.
• Add grant writer achievements to your resume profile, work experience, and education sections to show what you bring to the table.
• Choose the right grant writer skills to include. The job ad will steer you in the right direction.
• Write a grant writer resume cover letter. It’s your best opportunity to put your passion on show as you make an airtight argument for your candidature.

Got some advice to share with up-and-coming grant writers? Having trouble getting your grant writer resume just right? Drop us a line down in the comments below.

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