1.1 Introduction
Time: ~15 minutes
What You'll Learn
- How the interactive course format works
- The current grant-writing landscape and what has changed
- How to frame your organization's context before writing a word
- What funders expect at a baseline level
Key Concepts
Grant writing is not creative writing. It is persuasive technical writing with a specific audience (the reviewer), a specific format (the RFP), and a specific goal (funding). Most applications fail not because the program is bad, but because the writer did not answer the reviewer's actual questions.
This lesson sets the foundation:
- The landscape — How competitive is grant funding right now? What types of grants exist (federal, foundation, corporate)? How do success rates vary?
- Your organization — Before you write anything, you need to know your own story: mission, track record, capacity, and credibility signals
- The AI advantage — How AI can accelerate research, drafting, and review without replacing the human judgment that makes applications win
Who This Course Is For
- Nonprofit staff writing grants as part of (or in addition to) their regular role
- Executive directors who need to understand the process even if they delegate it
- Board members who review applications before submission
- Freelance grant writers looking for a faster, more systematic approach
- Anyone who has stared at a blank grant application and felt overwhelmed
How to Start
Open Claude Desktop and say:
start lesson 1.1Claude will introduce the course format, ask about your organization, and help you build the context document that will guide every section of your application.
What You'll Produce
By the end of this lesson, you'll have a grant readiness summary — a one-page document capturing your organization's mission, key programs, track record, and capacity. This becomes your reference sheet for every section that follows.