On July 31, 2025, Preservation Leadership Forum hosted a webinar focused on Grant Writing Strategies. While the video of the session is not available, the slide deck (which includes linked resources) and a transcript of the Q&A period are available for all. The material below is an edited transcript of responses given from the perspectives of both a grant reviewer (Nicky Vann, director of grants & awards program) and a grant writer (Haley Powell Kelly, associate director of institutional giving).
Access more resources from the Forum Webinar Summer Series “Navigating the Unexpected: Fundraising and Job Searching Strategies for Historic Preservationists.”
Should you include a letter of recommendation in a grant proposal if it is not required?
It depends. First, check what is required and what is accepted. If it is very clear about what to attach and nothing else, don't throw in a letter. If it's more open-ended, and if you have a letter relevant to the request, then yes, I think that that is worth including when you can.
Also keep in mind that some grantors have been consciously paring back the amount that they're asking applicants because they're trying to right size their applications to the size of their grants. It is an effort to be more generous to the grant writers themselves. That is, they might not be asking for a letter of recommendation because they don't want the applicant to have to spend their time tracking down a letter of recommendation to get their grant.
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Which part of the proposal components [listed in the slide deck] is the narrative?
If you are writing your own proposal, everything from goals and objectives through the work plan and the evaluation is really all narrative, because that's the meat of the project. Your organizational history and staff background, or the budget are often their own sections. What the project is, why you are doing it and the steps that you are going to take to meet those goals, are the parts that make a traditional narrative. If not filling out a in a grant application portal, I always lay it out with headers. Look at your strongest points and put headers in to draw that out.
When reaching out to potential funders, does it matter if you email or call?
This is likely different funder by funder. At the National Trust we prefer people to email us, but we do have a phone number as well. If you are on a funder's site and they only give you their email address, they want you to email them. They're not looking for you to track down their number so don’t do that.
However, if they do have a phone number listed, and if you feel like you'll have an easier time explaining your project to them by just talking to them, then go ahead and pick up the phone.
What do you do when you ask for feedback on a grant application and no reply is ever given?
Don’t take it personally. Review projects they did fund and determine if it’s worth trying again. Many funders just don’t have the staff to provide feedback. It can also be helpful to have an outside friend/colleague read your proposal and offer feedback to ensure your proposal is clear and easy to understand.
What if your project timeline depends on grants awarded?
Our advice would be to write the application as though you are getting the grant that you're asking for. When we get a proposal, if our source of funding is the primary source of funding, that's how it is read, and we understand that if the funding doesn’t come through then the timeline will be adjusted.
There are different ways of crafting a timeline that don’t necessarily have to be specific (i.e. January 2026). It can be “Month One”, or you can break it out into periods like planning period = three months, implementation = six months, wrap up = one month. If you don't know when the funder is going to get back to you, because it’s unclear as to when the decision will be made, you can break up your timeline so that you're less tied to a specific calendar date. But also make sure to look at what the funder is saying in their guidelines: do they have a completion date included?
If an organization requests an introduction letter before you apply for the grant, what do you put in that letter?
This is an LOI which stands for “letter of inquiry” or a “letter of interest.” If it is through an online portal all you have to do is fill out the initial information they are asking for. If they ask you to submit something, it will likely be short.
LOIs are a great way to introduce yourself, especially for an source that you’ve never gotten funding from or if there has been staff turnover. Two pages is usually the length of an LOI, maybe three if there is a lot to say. This is often written as a business letter, and if there are certain things you really want to cover make sure you keep it at a high level such as (but not limited to):
- What is your organization?
- What is your project?
- Who's going to be executing it?
- What is the timeline for the project?
- How much funding are you looking for? What is the total cost?
What you really want to cover in the LOI is how your specific request aligns with their mission so they get an understanding of who you are, what the project is, and why it's relevant to them.
It's almost like a mini proposal in a way.
How do you approach grant funding if you are not a 501(c)3 – so a 501(c)(13) or a municipal government.
It depends on the funder and their specific programs. Some foundations will fund fiscally sponsored organizations, some will not. Some will fund municipalities in different ways, some will not. Be aware of what your own designation is and if you’re still not sure if you are eligible, reach out to the funder directly and clarify if you're eligible or not.
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