Grantsmanship

Grantsmanship is the art of acquiring financial grants through the process of grant writing. This term is typically used when referring to the skills necessary to secure peer-reviewed research funding, but it can also apply more broadly to overall field of fundraising from private foundations, community foundations, corporate foundations, governments, and other grant-makers.

The types of grants secured through effective grantsmanship include:

• Charitable grants, which generally provide money and/or in-kind resources in support of projects that benefit the public.
• Research grants, which typically fund specific types of studies and research conducted by individuals, public agencies, schools, non-profit organizations, and corporations.
• Artistic grants, or fellowships, which typically fund a specific artistic production or a particular artist/group.

These grants are not the same as scholarships or grants to students. These grants typically require a complex and all-encompassing application to the specific grant-maker in order for a recipient to be considered for a grant.

The person who writes the grant application or proposal is called the grant writer.