Grant writing is a complex, time-consuming process that demands significant effort and meticulous attention to detail. To avoid wasting time over the years, I’ve developed grant content libraries for multiple organizations and maintain drives of information for regular clients. These library drives have proven to be invaluable resources, simplifying the grant writing process, reducing the time needed to prepare proposals, and enhancing the quality and consistency of submissions. I strongly suggest your organization build, maintain, and learn to effectively use, a grant writing library. A well-considered drive will help you leverage your best content across multiple proposals, increasing your chances of success.

The Power of a Grant Content Library

A content library is a curated collection of your organization’s best content, including boilerplate language, templates, graphics, and supporting materials. It serves as a resource you can draw upon when preparing proposals, allowing you to reuse and adapt existing content rather than starting from scratch each time. The result is a more efficient, streamlined process that produces high-quality proposals tailored to each funder’s specific requirements.

At The Awesome Organization, the content library has become the backbone of our grant writing process. We have organized everything, from detailed program descriptions, to success stories and evaluation plans, in a way that is easily accessible and adaptable to any new grant opportunity. This approach has not only saved us countless hours, but enables us to present a consistent and polished narrative in every proposal.

What is Boilerplate Language?

Boilerplate language refers to standardized text that addresses common sections of a grant proposal. This might include your organization’s mission statement, history, program descriptions, or a summary of past achievements. While it’s essential to customize each proposal to the specific funder and opportunity, boilerplate language provides a strong foundation that can be adapted and tailored, saving time and ensuring consistency.

For instance, The Awesome Organization’s core program descriptions are stored as boilerplate text in their content library. These are then customized for each proposal to align with the specific goals and priorities of the funder.

While boilerplate language is a key component of a content library, the library itself is much broader. A content library includes not only boilerplate text, but also a wide range of other materials that can be reused in future proposals. These might include full-length documents such as past proposals and reports, excerpts of particularly power text, staff resumes, letters of support, graphics or multimedia elements, and much more.

Creating Your Content Library

Building a content library is an ongoing process that will evolve as your organization grows and as you submit more proposals. It is essential to have certain foundational pieces of content (“boilerplate”) ready and accessible in your library drive. Here’s how to begin:

1. Identify Core Content Areas:

Start by identifying the most common grant proposal sections:

• Mission Statement: A concise summary of your organization’s mission

• Organizational Overview: Goals, history, and significant accomplishments

• Capability Statement: A summary of the organization’s expertise

• Program Descriptions: Detailed summaries of key programs and initiatives.

• Statement of Need: A compelling explanation of the problem/s your organization addresses.

• Goals and Objectives: Clearly defined goals and measurable objectives.

• Evaluation Plan: Methods for measuring success and impact.

• Qualifications: Information about your organization’s leadership and staff expertise.

• Sustainability Plan: How you plan to sustain your project/s beyond the grant period.

In addition to these core components, it’s also useful to have a long list of supporting materials on hand. Some examples, though not an extensive list, might include:

• List of current projects (including project period, brief descriptions, and funding sources)

• Past projects (list of projects funded over the last five years)

• Organizational Structure (organizational chart or diagram)

• Bios and resumes of senior leaders and technical staff

• List of current board members (their title on the board, as well as their professional background and experience)

• List of partners

• Demographics on the organization

• Demographics of those the organization has served in its programs

• Certificate of nonprofit status

• Most recent tax filing (e.g., Form 990 for U.S.-based organizations)

• Copies of annual reports and publications

2. Organize Your Library Drive:

Store your content library in an accessible, well-organized and easily navigable format. Use clear folder structures or categories to differentiate content types, and label each file for quick access. Consider cloud-based storage options like Google Drive, Dropbox, or a project management tool, allowing easy access for all team members. Additionally, make it a best practice to regularly back up your content library to a secondary storage device, such as a USB flash drive or external hard drive.

3. Develop and Refine Content:

Create detailed, high-quality content for each core area of your proposals. Continuously refine and polish this language to ensure it remains persuasive and consistent with your organization’s branding and messaging. Keep content relevant by incorporating updated data and success stories as they become available.

4. Regularly Update Your Library:

Establish a schedule—whether quarterly, biannually, or annually—for reviewing and updating your boilerplate content and supporting materials. Regular updates ensure your content library stays current, relevant, and effective for future proposals.

Deciding What to Include in Your Content Library

When populating your content library, focus on high-quality materials that can be adapted for future use. While a “Proposals” folder might contain separate folders for “In Progress” and “Submitted” grants, it doesn’t make sense to dig through all previous proposals to refresh content for each new opportunity. Instead, here’s how to curate and organize your library:

1. Select High-Quality Content:

Review past proposals, reports, and other documents to identify standout sections that represent your organization's best work. These might include compelling narratives, strong impact statements, detailed and persuasive goals and objectives, updated statistics, or visually appealing graphics and infographics that enhance the story you're telling. For example, The Awesome Organization has curated a collection of compelling case studies and testimonials that have consistently resonated well with funders. These examples are stored in the content library for easy adaptation in future proposals, ensuring that the strongest content is always ready for use.

2. Evaluate Content for Relevance:

When selecting content for your library, it’s crucial to assess its relevance for future projects. Consider whether the content will be useful for upcoming proposals or if it aligns with your organization’s current mission and goals. If the content is outdated or no longer reflects your organization’s objectives, it may need to be revised or excluded altogether. Always prioritize content that remains timely, adaptable, and closely aligned with funders’ expectations, ensuring it can be effectively repurposed.

3. Designate Content Evaluators:

Assign key team members to serve as content evaluators, responsible for determining which materials should be included in the content library. These individuals should possess a deep understanding of your organization’s mission, programs, and overall strategy, as well as the nuances of grant writing. Ideally, content evaluators should also be strong writers and editors, allowing them to identify high-quality content that is persuasive, clear, and well-suited for future proposals.

4. Create a Folder Structure:

Organize your content library using a logical folder structure that facilitates easy navigation and retrieval of specific types of content. For instance, you might create main folders for categories like “Program Descriptions,” “Statements of Need,” “Budgets,” “Evaluation Plans,” and “Graphics.” Within each main folder, create subfolders for specific programs or projects. This structure allows your team to quickly locate the content they need, streamlining the proposal-writing process.

5. Use Clear Naming Conventions:

Establish clear and consistent naming conventions for your files to make them easily identifiable. Each file name should include essential information such as the content type, project name, and the date of creation or last update. For example, a file might be named “2023_Program_Description_Youth_Literacy_Project.” This approach ensures that files can be quickly located and reduces the risk of confusion, especially when multiple team members are accessing the library.

Maintaining Your Content Library

To ensure your content library remains a valuable and reliable resource, it requires regular upkeep. As your organization grows and its needs evolve, so should the content in your library. Regular maintenance helps ensure that your materials stay relevant, accurate, and useful for future proposals. Here’s how to keep your library in top shape:

1. Assign Responsibility and Encourage Team Contributions:

Designate one or more team members to manage the content library. Their responsibilities should include updating files, removing outdated content, and ensuring the library is well-organized and accessible. Encourage team members to contribute by submitting new content such as updated resumes, project descriptions, or success stories. This ensures the library remains dynamic and relevant. For example, at The Awesome Organization, a designated grants coordinator is responsible for keeping the content library up-to-date and aligned with organizational needs.

2. Set a Review Schedule and Conduct Routine Audits:

Establish a regular review and audit schedule—whether quarterly, biannually, or annually—based on your organization’s needs. During these reviews, ensure the content library is up to date, removing outdated materials and adding new achievements, data, and success stories. Regular audits also help ensure content aligns with your organization’s mission and current strategies, especially after major changes such as program expansions or strategic shifts.

3. Update Content and Remove Outdated Materials:

As your organization evolves, integrate new data, success stories, and achievements into your content library. Regularly review the content to remove outdated or redundant materials that no longer align with your current mission or goals. Keeping the library focused and relevant will ensure it remains a valuable resource.

4. Implement Version Control and Backup Procedures:

When updating or replacing content, maintain a version control system to track changes over time. This allows you to reference previous versions if needed and prevents accidental overwrites. Additionally, regularly back up your content library to multiple storage locations, such as external hard drives or cloud solutions, to safeguard against data loss.

5. Monitor Usage and Track Updates:

Track how frequently the content library is used and which sections are accessed the most. Use a tracking tool to log the date of the last review and any updates made. This helps identify areas that may need further attention or additional resources to keep the library current and effective.

Using Boilerplate Language Effectively

While boilerplate language can significantly ease the grant writing process, it’s essential to avoid relying too heavily on standardized content without making necessary adjustments for each specific proposal. Here’s how to use boilerplate language effectively:

1. Tailor to the Funder:

Each funder has distinct priorities, goals, and interests. Before incorporating boilerplate language into your proposal, conduct thorough research. This could involve reviewing the funder’s guidelines and mission statement, exploring their website, reading their annual reports or newsletters, engaging with contacts within the organization (when appropriate), and examining previously funded proposals, if available. While it's important to use your time wisely, being thorough in your research is crucial. Once you’ve gained a clear understanding of the funder’s mission, goals, and initiatives, adjust your proposal content to align with their specific focus areas.

2. Adapt to Each Project:

While boilerplate content can save time, it’s important to adapt it to the specifics of the project you’re proposing. For example, project descriptions, goals, and outcomes should be customized to reflect the unique aspects of the current initiative, ensuring that the funder sees the proposal as tailored and not generic.

3. Customize the Language:

Adjust the tone, style, and emphasis to resonate with the particular audience you’re addressing. For instance, if you’re writing to a corporate foundation that values innovation and efficiency, your tone should be more formal and results-driven, emphasizing how your project will lead to measurable outcomes. You should use data and metrics to highlight how your organization is cost-effective and able to innovate in ways that align with the foundation’s goals.

On the other hand, if you’re addressing a local community foundation, you might use a more conversational tone, focusing on the personal stories of individuals who have benefited from your programs. You should emphasize the direct community impact of your proposed project, as well as past initiatives, and stress your organization’s deep ties to local needs, showing that you are a trusted partner capable of delivering meaningful change.

The key is to make certain to clearly highlight the aspects of your work that are most relevant to the specific funder’s interests, illustrating impact and alignment to show that you are the best organization for them to fund in order to achieve their desired results.

4. Integrate Fresh Data and Success Stories:

As your organization evolves, ensure your proposals reflect this growth by incorporating updated data, testimonials, case studies, and other relevant achievements. Include anything that demonstrates positive impact and strengthens your case to funders. Keeping your content current and compelling ensures that your proposals stay relevant and persuasive.

5. Review for Coherence:

After incorporating boilerplate content into a proposal, take time to review the entire document to ensure it reads smoothly and that all sections are well-integrated. From my experience serving on proposal review boards, I’ve seen how expected boilerplate language can sometimes disrupt the flow when it's too obvious. It can be jarring when it’s simply dropped into the middle of a page and doesn’t align well with the surrounding content. Ensuring coherence is key to keeping the proposal polished and professional.

Conclusion: The Long-Term Benefits of a Content Library

Whether you’re a seasoned grant writer or just starting out, building and maintaining a content library is a strategic investment that will benefit your organization for years to come. A well-organized repository of high-quality, reusable content allows you to streamline the grant writing process, create more consistent and compelling proposals, and improve your chances of success. Not only will it save time, but it will also help you present a polished, cohesive narrative that resonates with funders and aligns with both your mission and theirs. As your organization grows, so will your content library, becoming a cornerstone of your grant writing strategy.