Improving Your Grant Writing Skills

Through lessons and real-life examples, learn strategies and tools to help you research, prepare, and write grant applications that will give you an edge and put you on the road to funding!

Main Content

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Course Status Notice – Not Scheduled

We do not have an offering of this course scheduled at this time. Please join our email list to be notified when the next offering is scheduled!

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Course Details

Course Name: Improving Your Grant Writing Skills
Course Code: ER0310WB25
Date of Most Recent Offering: June 11 & 12, 2025

Date: June 11 & 12, 2025 UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING
Time: 8:30 am – 12:00 pm EDT UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING

Location: Online UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING
Format: Live, instructor-led UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING

Registration Fee: $235 per person UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING
Multi Person Discount Fee: $199 per person (Save when you sign up with a colleague!) UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING
NJLWO Discount Fee: $117.50 per person (available for T, W, and VSWS license holders only) UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING

Registration closes: June 8, 2025 UPDATE THIS FOR NEXT OFFERING

Paying with a check, money order, or purchase order?
Payments should be made out to: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Checks and money orders should be mailed to: Office of Continuing Professional Education, Attn: Registration Dept., 102 Ryders Ln, New Brunswick, NJ 08901-8519
Purchase Orders can be mailed to the address above or electronically sent to registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Course Overview

Preparing a competitive grant proposal requires good research, careful preparation, and smooth writing. No matter what field you are in, the hunt to secure any type of grant funding has become highly competitive. Funders expect quality outcomes and quantifiable impacts in return for their financial support. This online course will help you make your submission the best it can be!

  • Grant Basics – Understanding How the Funding Universe Works
  • Developing Strategies for Securing an Appropriate Commitment Before Submitting a Proposal
  • Understanding the Criteria Used by Funders to Determine Whether Your Grant Proposal Gets Reviewed or Rejected
  • Refining Your Funding Strategies and Requests to Better Align with the Goals of Funders
  • Discovering the Tools Available to Organize Proposal Content
  • Grant Writing/Budgeting Techniques
  • Tips for Communicating with Prospective Sponsors
  • Adding the “Finishing Touches” that will Give Your Submission an Edge and Put You on the Road to Funding

Who Should Attend?

This class is a great place to start for anyone thinking of applying for any type of grant funding. Learn what you need to know before you start! Past participants have included:

  • Borough Administrators
  • Clean Communities Coordinators
  • Community Programs Coordinators
  • Environmental Consultants
  • Facilities Directors
  • Grant Managers and Directors
  • Health Educators
  • Human Resources Professionals
  • Municipal Clerks
  • Project and Event Coordinators
  • Public Works Employees
  • Recreational Program Coordinators
  • Recycling Coordinators
  • Social Workers
  • Sustainability Officers
  • Teachers and School District Employees
  • Wastewater Operators
  • Water Superintendents

Meet Your Instructor

Elaine Griffin, Rutgers University

Headshot of instructor Elaine Griffin

Elaine Griffin is the Associate Director of Grants Facilitation of the SEBS and NJAES Office of Research. Over the last ten years, she has served the Office as both a Manager of Compliance and Quality Control (4 years) and a Research Grant and Contract Specialist (6 years). In these roles, Elaine provided training and troubleshooting in all aspects of grant facilitation, including contract review, guidance on budget development, external and internal documentation, post-award spending, coordination of workflow, implementation of programs, and effective documentation of impact. Elaine’s work portfolio includes over 20 years of experience securing money for academic and non-profit environments. She has written and contributed to many successful funding proposals in the areas of public health, family health sciences, 4-H, nutritional sciences, food policy, multicultural programming, agricultural resources, and environmental sciences. She has also delivered and designed educational programs to community groups seeking grant funding through the Office of Continuing and Professional Education.

Student Reviews

“The course was extremely useful on how to organize, prepare, review and submit a grant application. Elaine is knowledgeable, organized, articulate, and very effective at teaching the material.”

– John Schwartz

Graduate Business School Career Advisor
Rutgers University

“[I learned] How to help my faculty find grants of their interest and to support them as they write the proposals.”

– Past Participant

On instructor Elaine Griffin: “Confident, knowledgeable, dynamic speaker and great storyteller.”

– Past Participant

Continuing Education Credits

The most recent offering of Improving Your Grant Writing Skills was approved for 0.6 Rutgers CEUs (6 contact hours) as well as the following credits from professional organizations. We will reapply for similar credits the next time the course runs, but we cannot guarantee credit approval for future offerings.

The Improving Your Grant Writing Skills course is approved for 0.6 Rutgers CEUs (6 contact hours) as well as the following credits from professional organizations.

State of New Jersey map iconNew Jersey

NJ Certified Clean Communities Coordinators (CCCC): 6 Recertification Credits

NJ Certified Public Works Managers (CPWM): 6 Management Contact Hours

NJ Certified Recycling Professionals (CRP): 6 Classroom Recertification Credits

NJ Drinking Water and Wastewater Operators: 6 TCHs (Approval #01-022001-30)

NJ Health Officers and Registered Environmental Health Specialists (HO/REHS): Rutgers University, NJAES, Office of Continuing Professional Education has been approved by the New Jersey Department of Health as a provider of NJ Public Health Continuing Education Contact Hours (CEs). Participants who complete this course will be awarded 6.0 CEs.

Course Requirements and Policies

electronic devices iconTechnology Requirements

This online course will be delivered via Zoom.

Equipment you will need to access this training:

  • Laptop or desktop computers are required for this class.
  • A microphone is required.

 A week before the start date of class, you will receive an email from Judith Joshua with more details on the class.

email iconEmail Requirement

A unique email address is required for each registrant to register and access our courses.

  • If this is your first time registering with us, please provide your own unique email address when registering; do not provide an email address that you share with co-workers.
  • If you have previously taken classes with us and have used an email address that you share with your co-workers or supervisor, your account must be updated with a unique email address. To do this, please send an email to us at registration@njaes.rutgers.edu stating that your email address needs to be changed and include:
    • Your full name
    • The shared email address that needs to be changed
    • Your unique email address
    • A phone number where you can be reached if we have any questions

x icon with circle around itCancellations and Substitutions

A $75 cancellation fee applies for this course. Substitutions are permitted. View our cancellation policy.

Program Questions? We’re Here to Help!

If you have any questions about Improving Your Grant Writing Skills, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

Headshot of Rutgers Program Coordinator Olga Welsh

Program Coordinator: Olga Welsh
848-932-7315
ow31@njaes.rutgers.edu

For registration assistance, please contact our Registration Department at 848-932-9271, option 2 or email registration@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Team of professionals looking at paperwork and discussing grant impact

Best Practices for Documenting Grant Impact and Success

Team meeting to discuss grant scope of work

Communicating Scope of Work Changes and Budgeting with Grant Funding

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RFPs and Proposal Writing from Start to Finish

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