Grant Writing Certificate
Program Features
At-a-Glance
- Acquire an overview of the nonprofit sector
- Learn how fundraising fits into a nonprofit’s overall fundraising strategy
- Understand the fundamentals of grant writing, including the grant process, identifying funding sources, and organizational readiness for grant writing
- Learn and articulate the seven-step process of grant-writing, including defining root causes of community problems; building an evidence-based need statement; developing a program design, and using the logic model to guide the grant-writing process
- Learn and articulate evaluation processes, budgets, sustainability, and organizational capacity
- Apply fundamentals and principles of grant writing into real-world scenarios for grants management, including submitting the proposal, funder relations and engagement, grant implementation, and reporting.
Overview
The Grant Writing Certificate equips new and current professionals with the skills to research, write, and manage grants effectively. Designed for those working in or entering the nonprofit sector, the program emphasizes identifying funding opportunities and understanding the local funding landscape. Participants learn how to gather and analyze data to build compelling cases for support using a structured seven-step grant writing process. The curriculum also covers grant management, funder relationship building, and essential reporting requirements.
Audience
The participants in the Grant Writing Certificate Program are those wishing to develop their skills in grant writing. This program is designed for students who:
- Work in different employment sectors (e.g., nonprofits and/or municipal agencies, etc.)
- Are interested in developing the skills for understanding the nonprofit sector
- Want to learn how to write grants
- Want to research funders and how to manage grants once awarded
Format
The Grant Writing Certificate Program consists of four courses totaling 70 hours of instruction required for the certificate of participation.
- Introduction to Grant Writing
- Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 1
- Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 2
- Grants Management – Beyond the Proposal
Courses will be offered online in a fully asynchronous format. Coursework, assignments, and online discussions will take place across the length of the course and due dates will be assigned at the instructor’s discretion.
Certificates and Continuing Education Units are awarded to those who successfully complete the requirements of all four courses.
Course Offerings
(Four courses, 7.0 CEUs required for certificate)
Introduction to Grant Writing (GW 101) 1.5 CEUs
This course introduces the skills and strategies for writing effective grant proposals. The course will provide students with an overview of the nonprofit sector, and an understanding how fundraising fits into a nonprofit’s overall fundraising strategy. This course also introduces the fundamentals of grant writing, including understanding the grant process, identifying funding sources, and assessing organizational readiness for grant writing.
Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 1 (GW 102) 2.0 CEUs
This course offers practical insight into the grant writing process. It will introduce the seven components of grant-writing: 1. Statement of Need/Problem Statement; 2. Project Description, including: narrative, goals and objectives, activities and timeline 3. Evaluation 4. Budget, including personnel, operating and indirect costs 5. Sustainability 6. Conclusion, Executive Summary 7. Organizational Capacity, including Mission. This course will go into depth on components 1 and 2 listed above. Topics will include defining root causes of community problems; building an evidence-based needs statement; developing a strong program service design; and utilizing the logic model as a systematic roadmap for guiding the entire grant writing process.
Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 2 (GW 103) 2.0 CEUs
This course is part 2 of Building a Competitive Application for Funding. Part 2 will focus on grant writing components three through seven: 3. Evaluation 4. Budget, including personnel, operating and indirect costs 5. Sustainability 6. Conclusion, Executive Summary 7. Organizational Capacity, including Mission. Topics will include grant budgets, applicant capability statements, application guidelines/requirements and developing an executive summary. This course will address these elements using practical examples and exercises to prepare you to tackle these essential elements of competitive grant applications.
Grant Management: Beyond the Proposal (GW 104) 1.5 CEUs
This course provides an opportunity for students to apply fundamentals and principles of grant writing into real-world scenarios for grants management. Topics focus on submitting the proposal and beyond, including funder relations and engagement, grant implementation and maintenance, and reporting impact through storytelling. Students will apply critical thinking skills and brainstorm effective strategies for specific scenarios in grants management and funder engagement. In addition, possible new uses for AI in grants management will be explored.
Costs
Total Fees: $2,975
Sacramento State Alumni may apply for a 15% discount. To receive discount, participants must provide proof of graduation at time of registration.
How to Register
Upcoming Dates
Fall 2026 Schedule
- Introduction to Grant Writing (Oct. 12 – Nov. 1, 2026)
- Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 1 (Nov. 9 – Dec. 13, 2026)
- Building a Competitive Application for Funding – Part 2 (Jan. 11 – Feb. 7, 2027)
- Grants Management – Beyond the Proposal (Feb. 15 – March 7, 2027)
Basic Requirements
This program is open to the public.
If you live outside of California, see if Sacramento State has secured authorization or exemption to enroll students from your state in its online programs.
Participants register on a course-by-course basis and can take individual courses, as well as the complete program.
Registration Steps
Please carefully read the instructions below prior to registering.
Registration will close on Friday, Oct. 9, or once we reach maximum enrollment. Payment is due at the time of registration.
- The first class is titled Introduction to Grant Writing and begins Monday, Oct.12, 2025.
- You may register per class or for the whole program at once. Please ensure that you click the “select” button next to the class(es) you are enrolling in and paying for today. If you do not click “select” next to any class, you will not be enrolled in the program.
- We offer a 15% discount for Sac State Alumni, but this discount cannot be used in combination with employer-paid tuition assistance. If you are an alumni, please reach out to the program coordinator, Amberly Macias, to verify your status and receive a discount code. You need this discount code before enrolling. During checkout, there will be a request to type the discount code in for it to be applied. Please ensure your total reflects the discounted amount before submitting your payment.
- You will need to complete a Registration Agreement form if you are using employer-paid tuition assistance. This is downloadable from the registration link. There is a space during registration where you can upload your form. Please upload your form into the system and make sure you click “select” next to each class for your registration to go through.