History

The Grantsmanship Center was founded in 1972 by Norton J. Kiritz to offer grantsmanship training to nonprofit and government agencies. Before this time, no such training existed and small organizations often lacked the skills to compete for grant opportunities. The Center began as a local project in Los Angeles, but as word of its alumni's successes spread, demand for trainings rapidly expanded. Soon organizations in other cities were asking to host training programs in their own communities. By 1975, The Grantsmanship Center was conducting more than 100 workshops a year across the country. Since 1972 The Grantsmanship Center has trained over 110,000 people..

In 1999, The Center created the Alumni Membership Program to provide support for graduates returning to their organizations and eager to implement what they had learned. The Center's Alumni Membership includes review of a proposal, access to The Grantsmanship Center's comprehensive funding databases, access to 990-PFs, tuition discounts and other special benefits and services. Participants can also access the online Forum (currently being updated), which provides funding tips and technical assistance to thousands of alumni. Graduates of The Center's Grantsmanship Training Program, and Competing for Federal Grants receive a 12-month Alumni Membership package as part of their tuition.

Workshops

The Grantsmanship Training Program workshop is designed for both novice and experienced grant seekers. It is a comprehensive, hands-on workshop that covers writing and reviewing real proposals, as well as researching funding sources. Using The Grantsmanship Center'sSM proposal writing format, participants receive information about all of the elements necessary to write a fundable proposal. Writing and reviewing real proposal, participants learn how to search for appropriate funding sources and are involved in practical exercise with others in developing a proposal that could be submitted to a funding agency or used as a guide in developing a proposal from the participant’s own organization.

The Earned Income Strategies workshop emphasizes way by which organizations can generate unrestricted funds ranging from fees-for-service to manufacturing and product sales, licensing and rental opportunities, cause-related marketing, for-profit subsidiaries, and more. Topics focus on identifying and using their agency for business opportunities, feasibility testing and business planning, initial financing options, developing realistic income expectations, and considering the tax implications necessary to safeguard the organization’s nonprofit status. The workshop combines structured analysis, focused discussions, and small-group work. The workshop aims to sort through the various issues involved in developing a venture, demystify the process, and let each participant decide if venture development is appropriate for the agency.

A Research Proposal Workshop aids academic faculty members, postdoctoral and graduate students, and other researchers seeking to obtain funding for their own research projects. The focus of this workshop is directed toward learning the nuances of writing applications that emphasize research goals of the individual investigator. Each workshop is adapted to include information relevant to investigators in scientific, social, education, and arts and humanities research, according to the needs and interests of participants.

The Annenberg Foundation and the California Community Foundation have jointly developed a partnership with The Grantsmanship Center to strengthen the local nonprofit sector by providing subsidized grantsmanship training for community-based organizations in Los Angeles County. Launched in 2008, Project Grantsmanship has offered The Grantsmanship Training Program to 100 local nonprofit leaders to help them plan more effective programs and write more compelling proposals. Continuation of this project through 2010 will enable another 200 local nonprofit leaders to receive this comprehensive workshop through The Grantsmanship Center.

Publications

Many resources for grantseekers have also been produced by The Grantsmanship Center (also known as TGCI) throughout its history. Program Planning & Proposal Writing, The Grantsmanship Center's proposal writing guide written by Norton J. Kiritz, is the most widely read publication in nonprofit history. There are more than a million copies of the publication in print- and scores of government, foundation, and corporate grantmakers have adopted it as their preferred application format. The Grantsmanship Center News, a groundbreaking magazine, challenged the world of philanthropy by championing the rights of minorities and the poor. This magazine, debuted in 1972, was noted for thoughtful, edgy reporting. Copies are now archived at the United States Library of Congress. A subsequent publication, The Grantsmanship Center Magazine, ran from the early 1990s until 2005. At their peak, these publications reached over 200,000 nonprofit and government agencies. These periodicals "paved the way for the journalists who today scrutinize charities and foundations with growing sophistication and skepticism,". Archives are now available at the Library of Congress..
{Centered}, a monthly, electronic publication contains digests of current publications along with a featured article targeted to grantseekers and grantmakers.