Grant Writing for Students
Some grant applications require short answers to specific questions, and others ask for long grant narratives without providing many (if any) guiding questions. Certain organizations provide funds for individuals, while others focus on giving grants to student organizations or incorporated ventures, such as LLCs or non-profits.
Reliable Funding for Students
(Note: to find funding within your school, use an online search engine to find [school's name] venture funding.)
Contrary Capital
Contrary Capital invests in university-started companies, including those started by current students, recent graduates, faculty, and dropouts. Their fellowship program provides both mentorship and funding opportunities.
Dorm Room Fund
This student-run investment fund offers $20,000 grants to student-run startups in the U.S. and Canada.
VentureWell
VentureWell offers funding up to $25,000 to science and tech ventures with a social, health, or environmental impact. The program is an accelerator, offering training, networking, and mentorship opportunities in addition to funding.
Frequently Asked Questions on Grant Applications (with explanations and examples):
Who will benefit from your project?
Who is your primary audience for your project? Articulate your audience or community’s experience and educational level regarding your project's topic.
Are you catering to students in your current major, spreading your expertise to students with different focuses, or the off-campus general public?
Describe two ways you will advertise this event to reach that specific audience (e.g., school or major-specific newsletters or flyers off-campus at the local public library).
How will you use grant funds?
Write a comprehensive breakdown of how you would allocate the grant funds. For each expense, explain why you estimate that particular cost, and demonstrate how the allocation aligns with the long-term objectives of either the audience or the project.
Example: "We will distribute packets featuring career and writing advice from our guest speaker, Nandi Comer, at a cost of $0.06 per letter-sized black-and-white page from U-M printers. With an estimated 100 participants and 10 pages per packet, the total cost will be $100. These packets will list U-M courses that combine advocacy and writing, guiding our freshman audience in selecting classes that align with their current interests and the new insights and impacts gained during Nandi Comer’s talk."
Ensure that each line item totals the amount of funds you are requesting.
Why this project; why now?
Describe your (or your team's) qualifications as related to completing this project. Why are you the best person to do this?
Example: "Having taken numerous courses in the School of Information at the University of Michigan alongside my LSA writing minor, I can provide adult visitors at Bloomfield Library working on self-promotion through website design with valuable insights into user experience and tone."
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If this is an ongoing project, but a new grant, describe three things you have already accomplished. For each accomplishment, state how that accomplishment clearly sets you up for success with this new grant.
Example: "Since receiving the combustor GE Aircraft Engines will use in their new GE-90 jet engines for our latest research project, we have successfully implemented laser light sheet flow visualization diagnostics to capture high-resolution images of the combustion zone. Using $500 from this grant to hire interns to acquire data using commercial codes and assist in cutting new pieces to improve the combustor design, we will identify multiple new ways to develop even lower levels of nitric oxide pollutants."​