A big field now is grant writing. This would be another good avenue if you want to ultimately enter the technical writing field. Non-profit companies, educational institutions, and most corporations have staff positions. In the 12 years I lived in rural Wisconsin, I saw dozens of job openings for Grant Writers, including for employers such as Chippewa Valley Technical College, West CAP, Mayo Health Systems, Globe University, and UW-Stout. I wasn't looking for jobs, so I suspect if I've noticed that many without reading the ads or actively working my networks, then there are probably quite a few out there, especially in more urban parts of the country. Another thing is that if you apply for a nonprofit in a professional position of any kind, the position will include grant writing whether that is part of your title or not.
Again, if you haven’t held a position as a grant writer, you will need to have experience in the field listed on your resume. One way to do this is to do some volunteer (that means unpaid) grant writing. Think of it as a form of apprenticeship.
Even though I have a long list of credentials on my resume for all types of technical writing, including grant writing, I still do regular volunteer grant writing as a way of helping the communities where I live. Recent examples of grants I’ve write as a volunteer include four applications on behalf of the Menomonie Public Library for grants from the Wisconsin Center for the Book as part of their “Wisconsin Authors & Illustrators Speak” program and a grant for a local non-profit to fund a project related to the area farmers’ market.
If you are associated with a group that needs grant money, such as a food pantry, church, performing arts organization, or just about anything else that serves a community, chances are there are grants out there at the local, county, state, and federal level. If your group serves children or a multicultural population, the number of grants available increases tenfold. The group may already know of grants and you may as well be the one to write them. Other places to look are the government portal web site at http://usa.gov which not only provides links to federal grants, but if you do some navigation, you can reach state and local sites through usa.gov as well as grants based on your specific topic (e.g., grants for education, art, music, etc.). And hey, you may even uncover a grant for writers!
Again, if you haven’t held a position as a grant writer, you will need to have experience in the field listed on your resume. One way to do this is to do some volunteer (that means unpaid) grant writing. Think of it as a form of apprenticeship.
Even though I have a long list of credentials on my resume for all types of technical writing, including grant writing, I still do regular volunteer grant writing as a way of helping the communities where I live. Recent examples of grants I’ve write as a volunteer include four applications on behalf of the Menomonie Public Library for grants from the Wisconsin Center for the Book as part of their “Wisconsin Authors & Illustrators Speak” program and a grant for a local non-profit to fund a project related to the area farmers’ market.
If you are associated with a group that needs grant money, such as a food pantry, church, performing arts organization, or just about anything else that serves a community, chances are there are grants out there at the local, county, state, and federal level. If your group serves children or a multicultural population, the number of grants available increases tenfold. The group may already know of grants and you may as well be the one to write them. Other places to look are the government portal web site at http://usa.gov which not only provides links to federal grants, but if you do some navigation, you can reach state and local sites through usa.gov as well as grants based on your specific topic (e.g., grants for education, art, music, etc.). And hey, you may even uncover a grant for writers!
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