Best Proposal Writing Certification Courses
Think proposal writing is the skill you want to invest in with a proposal writing certification course?
That’s a smart career move.
After all, proposal writing is an emerging skill, and companies worldwide are looking for professional writers. You can build your knowledge and benefit from many opportunities by taking proposal writing courses and certifications.
Proposal Writing Certification Course Benefits
Proposal writing certification courses come with their set of benefits. The prominent ones are:
- Better Earning Opportunities: Including a proposal writing certification in your resume will help establish the knowledge and experience you need to negotiate a higher salary.
- Improved Language Skills: Certifications will enhance your communication abilities.
- Develop Leadership Abilities: Certifications focusing on proposal writing involve significant theory about adopting a mindset of pitching and leading projects.
- Professional Growth: By completing and getting certifications, you can apply for better jobs and progress your career.
- Improve Existing Writing Skills: Proposal writing courses help sharpen your writing abilities.
However, it can be challenging to pick a suitable proposal writing certification. Not all courses available on the market will deliver the same quality. Thankfully, we have curated a list of the best options so you can choose the suitable one and start your proposal writing journey.
Top Best Proposal Writing Certification Courses
Listed in order starting with our favorite:
1. Technical Writer HQ Proposal Writing Course
Technical Writer HQ’s Proposal Writing Certification Course takes first place on our list of top courses.
The main appeal of this certification lies in the balance between theory and practice. It offers you more than 70 lectures to build your understanding of proposal writing. Additionally, it gives you loads of exercises to practice everything you learn. You also get proposal writing templates that guide you on structuring your proposals masterfully for every possible scenario.
The course is designed with updated content and strategies so you can implement what you learn. Most importantly, you get instructor feedback on your proposal writing and access to a supportive community.
Some of the main concepts you’ll learn:
- Structuring Your Proposal For Better Persuasion
- Setting Your Document’s Scope And Purpose
- Analyzing Your Target Audience
- Carrying Out Proper Research
- Creating a Compelling Proposal Layout
- Brainstorming and Creating the Right Outlines
- Budgeting
Such topics ensure you know the ins and outs of proposal writing and start creating impressive proposals.
You can learn more about the course by visiting Technical Writer HQ’s Proposal Writing webpage.
How Much Does the Technical Writer HQ Proposal Writing Course Cost?
Technical Writer HQ’s Proposal Writing Certification costs a very economical price of $300. It is affordable to reach a wider audience who wants to master proposal writing.
Who Should Take the Technical Writer HQ Proposal Writing Course?
This is an excellent course for creating your proposal writing foundation. Experienced proposal writers can also benefit from this course to brush up their skills and master more advanced concepts.
View the course here.
2. APMP Practitioner-level Certification
There is hardly any certification more recognized within the proposal writing industry than the Association Of Proposal Management Professionals certificate. Its eligibility criteria list that candidates should have a minimum of three years of professional experience in the proposal field.
This certification mainly involves an online 2.5-hour-long exam. You receive scenarios and questions testing your knowledge of APMP best practices relevant to the scenario. The exam assesses your understanding gathered through professional experience and APMP’s Body of Knowledge.
APMP provides a dedicated Practitioner OTE Preparation Guide to help you prepare for the certification exam. You need to go through it to have a better chance of succeeding with the assessment.
You can also take a practice exam in the same setting and of the same duration as the actual exam. However, it’s best to dedicate enough time to prepare for this certification since it’s for senior professionals.
How Much Does the APMP Practitioner-level Certification Cost?
The cost of the APMP certification is different for different locations around the world. It shows it as 250£ which translates to around $336. There is an additional fee for shifting the exam to a different date.
Who Should Take the APMP Practitioner-level Certification?
Since this certification requires significant professional experience, you should expect a certain difficulty level. Therefore, we suggest gaining relevant professional experience before getting this certification. Additionally, you need to be an APMP member and have done an earlier, much more fundamental certification.
Nevertheless, advanced certification from such a prestigious organization adds value to your resume. Since it requires you to be an APMP member, you get the added benefit of practice material and resources. Find out more here.
3. APMP Foundation-level Certification
This is the better choice if you want the credibility and reputation of an organization like APMP but with less demanding prerequisites.
APMP’s Foundation-Level certification is for less experienced professionals. It assesses your fundamental knowledge and understanding of proposal writing and bid management. Additionally, it will prepare you for more advanced certifications that proceed and give you a flavor of more complex assignments.
This certification’s eligibility criteria only require a year of professional experience in the industry. Even this required experience doesn’t need to be continuous, and candidates don’t have to be APMP members. Such requirements open the doors for many aspiring individuals to gain a highly sought-after certification.
Like its more advanced counterpart, this certification also includes preparatory material and exams. You can read the Foundation Study Guide and even take self-paced courses. You can also practice online before taking the actual exam.
Such certification has a lot to offer, and you don’t have to worry about stringent requirements.
How Much Does the APMP Foundation-level Certification Cost?
The APMP Foundation-level certification costs $550 and does not include withholding tax based on your location. You can also take just the exam for $400.
Who Should Take the APMP Foundation-level Certification?
This certification is a terrific starting point for beginners or slightly experienced proposal writers to gain critical exposure. Additionally, you will need to pass this course to earn certifications intended for more experienced professionals.
With this certification as part of your professional knowledge, you are eligible to start handling important proposal writing responsibilities. You can manage different proposal strategies and even draft quality proposals and bid documents yourself. Find out more here.
4. The Grant Development: State and Foundation Proposals Certificate
Arizona State University offers this course from their department dedicated to researching and teaching philanthropy and nonprofit innovation. It is a seven-week-long certification program that intends to be fast-paced and interactive.
The course requires advanced writing skills and previous experience writing grant proposals. However, this requirement is flexible, and you can also be eligible if you have previously taken a college-level course about grant proposal writing. Any experience of working with NGOs and writing grant proposals also counts.
The certification is challenging, and there is an expected coursework load of 12-15 hours.
There are different topics in this certification:
- Foundations of Grant Development and Proposal Writing: This introductory course will take you through the basics and build your foundational concepts. You submit a successful grant proposal to pass the course and move ahead.
- Grant Development – Proposal Exploration: This course mainly focuses on building your proposal writing style and presentation and creating a sense of what successful grants and proposals look like. This course will build on the foundations you learned in the previous section and take you one step further.
- Grant Development – Proposal Application and Grant Management: The most advanced course in the certification provides expert-guided practice and professional mentorship so you can create skillfully drafted proposals. This course’s completion will require researching and working on challenging grant proposal scenarios.
Such a certification aims to prepare you for serious grant proposal writing. You can move on to further advanced courses on grant development and writing federal-level proposals.
How Much Does the Grant Development: State And Foundation Proposals Certificate Cost?
The Grant Development: State And Foundation Proposals Certificate costs $1,050. The more advanced course is $1,175. Completing the foundation course gets you a 25% discount on the advanced class. The cancellation fee depends on when you cancel the course.
Who Should Take the Grant Development: State And Foundation Proposals Certificate?
Individuals looking for a more university-oriented approach to learning grant proposal writing. By the end, you can expect to develop solid language and persuasion skills and write grant proposals for different needs of an NGO. Find out more here.
5. Grant Writing Certificate By University Of Massachusetts Boston
This is another popular certification offered by a prestigious university. It is for beginners and solidifies the basics of compelling proposal writing. You can take the full certificate or a particular course according to your experience level.
The certification has two courses and is one of the more accessible certifications on the list. Both courses focus on the following topics:
- Proposal writing foundation
- Collaboration when drafting grant proposals
- Identifying the needs and requirements for crafting better grant proposals
Since it is a university course, you can expect to receive in-class sessions, supplemental readings, and assessments. The lessons also involve writing projects to get ample practice as you build solid proposal writing capabilities.
How Much Does the Grant Writing Certificate Cost?
Each course costs 600$, so the certification in total is 1,200$. This price tag makes it the priciest certificate on the list. However, the flexibility of opting for one course does make it easier.
Who Should Take the Grant Writing Certificate?
This course is well-suited for existing college students who want to integrate proposal writing into their skillset. A certificate from a credible institution like the University of Massachusetts will only positively impact your professional image.
The University of Massachusetts also supports a Proposal Development Grant Program for research projects. Its Grant Writing Certificate will prepare students so that they proceed to collaborate with the faculty and draft grant proposals for any research they plan to carry out. Find out more here.
Use The Right Proposal Writing Certification Course To Boost Your Skill Set
With the best options now in front, the final decision of choosing the suitable proposal writing certification course is up to you. Apart from their difficulty level, you should also factor in how much of your precious resources, like time and money, you are willing to put in.
While deciding, know that pursuing a good proposal writing certification will do you good in many ways. It will open doors for many new opportunities, help you gain crucial new skills, and enable you to progress.
Proposal Writing Certification Courses FAQ
Here are some of the most common questions people ask about proposal writing certification courses.
How Do You Learn Proposal Writing?
Practice is an important habit to cultivate if you wish to become a masterful proposal writer. However, even the most experienced individuals may need guidance to improve their hand at proposal writing. There is a pre-planned roadmap ahead of you, and you only have to stay determined and pursue the certification.
Is Proposal Writing Difficult?
While it can initially seem daunting, proposal writing becomes intuitive with time. Most people face difficulty because they don’t have proper guidance or action plans when learning proposal writing. Hence, most people decide to invest in a quality proposal writing certification course to guide and help them.
What Does a Proposal Writing Certification Involve?
You’ll learn what good proposal writing looks like and what differentiates a skillfully-written proposal from a poor one. Additionally, you learn vital argumentative skills that help you write better proposals in your career. Most certifications involve exercise and activities so that by the end, you have gained significant experience and confidence in quality proposal writing.
How are Most Proposal Writing Certification Courses Structured?
Most courses begin by giving you an idea about what it will take to become skilled at proposal writing. Then, you move on to understanding what makes a proposal compelling, and this primarily involves studying some solid examples. Many courses give you exercises at this point and then give written samples so you can compare and understand where you need to improve. By the end, you will have to write a final big proposal capturing everything you learned during the certification course.
How Much Do Different Proposal Writing Certification Courses Cost?
The different certification courses you’ll find on the market range from 300$ to thousands of dollars. You can select the one based on how much you wish to invest and the nature of the course. Some are online certifications, so they charge nominally based on their medium.
Are There Any Dedicated Certifications For Professional Proposal Writing?
Many certification courses can help you become a professional proposal writer. You could opt for the APMP certification courses since the organization focuses on the proposal and bid writing in the first place. Their certifications are considered the most reputed in the industry and are a significant stamp of credibility.
