Volunteer: Grant Proposal Template & Sample Draft

Overview

This is a volunteer opportunity provided by Taproot Foundation, a nonprofit creating social change through pro bono connections. We are seeking a skilled volunteer to help Ineffable Films create a reusable grant proposal template and one polished sample grant draft that we can adapt for future applications.

Over the course of this project, the volunteer will:
Review our existing case for support, program descriptions, and impact data. Help us clarify and sharpen key messaging about our mission, programs, and outcomes. Develop an easy‑to‑adapt grant proposal template with sections such as need, project description, work plan, budget, and evaluation. Draft one complete sample proposal (using a real upcoming opportunity or a common arts/education funder profile) that we can customize for other funders.

The ideal volunteer has experience writing successful grants for nonprofits, especially in arts, youth development, or education, and can offer practical guidance on how to tailor language for different funder audiences.

Our nonprofit empowers filmmakers and students, particularly BIPOC youth, by providing access to film education, production support, and opportunities to share their stories. A strong grant proposal template and sample draft will:
Save our small team significant time on each new application. Improve the quality and consistency of our submissions. Position us to secure more funding for student films, festival participation, and educational programming. With a professional, reusable template and one strong sample, we will be able to respond quickly to new opportunities and sustain the programs that directly serve our community.

Ineffable Films has already developed core organizational materials, including our mission, program overviews, and evaluation framework, through other Taproot projects. We will provide the volunteer with:
Our mission, vision, and strategic priorities;
Descriptions of our filmmaking and student‑focused programs;
Available impact metrics and stories;
Any upcoming grant opportunities or sample RFPs we are targeting. We will schedule a kickoff call to align on goals, choose the best funder or sample profile to write toward, and agree on a realistic timeline. I will be available for regular check‑ins and quick content review so the volunteer has what they need to move efficiently.

Mission:
Ineffable Films is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering young filmmakers from international lineages to tell the human journey of awakening in a world different from them, yet one they cannot abandon. We explore narratives that expose and celebrate the cultures, ethnicities, and communities of worlds both real and imagined. Our mission is to support these teenagers, especially those from BIPOC backgrounds, in telling their unique human journeys through the powerful medium of film.

We operate primarily in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville, Cambridge, and Brookline, with aspirations to expand our reach and impact.