Download flyer (will be available soon).

NIMS College (Affiliated to Tribhuvan University) is pleased to announce Grant Writing Lab (or GrantLab), which is an unparalleled opportunity to learn grant writing, project development and fundraising.

This Initiative is not fully covered financially – it is indeed a social contribution of NIMS College to our wider community in Nepal.

The GrantLab will be mentored by professionals who have exceptional success records in raising funds for innovative projects. This Lab supports scattered actionable expertise to come at one place, by bringing various theories for a collaborative project management.  

The first Grant Writing Lab session will run for 12 months, with fortnightly and monthly sessions and exercises mentored by resources persons who have demonstrated success in grant writing in the context of Nepal and globally.  

GrantLab will support participants to become successful in securing grants or consulting bids or job contracts within the first 6 months period of the GrantLab session. The success however depends on the efforts and commitment to learn on the part of the participants and there is no guarantee of outcomes. 

Why ?

The Grant Lab is designed to equip participants with concepts, skills and tools to write, market and sell project ideas to prospective funders. At the end of this 12 month long program, participants will be able to:  

• Understand and apply successful grant writing concepts and skills 
• Prepare grant proposals to suite your field of work and engagement 
• Communicate your proposal well 
• Building project development relationships with organizations in your area of work and expertise  
• Navigate grants and consulting opportunities in your area of expertise and interests 
• Work collaboratively in a team to conduct research and to write proposals 

Learning Strategies

The participants will be mentored during the Grant Lab Writing through group sessions. The participants will team up within their respected organization (in terms of organization is taking part as a participant) or team up with the different individuals present in the Lab. The participants will choose their interest based on their expertise and identify the grants they are willing to secure. The resource persons will guide them through the process of identifying, scoping, literature review, designing, content writing, developing and executing. 

Twelve Lab Learning Questions

During the Grant Writing Lab, the participants will explore the following:  

• Why Grant Lab and how do I learn from it? 
• How is the grant opportunity context changing in the COVID-19 era? 
• What are the 10 most critical success factors in preparing the proposal and raising funds? 
• How do I find funding opportunity? 
• How can I communicate my proposal effectively to prospective donors/investors? 
• How to build good relationship with prospective funders, investors and donors? 
• What are the most important ingredients of a successful proposal or bid? 
• How do I keep myself up to date on grant and consulting opportunities? 
• How to create the best team for grant writing and bidding? 
• How to keep myself motivated when I fail in the first few attempts? 
• How to balance grant writing and technical expertise?What follow up skills update do I need to plan after I successfully graduate from this Lab? 

How to Apply ?

Interested individuals are requested to email their applications at [email protected] with their CV and a letter of interest. Your application pack should also include:  

• Covering email (300 words) explaining why you are interested in this program and what you want to achieve from this?  
• Complete the google document form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd_6V4iKPJS5B-LUs4ZMtVPJgKILHzTAeIiw-6NgfMmCgmB_Q/viewform

Fees & Terms for Participation

• You can participate in the Grant Lab as an individual or on behalf o your organization.  
• One you are enrolled, every group learning session is compulsory. If you miss any sessions for any urgent reason such as medical emergency, you will get an opportunity to cove the missed part through peer learning and Lab Manager.  
• Each confirmed participant will pay Rs. 10,000 at the time of enrolment.  
• Additional fee is only result based. If a participant secures a grant or paid work as a result of participating in the Grant Lab, s/he will be charged a Grant Lab fee of Rs 40,000.  You don’t need to pay this amount if are unable to secure a project or contract success.

Participant Selection Criteria

The participants will be selected and on the spot light based on the following criteria:  

• Good writing skills  
• Interests and passion for developing and writing new project ideas 
• Sectoral expertise (Diversity of expertise is ensured in the 20 participants enrolled) 
• Commitment to participate through the end of the course  
• Willingness to allocate at least 10 hours a week for exercises, readings, discussions, research, and sharing. 

Key Dates

10 Dec 2020: Interested and enthusiast participants are requested to email their application by this date.

13 Dec 2020. The inaugural session is scheduled for this date. The time is 8.30 am to 10 am.

Every fortnight after that date, between 8.30 am to 10 am: Fortnightly grant lab sessions.

Who should attend?

This lab is appropriate for:  

• Mid-level development professionals  
• NGO leaders 
• Academics 
• Researchers 
• Consultants 
• Masters & PhD students 

Mentors 

Dr. Hemant Ojha is a socio-environmental specialist working across water, forestry, food security, and climate change and community resilience for more than two decades. An enthusiastic researcher, expert practitioner and a university academic. Dr. Ojha has written over 50 successful grant proposals in his 25 years of research and development career. His work has been funded by a number of global research and development agencies from North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. 

Dr. Hari Luitel is an experienced researcher with a demonstrated history of working in the higher education industry. Dr. Luitel is an expert in sustainable development, policy analysis, social learning, community forestry, and environmental policy. He has written a number of successful proposals for Asia, USA, Africa and South America on a range of sectors including rural development, environment, and policy and program effectiveness in his 20 years of research and development career. 

A number of Grant writing specialists will be invited as resource persons for specific sessions: Dr Mani Banjade, Dr Dil Khatri, Dr Dinesh Paudel, Dr Eak Rana, Dr Mina Adhikari, Dr Ngamindra Dahal, Dr Chandra Pandey, and others.

For any queries, please contact:  

Mr. Nirman Ojha 

Grant Lab Manager and Faculty Member (MBA/BDEVS)

Email: [email protected], Mobile: 9841515733