American Grant Writers' Association, Inc. was awarded a Trademark Registration for "Certified Grant Writer" on March 15, 2011 by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

American Grant Writers' Association awards the Certified Grant Writer® Credential to members who have passsed a 6-hour proficiency exam in grant researching, budgeting, professional ethics, and proposal writing for foundation, corporate and government grants. AGWA created the Certified Grant Writer® Credential to recognize proficiency in the profession. From 2003 through 2005 psychometrists developed the Certified Grant Writer® Exam with results that were valid and reliable.  As of August 2011 American Grant Writers' Association has awarded the Certified Grant Writer® Credential to 593 members.

Certified Grant Writer Exam

The Certified Grant Writer® Exam is always administered by American Grant Writers' Association, Inc. and proctored by person who has earned the Certified Grant Writer® Credential as well as trained to proctor a professional examination.  Active members of AGWA who agree to abide by the Professional Standards of Practice and Code of Ethics are eligible to register for the examination, and membership must be active on the day of the examination.

The Certified Grant Writer® Exam has 2 components; the objective questions and the writing sample.  The objective questions cover 4 areas; researching, program development and  proposal writing, budgeting, and professional ethics.  Each section of the Certified Grant Writer® Exam is scored by 3 graders and the composite score is the final score.  Effective April 1, 2011 a minimum score of 80% is required to pass the following exam sections: Program Development and Proposal Writing, Researching, Budgeting, and Writing Samples.  Effective April 1, 2011 a score of 90% is passing on the Ethics Section.   On average, 80% of the students taking the Certified Grant Writer® Exam the first time receive a passing score in all 5 sections. Students receive the Certified Grant Writer® Certificate 4 weeks after the exam.

Members who do not pass all 5 sections during the first sitting, may reschedule a second sitting anytime during the following 12 months, free of charge.  Members are also entitled to attend the Review Course a second time free of charge.  To sit for the exam a third time, a student must wait a period of 12 months after the 2nd testing and register for the Certified Grant Writer Review Course and Examination for $499 as well as be a member of the association at the time of registration and the date of the exam.

The Certified Grant Writer® Examination is very thorough and rigourous.  Although AGWA does permit members who are experienced grant writers to register for just the Certified Grant Writer Review Course prior to sitting for the Examination, we strongly recommend taking the Grant Reasearching and Proposal Writing Course, either online or in person, prior to the Examination.   

Certified Grant Writer Review Course

The one-day Review Course is always offered the day prior to the Certified Grant Writer® Exam.  The Review Course is strongly recommended, even for experienced grant writers.  The course covers Program Development and Proposal Writing, Professional Ethics, Preparing Budgets for Foundation and Federal Grants, and Researching Grant Opportunities.  The course is always taught by an instructor who has earned the Certified Grant Writer® Credential.  Course materials are provided.  Students should provide a laptop with a USB port and Word, Excel and Adobe Reader software.  Students will also need a calculator with no text capabilities.   The Review Coarse is scheduled from 8:30 AM until 5:00 PM with a one hour break for lunch on your own.  Morning and afternoon coffee breaks are provided.

Persons with disabilities may request accommodations.  Requests must be in writing (email or mail) and must be received no later than 2 weeks prior to the date of the Review Course.

Certified Grant Writer Member Benefits

Once the Certified Grant Writer® Credential is earned, AGWA members are entitled to additional opportunities such as:

• Use of AGWA's Certified Grant Writer® logo on their website, business cards and stationery
• Eligible to purchase Lands End merchandise with the Certified Grant Writer® logo at AGWA's Lands End online store
• Mentoring an AGWA member
• Receiving client referrals from AGWA
• Becoming a member of AGWA's Speakers Bureau
• Proctoring a Certified Grant Writer® Exam
• Authoring articles for AGWA's Member Newsletter
• Serving as Chairperson of an AGWA Committee

Review and Exam Dates and Locations

Registration closes 2 weeks prior to the Review / Exam Date.  Some locations sell out, so be sure to make your reservation as early as possible. Remember you must be a member on the date of registration and date of the exam.

• April 20-21, 2012 at Crowne Plaza Northbrook in Chicago, IL
• July 27-28, 2012 at The Inn on Bourbon in New Orleans, LA
• October 19-20, 2012 at Garfield Suites Hotel in Cincinnati, OH
• November 13-14, 2012 at Radison Hotel in Arlington, VA

A private sitting for the Certified Grant Writer® Exam is available for an additional $299.00 plus travel expenses for the Proctor.

Please refer to the Refund and Rescheduling Policies on this website before registering.

Renewing the Certified Grant Writer Credential

The Certified Grant Writer® Credential is valid for 5 years from the date of the exam.  The CGW Credential may be renewed by paying the $250 CGW Renewal Fee and earning 30 Renewal Credits within the 5 year period of validity. Please login to Members Only for additional information.