The Certified Grant Writer® Credential is the industry standard for professionals in the field of grant writing.  The credential documents that the professional has demonstrated proficiency in grant researching, proposal writing, budgeting and professional ethics.  The credential is valid for a period of 5 years and may be renewed by earning 30 CGW Renewal Credits.

This package is appropriate for staff from Nonprofit Organizations, Educational Institutions, Health Organizations, Native Tribes, and Government Agencies.  The Certified Grant Writer® Online Package includes the following 4 components:

• An annual Individual Membership in American Grant Writers' Association,
• Program Development and Proposal Writing Online Course,
• One-day in-person Certified Grant Writer® Review Course taken in a group setting,
• Certified Grant Writer® Examination taken in a group setting. 

Program Development and Proposal Writing Online Course
Learning is individual and self-paced during this online course. This intermediate level course teaches the student the finer points of grant writing, enabling the proposals and applications to be more competitive. During the assignments sudents will write sections of a grant proposal for an actual or hypothetical business.   Students are assigned an instructor who is a Certified Grant Writer® and will correspond with the instructor by e-mail.  The instructor will send course materials and assignments one section at a time; there are a total of 6 Sections.  Assignments in one section must be completed before proceeding to the next section.  Students have 6 months to complete assignments beginning on the date of purchase, however most students complete the assignments in 6-8 weeks.   A 90-day extension is available for a $100 fee.   The emphasis is on program support, program development support, and operating support.  Research grants and construction grants are mentioned, but not discussed in depth.  Participants receive all of the course materials by e-mail from the online instructor.  A Certificate of Completion is available for students who complete all of the assignments.  Students are requested to complete a Course Evaluation at the conclusion of the course. The following topics will be covered in the online course:

• Grant Teams and the Development Office
• Nonprofit Organizations - Exempt Status and Charitable Status
• Standards of Charitable Accountability
• Program development using a logic model
• Understanding a Foundation's 990 PF
• Evaluating Government NOFAs and Foundation RFPs
• Researching statistics to document the Problem Statement
• Writing goals and measurable objectives and outcomes
• Planning program evaluations
• Writing the Letter of Inquiry, proposals and applications to Foundations and corporations
• Writing Government Grants
• Professional Standards and Code of Ethics of American Grant Writers' Association
• Planning Budgets for Foundation and Federal Grants

We strongly recommend students complete assignments in the last section, Budgeting, before attending the CGW Review Course and sitting for the CGW Exam.  For the online course a student may use a computer with any operating system, any internet brower, and the following Software:  Word, Excel, and Adobe Reader.  The student will also need a e-mail account to correspond with the instructor.

Upon successful completion of the course assignments and course evaluation the student will be mailed a Certificate of Completion within 10 business days.

Certified Grant Writer® Review Course
This course is a one-day workshop in a group setting.  Attendance is not required to sit for the CGW Exam, but it is strongly recommended.  If a student has not successfully completed all of the PDPW Online Course assignments, we strongly recommend the CGW Review Course and CGW Exam be rescheduled to a later date/location.   Please refer to our web page "Refunds and Rescheduling" for rescheduling policies.  Course materials are distributed at the workshop.  The course covers study tips as well as content for all 5 sections of the examination.  It begins 8:30 AM and concludes at  5:30 PM with a 1 hour lunch break; morning and afternoon breaks are provided.  Students should bring a handheld calculator, pencils with erasers, and a sweater or jacket. Prior to attending the CGW Review Course students should be familiar with APA style, should know how to save a Word file to a USB drive, and know how to print a file from a USB drive.

Certified Grant Writer® Examination 
The exam is always administered by American Grant Writers' Association by a proctor with a Certified Grant Writer® Credential.  The exam is administered in 3 sessions:

• Session 1
  • Section 1 -- Program Development and Proposal Writing
  • Section 2 -- Researching Grant Opportunities
  • Section 3 -- Professional Ethics
• Session 2
  • Section 4 -- Preparing Budgets
• Session 3
  • Section 5 -- Writing Samples

The exam is administered in a group setting from 8:30 AM until 4:45 PM.  Students should plan travel arrangements so that they are scheduled to depart the meeting room no earlier than 4:45 PM.  We recommend scheduling airline flights after 7:00 PM.

Students are required to provide the following for the CGW Exam:

• Laptop computer with a USB port and Word software for the Writing Sample Section
• Handheld calculator with no text capability for the Budget Section
• State Issued Photo ID, such as a driver's license, or Passport, for proof of identity and mimimum age

Recommended Reading
All of the course materials for the Program Development and Proposal Writing Online Course and CGW Review Course are provided.  We recommend reading the following book to enrich the learning experience:

• The writing reference is APA Manual of Style.  Many writers prefer to use The Concise rules of APA Style, available from www.apastyle.org.  Students should be familiar with APA style prior to attending.

Prerequisites: 

• A Bachelor's Degrees is strongly recommended, but not required. 
• One year of experience in grant writing and budgeting is recommended, but not required.  We strongly recommend students with little or no experience take the Introduction to Grant Writing Online Course prior to enrolling in this package.
• A strong math aptitude (Algebra I) is recommended to be successful in the budgeting section. 
• The minimum age to sit for the exam is 21 years old.  Proof of identity from a State issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, or Passport, must be shown to the proctor prior to sitting for the exam.
• Familiarity with APA style is strongly recommended. 

Price:
The price is $799 per person for the CGW Online Package.  Group discounts are not available.

Passing the Certified Grant Writer Exam
A score of 80% is required to pass each section, except a score of 90% is required to pass the Professional Standards and Code of Ethics section.  Students receive their grades and CGW Credential 4 weeks after taking the exam.  

Students who do not pass all 5 sections of the exam on the first sitting are entitled to sit for the Certified Grant Writer Exam a second time, free of charge.  For the second sitting, the student needs to only retest in the sections that did not receive a passing score during the first setting.  A student may also attend the CGW Review Course a second time, free of charge.  The second sitting must be scheduled within 12 months from the first exam, with a one year grace period, for a total of 24 months.  The student must be a member of the association when scheduling and taking the exam, so a student may need to renew his/her membership.  A private sitting is available (for the second sitting only) for an additional fee of $299 plus travel expenses of the proctor.  The private sitting is always administered by American Grant Writers' Association by a proctor who holds a Certified Grant Writer® Credential.

If a member needs to sit for the exam a third time, he/she will need to wait 12 months after the second exam and register for the CGW Review Course and Exam for an additional $499 fee.  He/she will need to be a member on the date of registrtion and date of the CGW Exam.

CEU Certificate
As an IACET Approved Provider, AGWA offers CEUs.  Students must purchase the CEU Certificate prior to turning in the first assignment to the online instructor.  To earn 4.7 CEUs the student must
complete all online assignments, have full attendance at the Review Course, and complete all Review Course assignments.

Rescheduling, Cancellation, and Refund Policies
For rescheduling, cancellation, and refund policies, please refer to our web page "Refund and Rescheduling Policies" prior to making your purchase.  Prior to making your purchase please read our pages "Debit/Cardit Card Purchases" and "Professional Ethics and Standards". 

Persons with Disabilities
Persons with disabilities may request accommodations at the CGW Review Course and CGW Exam.  Requests must be in writing (mail or e-mail) and be received no less than 2 weeks prior to the date of the Review Course.

Current Members
Current members who purchase this package will receive one additional year added to his/her current membership.

Questions
Current students, or prospective students, with questions about registering, course materials, examination, or technical support may contact AGWA's Customer Service by phone or e-mail.

Training Funds
If your company is seeking training funds, you might want to contact the Workforce Development Board in your County.  Some of the boards offer training funds to employers to reimburse up to 50% of training registration expense.

Starting your Grant Consulting Business Workshop
This workshop is offered on Wednesday evening from 6-8 PM.  If you are registered in the Online CGW Package, you may upgrade your registration to include this workshop package for just $49.00 (a $249 value).  The $49 sale price is available for a limited time.   Click below for more details or to purchase. 

June 14-15, 2013 in Chicago, IL  (Registration closed May 1, 2013)

• Location:  Crowne Plaza Northbrook
• Address:  2875 N Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook, IL  60062
• Phone:  847-298-2525
• A block of rooms has been reserved for our meeting at the group rate of $104 plus tax per night.  The group rate will only be available until May 26, 2013 as long as space is available, so make your reservations early.  To make hotel reservations call 847-298-2525 or 877-277-6963 and ask for group code AGW.
• If you are driving to the hotel, parking is complimentary.
• If you are flying into O'Hare or Midway Airports, transportation is provided by taxi, limo, or shared van outside the baggage claim area.  The hotel is closer to O'Hare Airport than Midway Airport.

August 16-17, 2013 in Atlanta, GA  (Registration closes July 5, 2013)

• Location:  Crowne Plaza Atlanta Airport
• Address:  1325 Virginia Ave, Atlanta GA  30344
• Hotel Phone:  404-768-6660
• A block of rooms has been reserved for our group at the rate of $105 + tax per night.  The group rate will only be available until July 20, 2013, as long as space is available.
• If you are flying into Atlanta Airport, the hotel provides complimentary transportation from the airport to the hotel.  Board the hotel shuttle outside the baggage claim area.
• If you are driving to the hotel, self-parking is available for $4 per vehicle per day.  Hotel guests have in and out parking privileges, meeting only guests do not have in and out parking privileges.  Valet parking is $12 per vehicle per day.

October 18-19, 2013 in Newport Beach, CA  (Registration closes Sep 6, 2013)

• Location:  Radisson Hotel Newport Beach
• Hotel address:  4545 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach CA   92660
• Hotel phone:  949-833-0570
• A block of rooms has been reserved for us at the group rate of $113 per night plus taxes for a room with 2 doubles or 1 king bed.  This rate will only be available until 9/29/2013 or as long as space is available.  To make hotel reservations, please call 949-833-0570 or 800-333-3333, or e-mail at asimsim@radissonnewportbeach.com, and ask for the AGWA group rate.
• If you are flying into Orange County John Wayne Airport the hotel will provide complimentary round-trip transportation from the airport to the hotel.  Upon arrival in the baggage claim area, call the hotel to arrange your transfer.
• If you are driving to the hotel, parking is complimentary

​November 18-19, 2013 in Arlington, VA  (Registation closes Oct 7, 2013)

• Location:  Sheraton Pentagon City
• Hotel Address:  900 South Orme Street, Arlington VA  22204
• Hotel Phone:  703-521-1900
• A block of rooms has been reserved our our group at the rate of $159 + tax per night.  The group rate will only be available until Friday, October 28, 2013 as long as space is available.  To make hotel reservations please call 800-325-3535 and ask for the American Grant Writers Association group rate.
• If you are flying into Washington D.C.'s Raegan National Airport the hotel will provide complimentary transfer from the airport to the hotel by van between 5 AM and 11 PM.  The van is located outside of the baggage claim area.  
• If you are driving to the hotel overnight parking is $22.50 per night.  Meeting guests may park at the hotel for $18.00 per day.

​Feb 21-22, 2014 in Orlando, FL   (Registration closes Jan 6, 2014)

• Location:  International Palms Resort and Conference Center
• Address:  6515 International Drive, Orlando FL  32819
• Hotel Phone:  407-351-3500
• A block of rooms has been reserved at the group rate of $80.99 per night plus taxes.  The group rate will be available until 2/3/2014, as long as space is available.  To make your hotel reservations please call 407-351-3500 or 800-354-8332 or email reservations@internationalpalms.com and ask for the AGWA group rate.
• If you are flying into the Orlando Airport, transportation to the hotel is available outside the baggage claim area by taxi, shared van, or limo.  If you want to reserve a seat on a shared van with Town and Country Transportation for about $18 each way, please call 407-828-3035.
• If you are driving to the hotel, parking is complimentary.

May 9-10, 2014 in Chicago, IL  (Registration closes March 28, 2014)

• Location:  Crown Plaza Northbrook
• Address:  2875 N Milwaukee Ave, Northbrook, IL   60062
• Phone:  847-298-2525
• A block of rooms has been reserved at the group rate of $104 plus tax per night.  The group rate will only be available until April 13, 2014, as long as space is available.  To make hotel reservations call 847-298-2525.
• If you are driving to the hotel, parking is complimentary.
• If you flying into O'Hare or Midway Airports, transportation by taxi, shared van, or limosine is available outside the baggage claim area.  The hotel is closer to O'Hare Airport than Midway Airport.