How can someone make an effective grant proposal?

Answer 1

The Foundation Center http://foundationcenter.org/ is a nonprofit organization established in 1956, and today supported by more than 600 foundations. The Foundation Center is the nation's leading authority on philanthropy, connecting nonprofits and the grantmakers supporting them to tools they can use and information they can trust.

Their FAQs pages lists resources for the following areas of interest: http://foundationcenter.org/getstarted/faqs/

How do I find out about grants for my area of interest?
What is a foundation?
How can I learn about proposal writing?
Where can I find examples of grant proposals?
How do I establish a nonprofit organization?
Where can I find information on corporate giving?
Where can I find information about government grants?
What are Forms 990-PF and where can I find them?
Where can I find information on grants to individuals?
Where can I find information on college scholarships and fellowships?
Where can I find information on funding to start a business?
Where can I find information on employee salaries and compensation in the nonprofit sector?
Where can I find information on fundraising and accounting software packages for my nonprofit organization?
Where can I find statistical data on U.S. charities?
Where can I find information on grants to non-U.S. organizations?