The Grantsmanship Center
A grant-development training and resource organization serving nonprofit, academic, and government professionals.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Grantsmanship Center is a United States-based training and resource organization focused on grantsmanship: the planning, development, writing, submission, and management of grant proposals and related funding programs. It was established in Los Angeles in 1972 by Norton J. Kiritz, initially as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intended to help nonprofit organizations and government agencies compete for grant support. The organization later broadened its audience to include academic researchers and other professionals seeking public or philanthropic funding. The Center's work combines practical instruction, publications, funding information, and organization-specific assistance. Its training has covered federal grant applications, research proposals, nonprofit social enterprise, proposal development, and general grant-management skills. The best-known offering is the Grantsmanship Training Program, a five-day course that combines instruction on program planning and proposal writing with collaborative exercises, peer review, and funding research. Other programs have addressed competing for federal grants, research funding, unrestricted revenue generation through social enterprise, and essential grant skills for participants who need a shorter or less hands-on format. The organization began locally but expanded rapidly. By 1975, it was reportedly conducting more than 100 workshops annually throughout the United States. It also operated an office in Washington, D.C., during the late 1970s and early 1980s and has delivered international workshops when requested. Its broad client base has included nonprofit agencies, public bodies, educational institutions, researchers, and community organizations. Publishing has been an important part of the Center's identity. Norton J. Kiritz wrote Program Planning & Proposal Writing in 1972, a work that became closely associated with the Center's instructional approach and was widely regarded in the field as a foundational proposal-writing manual. A revised second edition, Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing, was published in 2017 and expanded by Barbara Floersch, a former chief of training and curriculum at the organization. The Grantsmanship Center News began in 1972, followed by The Grantsmanship Center Magazine in the 1990s; the publications' archives are held by the Library of Congress. The Center experienced a major structural change in 1984. Federal spending reductions during the Reagan administration affected the organization's operating environment, and its board recommended closing it. Kiritz instead converted the Center into a for-profit corporation, allowing the organization to continue operating under a different legal and financial structure. In 1999, it introduced an Alumni Membership Program offering continuing resources to workshop participants, including proposal review, funding databases, access to information on private foundations' Form 990-PF filings, and an online forum. Membership periods have been linked to the tuition package for qualifying courses. Norton J. Kiritz died in 2006. His wife, Cathleen, assumed responsibility for running the organization. The Center has stated that it trained more than 140,000 people by 2019. Its present-day positioning remains centered on applied grant education and professional resources rather than acting primarily as a grantmaker or a conventional public-relations consultancy.
History
The Grantsmanship Center was founded in Los Angeles in 1972 by Norton J. Kiritz. It began as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit intended to provide grantsmanship instruction to nonprofit organizations and government agencies. Its initial focus was the practical craft of developing fundable programs and presenting them effectively in grant proposals. Kiritz also wrote Program Planning & Proposal Writing in the founding year, establishing a publication-based teaching model alongside the Center's workshops. The organization expanded beyond its original Los Angeles base during the 1970s. By 1975, it was conducting more than 100 workshops each year in locations across the United States. During the late 1970s and early 1980s, it also maintained an office in Washington, D.C. Its courses served people with different levels of experience, from new grant seekers to professionals responsible for institutional fundraising, government applications, and research support. A significant institutional change occurred in 1984. Federal spending cutbacks associated with the Reagan administration reduced the funding environment in which the Center operated. The board recommended that the organization close, but Kiritz converted it into a for-profit corporation instead. This change allowed the Center to continue its educational and publishing activities under a new legal form. The Center continued developing a portfolio of specialized training. Its programs addressed general proposal writing, federal grant competition, research proposals, nonprofit social enterprise, and essential grant skills. It also created customized workshops for clients and, in some programs, arranged question-and-answer sessions with local grantmakers. Project Grantsmanship was described as receiving substantial tuition support from several philanthropic funders, helping make participation more accessible to selected groups. In 1999, the Center launched an Alumni Membership Program. The program extended the relationship beyond a single workshop by providing services such as proposal review, funding databases, information drawn from private-foundation Form 990-PF filings, and an online forum. Depending on the course, tuition could include six or twelve months of membership. Publishing remained central to the Center's identity. The Grantsmanship Center News began in 1972, while The Grantsmanship Center Magazine was published from the early 1990s through 2005. At their height, the publications reportedly reached a circulation of approximately 200,000 copies, and their archives are available through the Library of Congress. A revised second edition of the organization's signature proposal-writing text appeared in 2017, expanded by former chief of training and curriculum Barbara Floersch. Kiritz died in 2006, after which his wife Cathleen took over the running of the organization. The Center has also delivered workshops internationally when requested, although its principal base and much of its reported activity remain in the United States. By 2019, it had trained more than 140,000 people. Its continuing role is that of a specialized grant-development educator and resource provider for nonprofit, academic, and public-sector audiences.
- 2019
More than 140,000 people trained
[1]Reference material stated that the Center had trained more than 140,000 people since 1972.
- 2017
Second edition of Grantsmanship published
[1]Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing, Second Edition, was updated and expanded by Barbara Floersch.
- 2006
Leadership passes to Cathleen Kiritz
[1]Following Norton J. Kiritz's death, his wife Cathleen assumed responsibility for running the organization.
- 1999
Alumni Membership Program launches
[1]The Center introduced an alumni program offering continuing proposal, funding-information, and peer-network resources.
- 1984
Conversion to a for-profit corporation
[1]After federal spending reductions affected the organization, Kiritz converted the Center from its nonprofit structure into a for-profit corporation rather than closing it.
- 1975
National workshop expansion
[1]The Center was conducting more than 100 workshops annually across the United States.
- 1972
The Grantsmanship Center is founded
[1]Norton J. Kiritz founded the organization in Los Angeles as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving nonprofit organizations and government agencies.
- 1972
First proposal-writing publication
[1]Kiritz wrote and published Program Planning & Proposal Writing, which became a central text associated with the Center's teaching approach.
Products and positioning
Practical, skills-oriented grant-development education for nonprofit, academic, and government organizations, combining workshops, publications, funding research tools, and continuing alumni resources.
Workshop
Grantsmanship Training Program
The Center's principal five-day workshop for novice and experienced grant seekers. Participants learn program-planning and proposal-writing fundamentals, work in groups to develop sample proposals, review other groups' work, and investigate potential funding sources. The format emphasizes applied practice rather than lecture-only instruction.
Workshop
Competing for Federal Grants
A five-day course focused on pursuing grants from the United States government. It addresses the specialized requirements and competitive process associated with federal funding applications.
Seminar
Research Proposal Workshop
A three-day seminar designed to help researchers develop proposals and seek financial support for research projects. The program extends the Center's grantsmanship methods into academic and research-funding contexts.
Nonprofit training
Social Enterprise for Nonprofits
A two-day program addressing ways nonprofit organizations can generate unrestricted revenue through social-enterprise activities. It complements restricted-grant fundraising with instruction on broader financial sustainability.
Workshop
Essential Grant Skills
A shorter two-day grant-skills course that omits the hands-on group portion of the longer Grantsmanship Training Program. It is designed for participants seeking a condensed introduction to core grant-development practices.
Subsidized training
Project Grantsmanship
A subsidized training initiative for which reference material reported that approximately 90 percent of tuition was covered by the Annenberg Foundation, Dwight Stuart Youth Fund, Ralph M. Parsons Foundation, and California Community Foundation. The program also included access to local grantmakers for questions and discussion.
Membership service · 1999
Alumni Membership Program
Introduced in 1999, the alumni program extended workshop benefits through services such as proposal review, funding databases, access to private-foundation Form 990-PF information, and an online forum. Course tuition could include a six- or twelve-month membership period.
Publication · 1972
Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing
The Center's signature instructional publication, originating with Norton J. Kiritz's 1972 Program Planning & Proposal Writing. A revised second edition was published in 2017 and expanded by Barbara Floersch, a former chief of training and curriculum at the Center.
Brand decisions
1999
Launch the Alumni Membership ProgramStrategyBackground
The Center sought to provide ongoing value after its workshops rather than limiting its relationship with participants to classroom tuition.
Action taken
It created a membership program offering proposal review, funding information, foundation filings, and an online alumni forum.
Aftermath
Workshop participants could receive six or twelve months of membership depending on the course they attended.
1984
Convert the organization into a for-profit corporationStrategyBackground
Federal spending reductions during the Reagan administration affected the operating environment and contributed to a board recommendation that the organization close.
Action taken
Founder Norton J. Kiritz converted The Grantsmanship Center from its original nonprofit structure into a for-profit corporation.
Aftermath
The organization continued its training, publishing, and resource activities under a different legal and financial structure.
Recent events
- 2019
The Grantsmanship Center reaches more than 140,000 people trained[1]
Other
Reference material reported that the Center had trained more than 140,000 people since its founding.
- 2017
Revised Grantsmanship proposal-writing book published[1]
Product launch
A second edition of Grantsmanship: Program Planning & Proposal Writing was published with updates and expansion by Barbara Floersch.
Sources2 sources
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