Project Design and Winning Proposals

Self-Study Certificate Course

Start: Immediate Access
Time Commitment: Around 20 hours
Investment: $225 (or $150 for limited budgets)

When Good Ideas Fail to Win Funding

In humanitarian and development work, even the best project ideas struggle to secure funding. This isn't because there's anything wrong with the concept—but because they're often poorly designed or poorly communicated to donors. When project design and proposal writing are weak, organizations face:

• Rejected funding applications despite addressing critical community needs
• Wasted time on proposals that never make it past initial review
• Missed opportunities to serve communities while waiting for funding
• Projects that never launch or fail to create meaningful change

This practical training equips you with systematic approaches to design projects that deliver results for your beneficiaries and write proposals that resonate with donors. Through effective project design and proposal writing, you can:

• Transform community needs into fundable project designs
• Align your proposals with donor priorities and global frameworks
• Communicate complex concepts clearly and persuasively
• Increase proposal success rates

Who This Is For

This training is for people working in relief, development, or humanitarian contexts who design projects and write proposals. It's ideal for:

• Project managers and planners designing programs that align beneficiary needs and donor preferences
• Proposal writers seeking to improve success rates
• Program officers responsible for donor communications
• NGO staff transitioning into proposal writing roles
• Anyone whose projects depend on external funding

No prior experience needed—the course delivers clear, practical guidance for newcomers while providing strategic insights and advanced applications for seasoned practitioners.

How You'll Learn

This course offers a self-paced, practical learning experience, combining study materials, reflections, exercises, and end-of-module assessments. Designed around the real-world challenges faced by humanitarian and development professionals, the course encourages you to pause, reflect, and actively develop skills you can confidently apply to your own context as you learn.

Flexible self-study
Access practical downloadable video presentations, transcripts, handouts, exercises, templates and tasks, allowing you to learn and apply skills at your own pace.

Knowledge checks
Assessments at the end of each module test your understanding, reinforce learning, and help you reflect on key concepts.

Course Discussion Forum
Share questions, insights, and challenges with peers. Instructor Neil Kendrick monitors and responds regularly to support your progress.

Certificate of completion
Successfully complete all modules and assessments to receive your certificate.

Impact Stories

9.3/10 Rating (based on 156 reviews)

Course Details

Includes:

• Lifetime access to comprehensive modules with downloadable videos, handouts, and transcripts
• Practical templates and planning tools for immediate application
• End-of-module assessments and certificate of completion
• Course discussion forum to share insights and questions with peers

Course developed and presented by Neil Kendrick, founder of ELD Impact, with 25+ years of experience training humanitarian professionals across 20+ countries.