Gardner-Webb Searight Professional and Continuing Education (PACE) Offers Grant Writing Certificate to Equip Professionals

Five-Session Program Taught by Dr. Bobbie Cox Provides Hands-on Training in Developing Competitive Proposals

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C.—Gardner-Webb University is offering a comprehensive Grant Writing Certificate through Searight Professional and Continuing Education (PACE). Taught by Dr. Bobbie Cox, professor and director of the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, the five-session training is designed for professionals in law enforcement, nonprofits, churches, and government agencies. The series equips participants with the skills needed to identify funding opportunities, research potential sources, develop proposals, and present full grant packages.

In-person classes will be held on the GWU campus from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on May 1, 15, 22 and 29. An online session is scheduled for May 8.

Cox, whose career spans public administration, criminal justice, higher education leadership, and extensive grant acquisition, has taught hundreds of students and helped local non-profit leaders to secure funding for community initiatives. She emphasized that grant writing is a practical, learnable skill with significant impact.

“I teach all the different steps of grant writing, and participants can apply for grants and get free money they don’t have to pay back in most instances—around 90 percent,” Cox explained. “The first step is to identify the need. You have to prove why your idea matters, using research, data, and statistics. That foundation determines everything else.”

Building on those fundamentals, Chad Woods, senior pastor of Great Hope Baptist Church in Conover, N.C., who took the course last spring, appreciated gaining knowledge about additional avenues to finance the ministry. These new insights, he said, help lessen the burden on the steadfast generosity of their longtime supporters.

This practical perspective is reinforced throughout the program. Participants in the certificate series learn how to align their organization’s mission with the priorities of foundations, corporations, and government agencies. Cox noted that understanding this alignment is the heart of successful grant writing.

“The key to a grant is looking at all those sources and determining if your need meets their initiative,” she asserted. “The single most important lesson is that the need and the funder’s initiative have to be the same thing—and it takes a lot of reading and research to do that well.”

Through real-world examples, Cox will teach participants how to communicate with funding organizations, assess eligibility, and strengthen proposals before writing begins. The series will also feature guest speakers, who share practical insights about successful and unsuccessful proposals.

Past speakers have included the Rev. Dr. Lamont Littlejohn, GWU Board of Trustees chair and pastor of Mt. Calvary Church in Shelby, N.C.; GWU President Nate Evans; Ray Hardee, pastor and GWU adjunct professor of human services; Dr. Nicole Waters, GWU provost and vice president of academic affairs and professor of nursing; Dr. Anthony Negbenebor, GWU professor of economics and international business and assistant vice president for Business Development and Partnerships; and Dr. Robert Canoy, former dean of the GWU School of Divinity

“Before you do any writing at all, go to the website, look up the phone number, and make a call,” she advised. “Ask them, ‘Would this be something your organization would consider?’ That conversation can save weeks of work.”

Cox’s instruction draws from decades of experience, including securing funding for law enforcement agencies and multi-county task forces. Past grants she has written have provided equipment, vehicles, officer training, and large-scale public safety initiatives.

Program Overview

The Gardner-Webb Grant Writing Certificate (PACE 660) provides:

• A practical, hands-on curriculum covering the full grant development process.
• Skills in identifying funding opportunities, writing proposals, and planning implementation.
• Guidance from experienced professionals across multiple fields.
• A completed, presentation-ready grant proposal.
• 50 continuing education hours, which may be applied as four academic credits toward the Master of Public Administration degree.

Program Value and Audience

Grant writing is considered a high-demand skill across many sectors, particularly nonprofits, education, government, and community-based organizations. Individuals who complete this program gain a competitive credential for career advancement and organizational impact.

Tuition

$900 (originally $2,200)

Note: Tuition reflects the Searight PACE fee schedule at the time of publication. Visit the official Searight PACE Admissions page for updated pricing.

Gardner-Webb University is North Carolina’s recognized leader in private, Christian higher education. A Carnegie-Classified Doctoral/Professional University, GWU is home to nine colleges and schools, more than 80 undergraduate and graduate majors, and a world-class faculty. Located on a beautiful 225-acre campus in Boiling Springs, N.C., Gardner-Webb prepares graduates to impact their chosen professions, equips them with the skills to advance the frontiers of knowledge, and inspires them to make a positive and lasting difference in the lives of others. Become More at gardner-webb.edu.