Getting a Grasp on Grant Writing

Simple steps to writing clear proposals.

1. Who's going to be reading this anyways?

Most likely, not someone with a background in your particular area. Applicants need to write their applications like they are writing to a 5th grader with no understanding of your acronyms or assumptions about your program.

2. Be creative, not generic.

Imagine you are a reviewer and in front of you sits a pile of applications filled with the same questions. Every applicant wrote well, has an important program and impressive data. How will one application rise above another? By being creative! Make your application standout with a creative story, video, or photo. The reviewers are humans with hearts and minds that prefer to be interested in a meaningful story that conveys why your mission is important. Don't be afraid to literally show the reviewer how you are making an impact.

3. Be creative, but also nerdy

Let's not forget about the importance of proper statistics when compelling reviewers to fund your program/project. Applicants need to be diligent about citing sources when applicable. Local data should be used if possible. Statistics are the bread and butter of your applications and inconsistencies, no matter how minor, jump out. Be mindful that if inconsistencies are present, the reviewers aren't going to think that's creative, but rather question your validity.