1st-step

The Most Important Advice for New Grant Writers

Several million dollars in funding, heaps of grant proposals that have been implemented, numerous partnerships, and many interdisciplinary successes have taught me that grant writing is a process. Like any other skill, it takes passion, preparation, credibility, and perseverance. If you are writing your first grant proposal, it is extremely important you remember the following… read more

fatal

Five Lethal Research Grant Flaws

The success rate for scientific proposals can be as low as 12%. Poor writing, insufficient preliminary data, and a deficient literature review can all contribute to rejection, but are fixable. On the other hand, the five most fatal flaws which follow are very difficult to overcome even with multiple submissions. Lack of significance To help… read more

problem

What’s the Problem with Your Problem Statement?

When examining research grant proposals submitted to funding agencies, I am always amazed at the lack of detail in problem statements. The most common issue is that the “so what” question or the hook of the proposal is missing, and if it exists, it is often difficult to locate. Also, the problem description is often… read more

first step

Six Necessary Steps for Grant Success

A failed grant request can lead to disappointment, doubt in one’s ability, confusion about what to do next, lowered morale, and perhaps even unwillingness to try again. Consequently, as grant procurement becomes more complex and competitive; how do you improve your chances of success? Follow these five simple steps to achieve great results: Employ a… read more

plug

10 Errors That Will Disqualify Your Grant

Poorly written proposals often contain small issues that could have easily been remedied if one had paid close attention to detail. On the other hand, there are other major errors that can immediately disqualify a proposal from being funded, such as the lack of research depth, a bad idea, weak institutional support, and unqualified personnel…. read more

plan

10 Key Ingredients of Winning Proposals

There are numerous components that comprise a winning proposal, and there are many factors that ultimately lead to the donor’s decision to fund or not to fund a proposal. The key elements, however, begin with a solid idea, continue with a clear business plan and end with deliverables that are evidence-based. Specifically, winning proposals should… read more

NSF logo

Navigating the National Science Foundation Website

Becoming familiar with the various resources available on the funding agency’s website is the first step in learning how to write a successful grant proposal. For example, the applicant should show familiarity with the mission and the strategic plan of the funding agency. What are the key words in these documents? The applicant should use… read more

shake

Why You Cannot Afford to Bypass Collaboration

I once had the good fortune of being able to receive funds for collaborative research from a well-known, wealthy, international donor. He asked me what I thought would be the most productive way for him to spend his money for faculty grants. Since I was then working at a university, I asked if he could… read more

humanities

How to Write a Successful Humanities Grant

In the many grant writing workshops I teach throughout the United States and Canada, participants who are interested in humanities grants frequently ask me what their odds of being funded are, and if there is a magic formula to obtaining a grant. Given that thousands of applications are submitted yearly to the National Endowment for… read more