What You Should Consider While Writing a Grant

Mathilda Harris

I just finished reviewing proposals in a grant competition, and it became obvious to me and others on the panel the characteristics of good grantsmanship. Needless to say, professional looking grants that have well developed requests have the edge. Ultimately, great ideas that are well-packaged are what will rise to the top of competitions. Thinking of the grants that I just reviewed, the following four points is what I believe is essential for you to consider:

  1. Design First, Write Second

Success in grant writing means the components of your proposal must fit together like puzzle pieces. Each specific objective will have activities that lead to time lines, personnel, evaluations, outcomes, and budgets. Once defined, you can begin to translate these pieces into narrative and visual form. Use this approach for more effective in team discussions, both prior to submission and during implementation.

  1. Focus on the Heart

Four sentences comprise the heart of your proposal. For project proposals, these statements are the goal and three objectives. Researchers will look to the goal, the hypothesis (project proposals don’t usually incorporate this), and three specific aims as the heart of the grant. Until you have these critical statements settled, your proposal will not come together. Brevity is necessary; these statements should not be run on sentences. Remember: your proposal is a business plan, not a novel!

  1. Emphasize Key Parts

Although every piece of a grant is important, two need more attention than the others. First, consider your abstract. It is the only page every reviewer reads thoroughly, and – in many instances – where he or she draws an opinion about your proposal. Don’t let your abstract become an afterthought. After you finish writing your proposal, allow several hours to compose this single page. The second consideration is your need statement or statement of significance. This piece carries approximately 30% of the importance of your proposal. Don’t underestimate the amount of time necessary to craft a solid need statement. It must answer the question “so what?”, and make a sound and logical argument for funding your proposal.

  1. Don’t Make Reviewers Work

Grant writers sometimes make a major error in focusing their attention on the RFP. Although this makes sense on the surface, it is a fatal flaw. What the requester thinks and how the reviewer assesses a grant are two very different schools of thought. The requester wants to say as much as possible, since he or she has one chance to get the point across. The reviewer wants brevity and clarity in the 10 to 25 proposals that he or she has to review. If you make the reviewer work, it will count against you. To paraphrase the NIH, think of yourself as a used car salesperson selling a used car to a group of seasoned used car salespersons.

Remember the three Cs: Credibility, Creativity and Collaboration will get you to the top of competitions

Mathilda Harris

Director at Grant Training Center
Over the past 18 years, she has written grants, conducted capital campaigns, developed strategic plans for grant procurement, and assisted individuals and institutions to write winning proposals for various donors.

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