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Writing Grant Narratives for the New Era of Stricter Oversight

Federal grant narratives now need to do more than describe a good idea. They must show that the project is tightly aligned with current priorities, clearly documented, and easy to monitor from start to finish. The first strategy is to use precise, policy-aware language. Terms that feel broad or aspirational should be replaced with wording… read more

success

How Funding Is Changing & What Grant Seekers in the U.S. & Canada Need to Know

The funding landscape across the United States and Canada is undergoing significant change. Federal agencies and private foundations alike are reshaping how they allocate funds and evaluate proposals. For grant seekers, understanding these shifts is no longer optional, it is essential. Increased competition, lower success rates Across major federal agencies, proposal success rates are tightening…. read more

doctor

Navigating the New NIH Landscape: What 2025`s Changes Mean for the Future of Medical Breakthroughs

If you’ve ever benefited from a vaccine, a cancer treatment, or even just understood why sleep matters for your health, you’ve been touched by NIH-funded research. But 2025 brought seismic shifts to how that research gets funded and evaluated. Two very different types of changes reshaped the research landscape this year. First came the planned… read more

doctor

How Can the Academic Community Recover from the Impact of COVID-19

There is no question that COVID-19 has had and is having a severe impact on faculty throughout US colleges and universities. This is reflected in all areas of their work, including research, teaching, tenure and promotion and service. Findings of a recent Chronicle of Higher Education survey of faculty stress which surveyed 1,122 faculty members… read more

virtual

Going Virtual: A Paradigm Shift for Grants

With the rise of working from home, organizations and universities transitioning online, and even pandemics, it’s no surprise that video conferencing has become an integral part of our working lives. According to Video Conferencing Statistics, 94% of institutions claim that video conferencing has increased their productivity.Research to date demonstrates both the challenges and opportunities of… read more

writing

Critical Tips for Captivating Grant Writing

The focus of this blog is effective grant writing. The reviewers of your proposal will be the ultimate judges of your funding success. To assure that they are enthused, you need to address: Whose story is this? What is this about? How does the material link backward and forward? What material warrants my attention? Let’s… read more

problems

Five Common Problems Facing Grant Writers – Part II

In my last blog, I outlined various problems that workshop participants mentioned as serious concerns in their grant writing process. In this blog, I will continue with additional factors they faced. Of equal concern and pertinence are the following: Planning Ahead: “What are the steps I need to take before I write?” Grant writing takes… read more

problems

Five Common Problems Facing Grant Writers

During a recent grant training workshop I conducted in Pennsylvania, I asked participants what they considered to be the key obstacles they face in seeking, submitting and ultimately winning grants. The answers varied according to institution, discipline and experience, but the most universal problems and solutions for everyone were: Timelines: “We can never find the… read more

success

Seven Characteristics of Successful Grant Writers

Panic is often the first reaction I hear from grant writers who have not fully developed their ideas, do not have an understanding of what exactly is needed from each person on their team, and who are writing at the last minute. On the other hand, I hear cautious optimism from people who are ready… read more

review

The Final Step to Avoid Grant Rejection

I have received funding for the majority of the grants that I have submitted. One of the main reasons for my success is the pre-review process which, I believe, is a must before proposal submission. This process involves asking three different types of colleagues to provide feedback on your grant. The pre-review steps are: A… read more