In the old days, grant writing has always been a job requirement for research scientists who need to fund projects year after year. But in recent times, writing a grant shouldn’t be a hassle as long as you follow the right tips and rules.
Most proposals have ended in rejection, while in most cases it gives you a chance to understand your missteps and to write better grant proposals, in other cases it’s just best to learn from other people’s mistakes in order to avoid making the same.
In this article, you are going to learn how to write a winning grant for prizes as high as $100,000. Without further delay, let’s get to it.
Research
Grant competition has never been more intense than now. It was reported in 2017 that Australia National Health and Medical Research Council funded less than 20% of grant proposals it received.
We these statistics, to increase the likelihood of success for your grant, doing extensive research is the first step.
Research different types of projects that have been financed by grants and the techniques those projects utilized. Adopt such techniques and put it to good use when starting off writing your grant proposals.
Introduction
This is where you pitch your proposal. You should read descriptions and directions carefully for any proposed grant. Always try and follow the rules and guidelines for such grants.
After doing this, carefully make a clear and focused introduction all the while making sure your project is tailored to what they are looking for.
Study successful proposal; watch out for their techniques of introduction. For example, a website called Open Grants which has over 200 grants both successful and unsuccessful which is are free to use.
And also you shouldn’t be scared of contacting the grant agency through emails or calls to discuss on their potential interest in your project. This depends on the organization as each organization has different process or protocols.
Proposal Details
After your introduction, you move on to the main part of your grant proposal. In order to succeed at this stage, you have to put yourself in the reviewer’s shoe. Most of the reviewer’s go through 100’s if not 1000’s of proposals in week.
Imaging you are tired and hungry and you start reading a grant proposal that is not straight to the point but “beats around the bush”, what would you do?
Bottom line is, make it easy for the reviewer of your grant proposal by stating clearly your introduction, mission, goals, personnel, expenses, ROI, etc. And also formatting your grant proposal is an important part says “Aerin Jacob”, a conversation scientist at the Yellowstone to Yukon conversation Initiative in Canmore, Canada.
Avoid typographical or spelling errors, lengthy proposals, ad all sort of mistakes that could limit the integrity of grant proposal.
Conclusion
After putting to practice all that has been mentioned above, you would inevitably increase your chances of success. Teaming up with collaborators can also increase your chances of writing a winning grant proposal.
Collaborate with like-minded individuals that share your passion for a particular project or service. For example if you are an NGO seeking grant from another organization, you can collaborate with other agencies that are also seeking to make a change in the same sector as you.
This would tremendously increase your chances of winning a grant that is worth up to $100,000. Check out our article for more details about how to win a grant worth up to $100,000.
