Winning Grant Proposal after Planning and Writing a Grant Proposal: The Basics
How to Submit a Winning Grant Proposal?
Grant proposals relate to the research projects that are expected to have a specific delivery time and demonstrate the final outcome that will be achieved when sufficient funding is received. If a research project does not show any tangible results, it will not get any funding. Therefore, a winning grant proposal is the one that is thoroughly planned, organized, and written.
How to Write a Grant Proposal?
Since a professional grant proposal writing is a formal inquiry for funding that can be obtained from a governmental or non-governmental institution, it should be written in a clear and properly organized way. Besides, it should depict what benefits can be derived when the research is implemented. The organization that grants you money is called a grantee and usually grantees expect from grant applicants to provide a detailed research plan of the study.
Difference between Grant Proposal and Grant Letter Writing
For a novice scholar or a student with little experience in grant applications, it is really easy to confuse a grant proposal and a grant letter. Even though they are different in their organization, they have the same underlying purpose – they intend to raise money for a specific research project.
In essence, a grant proposal is a standard formal document that includes such sections as the research project summary, a cover letter attached, and formulation of the problem statement. It is obligatory to follow the structure and adhere to all recommendations in a great detail. As a rule, the length of the professional grant writing is approximately 25 pages in length. However, you need to check this word count issue with grantees since they often provide different requirements and sometimes prefer to deal with shorter proposals.
A grant letter is a smaller document that is a kind of a grant proposal template that enables a grantee to walk through each stage of research writing. Therefore, an investor is able to get a general idea of the research project without delving into details. When writing a grant letter, try to be precise and succinct.
Grant Proposal Writing Tips
1. Writing a proposal summary
The summary section has 2-3 paragraphs, where an applicant should sum up the core aspects of a project. Be specific and provide enough background details that your investor should be aware of. Even though the proposal summary is the very first chapter your investor may look through, you should actually write this section after you have your proposal completed.
2. How to write a good grant proposal introduction
The introduction should contain information about key stuff that are responsible for the completion of the project. It would be advisable to keep records of success stories of the company as well as its policy, philosophy, and goals. Specifically, you should mention what is so significant about a company that it should be selected. If there are any customer feedbacks, recommendations, etc., include them in the proposal as well. Certificates, insurance details, and licenses are to be included if they are available.
If you want to provide a winning grant proposal, you should mention that your organization or company has necessary expertise to meet all requirements and obligations.
3. Formulate a central problem statement
This is the equivalent of a thesis statement in an essay, where you need to specify the core aim of professional grant proposal writing. To come up with a strong problem statement, you may need to do some preliminary research on how the central problem appeared and what caused it. You will definitely need to indicate how your suggestions and proposals will help you deal with the issue.
4. Project objectives
Project aims are more general in terms of what you want to reach in the end, while objectives are specific ways and strategies on how the desired outcomes and results can be achieved.
Key Performance Indicators (KPI) should be clearly identified and explained on when they will be taken (dates) and how they will be measured.
5. Project design
Outline the skills and abilities needed for helping the project succeed. Provide examples of support services, transportation, and other facilities that may be needed to deliver a successful project. To keep track of the writing process, be sure to specify requirements and explain any individual tasks available. For example, specify the project schedule and how much time you need for each project implementation stage.
6. Evaluation of the project
Project evaluation comprises two stages: evaluation of the product and of the whole process. Include a specific timeframe, where you will carefully evaluate the needed skills and products for implementation of the project.
Keep in mind that the evaluation process may be rather costly and it should include specific criteria input upon entry and exit. Be sure to specify how the evaluation stage can help in budget planning.
7. Potential funding
This section focuses on extra funding that may be needed beyond the project implementation process. For example, you may cover additional project maintenance, overall cost of the ownership, operational support, etc. Try to plan potential costs for the next five years.
An accurate cost model is the one that contains such aspects as specialist skills, potential development of the project, inflation risks, and other expenses.
8. Project budget
What is the specific sum of money that is required to produce desired results? Be sure to provide arguments for the need of each expense and justify your reasons.
Keep in mind that this project budget section is the backbone of your proposal since it will decide whether your grantee will give the needed funding. If you overcharge costs, there are all probabilities that your application will be rejected.
Many companies hope to attract the grantee and later announce some extra charges but it is not a good option to take as it may negatively affect the overall company’s reputation and brand.
How to Write a Grant Proposal Step by Step: Five Additional Tips
- Familiarize yourselves with the funding criteria. Make sure your grant proposal follows the recommendations and requirements.
- Manage the project well: plan in advance, lead the project, and deliver it successfully.
- Get to know your grantee and its requirements. Meet their goals in order to get the funding.
- Make sure your idea is unique.
- Double-check whether the benefits that you derive from getting the grant are measurable and tangible. They should be worth the invested money.
Asking for Funding from Different Organizations
If you wonder how to write a winning grant proposal, you should definitely get the essence of the writing principles as your skills will have a direct impact on whether you are given funding or not. One good option to increase your chances of getting money is to apply for grants from various industries.
How to Write a Proposal for a Grant of Scientific Nature?
You need to demonstrate the correlation between your topic and the scientific field of your choice. It is essential to support your statement with sufficient data from updated and credible sources: facts, evidence, examples, and other research data in the scientific field. Even though you may be writing on a scientific topic, make word choice clear and simple for comprehension.
How to Write a Successful Grant Proposal for Education?
Apart from generally describing the process, you will need to specify how you will make an education system better. You may focus on such areas as the improvement in students’ productivity, betterment of the time-management, easing the learning process and making it more interesting, etc.
How to Write a Grant Proposal for Funding in the Area of Art
For many people, a core aspect here is to have enough inspiration and be creative. However, in essence, you just need to have a clear vision on the things to improve in the sphere of art. Further, you need to convey a message to your grantee even if they are not aware of the kind of art you work on. Explain the idea in simple words so that anybody could understand it with ease.