Assess the purpose the grant is intended to fulfill. Throughout the process, you’ll want to make sure to highlight your organization’s contribution to this purpose, both in the past and in the present. [2] X Trustworthy Source Kansas University Center for Community Health and Development Community-based research center focused on supporting public health development and education Go to source For example, if the grant is intended to promote education, you’ll want to make sure to highlight your organization’s educational activities, donations, etc. Before you start writing—brainstorm. What are the strong points of your organization? Your program? What are your best arguments and examples? These ideas give you a place to start writing. [3] X Research source
Who you are, explained as if the grantor has never heard of your organization before. [4] X Research source What your project is, and specifically what you plan to do. [5] X Trustworthy Source Kansas University Center for Community Health and Development Community-based research center focused on supporting public health development and education Go to source How much you’re asking for, and exactly what you’ll use the money for. [6] X Research source If the grant requires an abstract, this summary statement will serve as your first draft.
Expand each point as needed to fully explain each section. Use the grantor’s request for proposals (RFP) or criteria as the basis. The outline should follow, painstakingly, the sequence and terms prescribed by the grantor.
The truth is that grantors are usually very specific in what they are looking for (and sometimes a bit odd, but that’s their choice), and will rarely deviate from their category. You may have the very best purple widget in the world, but if the grant is only for the producers of red widgets, you won’t get the grant.
Look at your brainstorm ideas and your outline, and start with the questions that you have the most answers for. If you get stuck on one question, work on another one for a while. [10] X Research source Focus on the parts of your project that they’ll like best—use their guidelines for clues. For example, if they’re partial to environmental responsibility, and part of your project is using renewable resources for energy, make that stand out. Where appropriate, highlight your organization’s partnerships with other groups. This builds credibility and legitimacy.
If you say, for example, “I want this grant so that I can help the community,” you won’t get nearly the credibility as you would by saying “This grant will allow us to buy two new computers, and create two part-time paid staff positions in an area where jobs for high school students are very difficult to find. "
You can use the key words and phrases you underlined in the application. But don’t worry about getting fancy—just say what you have to say, briefly and clearly. Review your original summary. Make sure it exactly reflects the proposal you’ve actually written—your ideas might have changed!
If it says that the grant must be submitted via the online form, don’t even bother to ask if you can send it via fax. Unlike employment applications, in which it sometimes pays to be original, grant committees have rules in place for a specific reason, and they expect them to be followed to the letter. To do otherwise may mean that your application will be disqualified before it ever gets read.
Take time to have at least two people proofread your proposal before you submit it—and then read it out loud to yourself to make sure. [15] X Research source Some say reading something from back to front is a good way to catch errors you might otherwise miss, but do whatever you must to make certain you are submitting a flawless document.
If they cannot explain what you are trying to do, chances are the grants committee won’t either, and they won’t fund what they can’t comprehend.
In a grant proposal, guessing won’t make it. If a grant reviewer suspects that your financial sheet is not accurate, they don’t have either the time or the inclination to do the research—you just lost the grant. Find out exactly what kind of equipment, labor, and anything else you are going to need, and exactly what the cost will be so you can spell it out in the proposal.
Typically, you will allocate the summary across several columns of information: total project cost, amount sought from the funder, and the matching funds you are contributing. Grantors are more likely to consider proposals that show the applicant is also has a stake in the outcome. Do not use a line called “other expenses” unless you fully explain it.
In all circumstances, make sure your amounts balance out, meaning that everything adds up to the same numbers throughout the proposal.
Your cover letter will, in many cases, provide your grantor with their first impression of you. You should invest as much time and care in the cover letter as the other parts of the document.
Keep a look out for small details, such as a “there” that should be “their,” an “it’s” that should be “its,” or a word that is commonly misspelled.
