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October
Developing and Writing
Grant Proposal
July
GRANTWRITING STYLE TIPS
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In developing successful grants at Research Associates, we understand
the importance of clarity throughout the grant narrative. It is vital
in any grant proposal that reviewers understand exactly what we are attempting
to tell them. Thus, a grant proposal should flow like a well-told story,
with smooth transitions from one section to the next. You may accomplish
this by using transitional or linking sentences to ease the reader from
one topic to the next. For example, begin your description of project
activities in The Approach with this sentence: “The information
below describes our program components in more detail.”
Beyond clarity and smooth transitions, what other issues are important
in grantwriting? What writing styles should grantwriters adopt? How important
are word choices? What other issues should be considered? Based on our
experience with many different reviewers through the years, we have gained
insight that can be helpful in terms of writing style. These are expressed
in our grantwriting style tips below.
*Write most proposals on a ninth- or tenth-grade reading level. This will
ensure that your reviewers can read your proposal without getting snagged
by excessively long sentences, complex sentence structure, and difficult
words. (For ease of reading, most newspapers are written on a sixth-grade
level!) If you are unsure about reading level, both Word and WordPerfect
offer options that will determine the reading level of a section of text.
(Note: The exception to this recommendation is the research or technical
proposal that will be reviewed by professionals.)
*Avoid using technical language that may confuse the reader. Rather, write
your proposal in layman’s terms (again, except for research proposals.)
If you must use technical language, be sure to introduce or explain it
to the reader.
*Avoid using contractions because they appear too informal. Thus, use
“is not” rather than “isn’t.”
*Avoid abbreviations of proper names and undefined acronyms. Even if you
define the acronym, a proposal full of alphabet soup is difficult to read.
*Resist using slang, because the reviewer may not know what it means!
For example, don’t write about teens getting “wasted”
if you mean getting drunk. Having your proposal reviewed by a diversity
of team members can be helpful in avoiding this problem.
*Avoid jargon or trendy phrasing because the reviewer may not know what
it means—or worse, its overuse may irritate the reviewer. We recommend
that you “think outside the box” here. Did you just cringe?
Do you see our point?
*Avoid sexist language that may irritate reviewers. Historically, we have
referred to a person of undetermined gender as male. Today, however, writing
“The grantwriter works hard for his money” offends readers
who consider this wording sexist. We recommend applying plurality to resolve
this issue. In the above example, substitute “Grantwriters work
hard for their money.”
*Choose words that set the appropriate tone. For example, we recommend
that two sections of your grant proposal should be written to create different
impressions: (1) the Problem Statement should be predominantly negative,
emphasizing community needs, not strengths and (2) the Approach should
be positive or active, never negative, focusing on program plans and improving
outcomes.
Word-Choice Tip! One additional recommendation about word choices is possibly
our most important secret for grants success: always personalize your
proposal. Write the proposal from the perspective that you live in the
targeted community. Write about our problems and what we are going to
do about them. This may be hard for many of you because this is not what
you learned in school. You were taught to write impersonally, “Hunger
is a problem in the community.” Now, we are encouraging you to write
“Our children go to bed hungry.” Which of these two sentences
is more likely to compel the reader to help? Also notice that our use
of the first person is plural. Your proposal should never include the
pronoun I; rather, it is about our community, our problem
s, and our solutions. Even if—at times—the grantwriter is
working alone!
June
Here are a few things to keep in mind when writing that winning proposal.
· Follow the instructions to the ‘t’.
· Make sure project objectives are concrete and measurable.
· Keep in mind the evaluation plan should relate to the project
objectives.
· Develop a reasonable budget.
· Relate budget to project objectives.
· Make direct contact with the program personnel, seek their assistance,
and submit a preliminary proposal whenever allowed by the funding source.
· Write a clear, well-constructed narrative.
· Relate project idea to existing projects.
· Review the proposal against the funding source’s selection
criteria.
· Know the funding source’s funding goals and priorities.
Be sure to link your project to them in a concrete manner.
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