October
Developing
and Writing Grant Proposal
July
GRANTWRITING STYLE TIPS
=================================
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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