Grant Writing Tips
Submitting a grant application does not guarantee funding but you can improve your chances by delivering accurate and relevant material and information. Get prepared for the grant process by reviewing Twenty Tips and Suggestion for Submitting A Successful Grant Application.
Know the potential funder. Research is key. Know what grants the funding organization will award. Become familiar with the funding criteria and submit an application accordingly.
Tailor applications to funding objectives. Grant funding serves a purpose. Financial support is often provided to further philanthropic objectives or serve the needs of a specific demographic group. When completing a grant application, keep in mind how your proposal assists the funding organization in achieving its mission.
Determine a demographic audience. Make sure that your request fulfills a service or need of interest to a targeted population demographic. Most funding bodies, especially government agencies, are not likely to fund a project that isn't community oriented. On the other hand some funders may be interested in more esoteric projects with limited public appeal. Know the difference.
Be realistic about proposed goals. Funding organizations carefully scrutinize grant applications to determine project feasibility. If the proposal overstates results, or seems unrealistic, that will factor into the funding decision. If a project can reach 200 people, don’t exaggerate or inflate the number. Remain true to what you can do.
Be honest. Never, under any circumstances, falsify anything in an application. Don’t stretch the truth by exaggerating and don't pad budgets. Misinformation will be revealed as false at some point in the grant process and looked upon negatively. It's not worth risking your personal reputation or that of your organization.
Write clearly and concisely. Use business English and limit jargon, slang or acronyms that would only be recognized internally. It’s a good idea to have multiple reviewers read the grant application prior to submission. Include a reviewer who isn’t familiar with your organization to provide an “outside” perception. Ask for constructive criticism. Any negative feedback can be corrected before the application is submitted.
Be neat and accurate. The application should be professional and error free. Remember to proof read to correct budget mistakes, eliminate typos and grammatical errors. If you used the “track changes” feature while writing the proposal, be sure to accept all changes and disable this feature.
Follow directions and guidelines. Each funding organization has separate and specific criteria for submitting a funding application. Follow instructions exactly as written and ask questions if something isn’t clear. Don't assume it's okay to make substitutions, changes in the application form, or submit material that's not requested. In many cases, the result is disqualification for that year's funding.
Include organizational information. Don't assume any prior knowledge on the part of the funder. Even if your organization is well known, approach the grant process as though information was being presented to a stranger. Package the application materials as though you were “making a first impression”.
Know how much funding your organization needs. Don’t ask for too much or not enough. How large a percentage of the total budget are you asking the funder to provide? Who else is supporting your project and to what extent? Find out the average grant size that the prospective funder gives and try to stay close to that amount if possible.
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