Five Tips to Writing the Grant Proposal

A few tips from editors on preparing a grant proposal could be the difference between earning the grant and merely wishing you had.

1) Short sentences. Short paragraphs. Simple language.

Don’t get bogged down in long, complex sentences, complicated narratives and wander far off the subject. Don’t worry about impressing anyone with your vocabulary. It saves you time and the grant reader from getting lost in piles of verbiage. Get to the point.

2) Economy of words

It’s difficult to edit enough. You would be surprised how many compound and complex sentences can be broken down into simpler statements and phrases. That point you made in seven words? Try doing so in five. Then two.

3) No acronyms or jargon

Here’s an economy of words: Don’t.

4) Drive the point home

Prepare your proposal so that anyone skimming it understands your bigger points. Make your point the start of each section and each paragraph to make clear your point. Leave no doubt.

5) Humanize

Behind every grant – even if it is run by a government agency or large corporation ­– is at least one human. Brief examples and backgrounds might help your proposal become more readable and might make it easier to understand. It might also help the grant’s reader better relate to your situation. Give it a human aspect.

About GrantWatch

When locating funding opportunities, GrantWatch.com is the leading grant search engine and database. They list grants available for nonprofits, small businesses (for-profits), as well as individuals.