Grant writing is a craft
that can be harnessed and mastered although there are no sets of procedures for
becoming an effective grant writer. However there are basic rules that can be
applied.
To understand the nitty-gritty
of writing grant proposals, let us
look at the tools of the trade for winning the funding. First, there’s the
usual prospecting and approaching the donors. There’s the grant proposals, a personal visit, a telephone call and there’s the
traditional e-mail or fax, though the most common among them is writing a grant proposal. A grant proposal’s
format is different from that of a newspaper article or an academic paper for it
should be written with strong persuasion skills. It’s like an umbilical cord
connecting the potential funder and the grant writer, so learning how to create
a persuasive, well-written and clear proposal can bring in that grant award to
you and your organization however stiff the competition may be. Consider your
time, researching, concentration and your team effort in doing so. Remember,
grants are reviewed by people who are experts in the field.
Secondly research on your
funders. You should know where to look for potential grants. Look for their
current guidelines from their profiles, contact information and funding criteria
which may change frequently which is now possible since information are now
widely available online. Now that you’ve researched and you have that
persuasive skill flowing, you may now develop that general proposal and budget.
Funders always have a
question in their mind of what’s in it for them because they want to know how
your project will help them meet their goals and how it could add value to the
community. Clearly state in your proposal the main objectives, providing them a
visualization of the project’s importance and the positive impact on the
society if they grant your proposal and what it would look if not. Identifying
a problem to them and then pressing on your solution with supporting methods and
designs of data accumulated through research also state how you will sustain
your project even after the funding period ends. In doing so, you are giving
them an organized outline of how you are serious about the results. Your goal
is to convince the funder that the project solves the societal problem you
stated and he should be completely interested in supporting it.
Now here comes the
complicated part of the grant application process. Funders know what they are
doing and they always wants to make sure if you also recognize your
responsibility so laying a blunt budget to them will be detrimental to your
image and cause you to lose that chance of grants. Make a detailed budget which
includes all your needs for which you want support. Attach a short budget showing
your expected expense and income from program staff, operational expenses,
overhead expenses, direct project expense, administrative expense, earned
income and contributed income.
Lastly, your proposal has
to be convincing, important and immediate so you can score that award as soon
as possible. Read it thrice or more before sending to make sure it is devoid of
grammatical mistakes or typographical errors. It’s always good to make an
impression through your writing skills since it’s your foundation in creating a
healthy reputation.
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