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The ABC's of Grant Writing
More than Get The Money, the best reason to write grant applications is that it helps you to focus clearly on what you want to do, what your plan is for manifesting your vision, and how much it will cost. Even if the grant committee or your Uncle Mortie turns down your request, you will have learned a great deal about your project through the application process. And like everything else about your work, you get better at grant writing the more you do it.
Some applications are very detailed, and some are only three pages of simple “fill-in-the-blanks.” But they are all essentially the same. Grant applications bear a family resemblance to one another, so when you’ve gotten to know a few of them, you pretty much know all of them.
Start with “A-B-C”
A is for Accuracy. Don’t make up a budget – do the research and refine the Budget page. Don’t drop names on the Personnel page, unless said Names have agreed to work on this project with you. Don’t exaggerate. Don’t inflate with a lot of nebulous hype and blather. Stick to the facts. If you have not done your homework, or if you attempt to mislead them, they will never forget you.
B is for Brevity: Less is More. Don’t answer questions they haven’t asked. Don’t get all metaphorical and wordy. These folks receive thousands of proposals, and they must read them all. Give ‘em a break. If you can distill your vision into a few precise paragraphs, the preliminary screeners will be more likely to read the whole thing and pass your proposal along to the actual committee.
C is for Clarity: Be deliberate with vocabulary, punctuation, syntax. Leave no sentence hanging there for “interpretation.” Say what you mean, and make sure it is in language that delivers your vision precisely and coherently to the people for whom you intend it.
