Technology Grant Writing
Writing a technology grant proposal for funding requires an extensive amount of research. Grant proposal reviewers expect technology grant writers to provide information that demonstrates a need for the technology you are requesting funding for. Grant-funding organizations will generally issue an application for funding or a Request For Proposals (RFP), to be completed by the technology grant writer(s). Review the application or the RFP carefully and respond to each item specifically. If the funding organization asks how your technology project will improve on the technology currently in place, be specific in your response.
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Funding Amounts
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Provide the grant-funding organizations with a budget that does not exceed the amount of funding available. Technology grant writing must be precise, especially where funding request are concerned.
Document the direct and indirect costs involved in developing the technology. Direct costs would be the cost of materials involved in manufacturing the product and indirect costs would be paying staff.
Keep labor and administrative costs as low as possible. Funding organizations often use a formula that does allow not funding for a project with administrative costs that exceed 5 percent of the entire funding amount.
Demographics and Statistics
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Identify as precisely as possible the number of people the technology will help if the project is funded. Include information about the people or population to whom the new technology will be providing assistance and/or sustenance. Examples would be people who are HIV-positive or 100,000 adults with heart disease.
Research and document the current technology being used and identify improvements in the new proposed technology.
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Collect Funded Proposals
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Accumulate samples of technology grant proposals that have already been funded, preferably from the funding source you are approaching. Very often copies of funded proposals are posted on the funding organization's website. Read every funded grant proposal as well as the RFPs or applications. Contact those who have received funding for advice. Many funding organizations offer the services of a mentor or contact person to help technology grant writers develop their grant proposal.
Terminology Is Important
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Write the technology grant proposal utilizing the same terminology used in the application or RFP. Identify specifically how the funding organization's guidelines and your project represent a match.
Be prepared to defend your proposal and the anticipated outcome verbally. Funding organizations often require a verbal interview with grant writers. Prepare a separate statement that does not simply repeat the same information contained in the grant proposal.
Speak with reviewers confidently and with conviction. Technology grant writers must be extremely literate, and comfortable and familiar with the information being presented in a verbal response.
Grant Reviewers
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Spend some time understanding how grant reviewers determine what projects are approved. Even advanced technology grant proposals should be easy to understand. Use graphics as often as possible to support the proposed technology described in the proposal.
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