Standard Operating Procedures for Grant Writing
Funding an organization is never easy, but it's even harder when this funding comes from grants. Your application must be impressive, so persuasive that the grant committee can't help but cut you a check. In addition to providing technically sound prose, you must also include information that makes your cause irresistible. While there are no perfect guidelines for successful grant writing, there are standard operating procedures that will increase your likelihood of success.
Other People Are Reading
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Organization
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Split the data you're expected to provide into different sections. When the grant committee reads your application, the order and quantity of information you provide help build your case. For example, NonProfitGuides.com suggests these sections (and others) be included in a proposal submitted to a government agency: a cover letter, cover sheet, narrative (including a program summary, program cost and program staff), an organizational background, detailed program budgets and appendices.
Check Out Your Colleagues
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The National Institute of General Medical Sciences advises grant writers to "look at successful proposals of colleagues in your field." Not only will you be able to borrow techniques those writers used, but you'll be able to demonstrate the value of your work when comparing it with those of others.
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Set Yourself Apart
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The National Institutes of Health makes it very clear when it says, simply, that projects expecting to be supported must be unique. Even if you're working in a fairly conventional field, point out the aspects of your work that are provocative and deserve the financial consideration you're requesting. It will be much harder, for example, to get grant money if you propose to discover how salmon produce offspring. You would have better luck if you examine salmon breeding in a specific body of water that has undergone recent changes and research the effects in a manner no one else has discovered. Instead of another study about the medical possibilities related to the use of directed nanoparticles, propose to examine the unanticipated side effects. (Of course, you shouldn't embellish things too much.)
Appearance Is Important
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While grant boards don't expect you to produce sterling documents, part of your standard operating procedure should be to produce professional, easy-to-read documents. You should use a standard font (12-point Times New Roman or Arial) and the dimensions of all of your documents (8.5" x 11", for example) and the graphics and colors you use should also be the same from year to year. This builds your identity with grant boards. Hard copies (paper printouts) should be done on crisp white paper and you should consider color covers or section dividers to make a good impression.
Stay Abreast of Opportunities
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Submit your application to the agency you've targeted, but keep your eye on other grants for which you could apply. The Department of Health and Human Services maintains the website Grants.gov, which provides a listing of funding opportunities that you could take advantage of. Keeping a lookout for further grants is a good insurance plan, should your first application be rejected.
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