Boost Your Grant Seeking to Success
In order to catapult your way to successfully obtaining a grant rather than falling into the traps, always remember the following tips:
Tip one: be a match maker
Find out if the grant program you are applying for matches well with your goals and objectives in writing a proposal. In order to do this, get all the information you need about the foundation or agency that give funds.
Tip two: follow instructions
The easiest way to get a rejection is to totally ignore the instructions. Most funding sources have their own application guidelines, so be sure to follow them. Provide all the information required and set the documents according to the required margins, line spacing, font, size, page numbering, and so on.
If the requirements are unclear and you doubt whether you need to include something or not, do not hesitate to call up and ask questions from the particular funding agency.
Tip three: fill up the forms
When you fill up forms, use those generated by the funding sources. One smart way is to get extra copies that you can use as a draft or make duplicates of the original. To save yourself from the possible trouble of going through it all, you may ask what is allowed or not because some funders strictly want their own forms to be used.
Tip four: prepare an exact budget plan
When requesting funds, you can increase your chance of success if you exactly list down all the items needed and their corresponding costs. Include numbers, brand names, and suppliers if possible.
This will show funders that you are honest and serious, because you try to demonstrate where and how the money will be spent. This makes funding sources feel that you add value to their money’s worth.
Tip five: be specific and factual
In writing your proposal, do not speak in generalities and emotional terms. An accurate description of your plan helps the funding source find out its final outcome.
Tip six: help your proposal go through the process
There may be hundreds like who are you applying to get a grant from the same funding source. This means that the reviewer is reading and evaluating several other proposals aside from the one you already submitted.
Be sure to label all sections, search for important definitions, and include titles, graphs, and tables in your proposal. Remember that the evaluation process would take longer if your proposal is not easy to read.
Tip seven: get a third party reader
Ask a willing third party to read your final draft. Listen to their comments and suggestions to improve readability. This also helps you to spot grammatical and spelling errors, which consequently allows you to revise the copy before submission.
Being diligent in following instructions may be a little tedious, but it can surely help you achieve your desired results in the grant seeking process. Don’t be impatient. Try your best to comply with the guidelines for preparing and submitting your grant application. In the end you will reap the results of your diligence and patience.
