How To Write a Grant Application – Step-by-Step Guide

How To Write a Grant Application – Step-by-Step Guide
Although there are a great many research grants available from a range of funding agencies at any one time, there are always a great many more researchers eager to put the available funds to good use. Applicants must therefore make the best impression possible, and when it comes to research grants, making the best impression means knowing how to write a grant proposal that effectively promotes the aims and meets the requirements of the grantor. These aims and requirements demand considerable time and attention, but they are the key to writing a grant proposal worthy of financial support. The following strategies and procedures will help you produce a proposal that is not only an impressive professional document, but also a well-ordered plan for valuable research 

1. Beginning your proposal on a sound foundation means finding out everything you possibly can about the agency offering the research grant. Their ideals, aims, activities, members and publications will all be important and should be considered in relation to the intended research project. A relatively clear idea of what that research will be is therefore also necessary.
2. After learning about the grantor, you will need to find information about the specific grant you are hoping to receive. Any forms or templates that require completion along with the instructions and guidelines for completing them will be vital, but investigating projects currently supported by the grant may help as well.
3. With information about the grantor and the grant in mind, you will need to decide if your research project is a good fit for the available funding. Most adjudicating committees for research grants are not willing to deviate far from the stated aims of the grantor or the grant itself, so your research and the ways in which you present it must be appropriate.
4. If among the instructions and guidelines for a grant application there are explicit statements about the purpose of the proposal, follow them as guiding principles for how to write a grant proposal strong enough to garner support. If such statements are not offered, keep in mind that grant proposals for research funding generally tell readers what you are planning to do, why you are planning to do it and how you are planning to do it. Each of these will require considerable explanation and detail.

5. The grantor’s requirements will determine the format in which the three kinds of information are presented. You may need to answer questions on an application, tuck your proposal into a predetermined space on a form or attach the proposal as a separate document. The format might force you to arrange material in ways you had not anticipated, and your research plans may change as you design and draft your proposal.
6. As you are drafting your grant proposal, be sure to be clear and specific about your research and publication plans. Grantors want to know exactly what the research they support entails, how their money will be spent and why it will be a valuable contribution relevant to their goals and ideals. No matter how groundbreaking the research could be, vague proposals are singularly unimpressive and predictably unsuccessful.
7. Your intended research methods will be of particular concern to many funding agencies, so describing them usually plays a central role in how to write a grant proposal. Planned procedures should be explained in enough detail to allow specialists to determine the validity and potential of the research, and methods should observe the ethical guidelines of the grantor. A research approach that does not match a grantor’s ethical viewpoint can hastily put an end to the possibility of financial support, so caution is in order.
8. Caution is also in order when writing about the results and implications you anticipate. Although confidence in your research and enthusiasm about its possibilities are appropriate, being realistic is essential. Not every member of the grant committee will detect projections that exceed the limitations of your methodology, but some will and only one expert need do so to reject your proposal. Discussing your research in relation to relevant published scholarship is an effective way of grounding your thoughts about expected results.
9. Keep your readers in mind as you work. As a general rule, a grant proposal for research funding will be evaluated by a committee consisting of individuals with varying specialisations. It is therefore wise to write in a clear and straightforward style that avoids discipline-specific language and other potentially confusing elements. An effective structure is also essential, so if the grantor’s instructions for how to write a grant proposal do not impose a particular order, be sure to organise your writing logically and use engaging headings to focus attention on the aspects of your research that will be of greatest interest or importance to the grantor.
10. Accomplished writing is also required for a grant proposal. A formal style suitable for the discipline should be used, and the prose should always be clear and correct. Your writing must convey your research plans with precision, demonstrate your attention to logic and detail, and serve as a model of the professional writing you will ultimately use to publish and disseminate the research.
11. Any supporting documents you need to submit along with your grant proposal should be written and prepared with the same careful attention to clarity and accuracy. The grantor’s instructions will tell you exactly what is expected, but a CV is a common requirement, as are a list of publications, a realistic timeline and a detailed project budget. A cover letter can be used to introduce your research, summarise your proposal and list the materials you are including with your application.
12. Finally, a vital but too often neglected aspect of how to write a grant proposal is the need to check and perfect your work. Every part of your grant proposal and application should be read, revised, edited, corrected and proofread several times until all flaws and weaknesses have been eliminated. Remember that feedback from colleagues and friends will prove invaluable for ensuring effective communication with a varied audience. As a final check, read the grantor’s instructions one last time to ensure that you have met all the requirements.