How to Craft Compelling Grant Proposals

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A Request for Proposal is not exciting reading. It may contain a lot of legislative language, laborious definitions, a long list of dos and don’ts and sometimes, conflicting instructions. When you are attempting to write a proposal under a tight deadline, it’s easy to fall into the trap of responding in kind. We may even forget that another human being is at the receiving end, reading and reviewing a stack of proposals, looking for a glimmer of creativity.

The challenge is to take a step back and take control of the message. Yes, you need to follow the required format and provide all information requested if you want to be successful. But you can and should do it on your own terms. Here’s how:

• Tie your proposed program to your mission. Before you do any writing, you must take the time to be a strategic thinker. Consider how the proposal supports your mission. What value will the proposed program bring to your organization? Your organization exists for a very specific reason — your mission. Weave this theme throughout your proposal. If you can’t tie your mission to the proposed program, take a step back and consider if you are a good fit for the funding or if you are simply chasing money.
• Be clear about the proposed outcomes. What do you want to achieve? Before you structure any program, decide what you want to accomplish. Think about the people you serve and their most pressing needs. Focus on specific results, not your process for achieving results. For example, craft an outcome such as “XYZ program will increase the reading scores of third graders by 25 percent in one school year,” rather than “XYZ program will provide 50 third grade students with more books to read.”
• Be concrete. Before you do any writing, have a clear idea of what your proposal is all about. Challenge yourself by explaining the program in one sentence. If you can’t do that, you need to spend more time thinking about your proposal, especially if you have a tight deadline. Otherwise you will waste a lot of time writing about superfluous details or staring at your computer screen with a bad case of writer’s block.
• Infuse your proposal with details. Many proposals fail to get beyond generalizations. Without details, a reviewer will have difficulty understanding what you are proposing and how your program will unfold. One of the easiest ways to add details is to develop the timeline and key milestones. Let these serve as an outline when you are writing about program details.
• Be an effective writer. Write as if the success of your proposal hinges on the quality of your words, because it does. While words alone cannot make a winning proposal, bad writing can kill a great program idea. To learn more about how to write a quality proposal, check out Craft Compelling Grant Proposals, in our newsletter archives.