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June 15, 2001
Advice from a Veteran Grant Reader
Saul Rockman, a longtime grant reviewer and grant writer, claims his success in winning grants is in knowing the process from the inside. Here's his advice for success.
Know what you're doing. Writing a grant is easier if you've been a grant reader. Offer to read proposals for state or federal grant competitions, or ask to be included in the list of readers for a foundation (if they use outside readers). Reading proposals helps you begin to see the differences between successful and unsuccessful proposals. And it lets you in on a big secret of grant winning: a reader is a person just like you.
Follow the rules. It is easy to turn down a proposal that doesn't follow the rules. And in competitions where there are many applicants for each award, grant readers are always looking to cut one more out of the competition. So if it says 15 pages are the maximum, write 15 or fewer, not 25 (even if you think you're adding important detail). Be sure to respond to all the questions on the forms, and write answers exactly as they specify.
Organize the narrative. Be aware of the proposal's evaluation criteria and the required sections in the application and use them as a guide to writing. Use headings and make it easy for the reader to know that you have dealt with each of the issues required of the proposals.
Be specific. Readers want to know what you hope to accomplish, so be concrete, and include sufficient detail so that they realize you actually know something. As a reader, I look at the scope of work that you want to accomplish. Then I look at the people listed on the grant to see if they can actually carry it out. Finally, I look at the budget to see if you have asked for sufficient funds and allocated them in appropriate ways to accomplish what you want to do.
Be honest. If it is going to be difficult, say so. And if things look askew, explain them. If the proposed project director is the son of the school board president, he better have some directly relevant experience in his resume. Experienced readers know that it will take more than the first month to hire staff, secure offices, identify needed equipment, put it out for bid, train staff, and start a new Web portal; so write a realistic timeline.
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