Part III: Proposal Writing and Submittal

After having worked through research and planning parts of grant proposal development, actual writing of the proposal can begin. At this point, you already know your proposal is a great fit with the interests of the grant maker you are pursuing. This was covered in Part I: Research. You already know the outline of the items you will need in order to meet the funder’s requirements, as covered in Part II: Proposal Planning. Now, your last step before submittal is to fill in the blanks in the proposal, and paint a clear picture for the grant maker to read.

Some pointers as you write:

• Avoid mixing up your sections. Writing your problem statement, program statement and expected results all in one section creates confusion. This disorganization will compromise the logic of the proposal. For more clarification on this, please see Part II: Proposal Planning.

• Spell out or explain jargon or technical terms the first time they are used. Never assume your reader is familiar with industry specific terms.

• Multiple writers working on one proposal is a great thing if one consistent voice still emerges. This includes one consistent style, language use, and formatting.

• Do not personalize the institution, department, or programs. Avoid personal pronoun use.
  • For example, avoid saying, “We have extensively researched the disease in West Africa. Our findings indicate…” Instead, this sentence would read, “The [organization name] has extensively researched the disease in West Africa. Findings indicate…”
  • There are several reasons for this rule. First, in a proposal coming from a large organization with more than a few departments, the outside reader is left to wonder who “we” refers to. Writing about the institution in the third person also helps create an objective voice to the proposal, and creates consistency in language.
• Search for the funder’s evaluation criteria, or similar guidelines. These should be in the RFP or on the funder’s website. Evaluation Criteria will tell you exactly how proposals will be reviewed and scored. Base your entire proposal on meeting the funder’s specific criterion. This includes matching section headings and text with what the grant maker uses in their request for proposal.
• The grant maker’s guidelines on margins, page numbers, font size, etc are absolute rules. Unless the funder has personally told us otherwise, we must follow these formatting specifics.
• What is unique about this proposal? What sets this proposal apart from other similar institutions that are applying for this funding? Especially for federal proposals, this must be defined. In the section where the proposal describes your proposed solution to the problem being addressed (Step 4 of Proposal Planning), the most winning proposals define a unique perspective and research, leadership, resources and vision.
• The funder may ask you to detail the direct links to their interests and funding priorities. If they don’t ask for this, it is still a good idea to try and provide this information in the proposal. For help on where in the application to integrate this email the Center's Grant Writer.
• Be specific about submittal. Who is going to submit the proposal?  Will you be using an online submittal such as FastLane, Grants.gov, emailing a PDF, or standard mail? Does the funder require one specific type of submittal, such as by email only or FedEx only? Funder requirements will be in the RFP, or on the funder’s website. For more information, please contact University Advancement.  
• Ask for help. You are an expert in your field, but you are not expected to be an expert in corporate and foundation fundraising! A team of people in both University Advancement and the Center for Scholarship and Faculty Development are here to assist you with grant proposal development and submittal. Email the Center's Grant Writer for more information.
• It is better to save your reputation and the credibility of the institution than to send out a proposal that is compromised on quality because of short timelines or lack of planning. If the project is sustainable, there will be more opportunities for funding.
• Check out: Ten Ways to Blow a Grant Proposal, a brief PowerPoint guide for SPU faculty grant writers.
• Proposal Assessment Tool: Contact the Center's Grant Writer for a copy of this form that assists in critiquing your grant proposal from the perspective of a grant maker. This checklist was developed by a national grant maker.