Preparing a grant application for submission
Grant writing is a daunting and often tedious task. We’ve pulled together some guidance to submitting a relevant, fundable, and innovative research proposal.
Review funding priorities. Making sure that the organization you’re applying to is a fit for the type of research you do is key to successful grant writing – and a huge time saver.
Meet with a funder. If possible, meet with a representative of the organization. Ask questions about the funding priorities. Talk about your research. Your passion goes a long way. Note the synergy between your research and what you know about their funding priorities. Make sure to talk about the parts of your research that address the priorities with which the funder is most concerned.
ASK QUESTIONS! Funders should be open to your questions. If you are confused by a part of the application process, chances are other applicants are too.
Review the application process. Note timelines. Try to be realistic with what you can accomplish with your current capacity and leave enough time to complete the application without rushing.
Review the application. Some of the items you need to submit you can do on your own. Some items require collaboration with a mentor or administrator in your institution. Schedule time in your application process not only for you to secure these items from their authors, but also to form the relationships with the people/institutions you need to contribute.
Are you ready to submit? REMEMBER:
- Spell check. Grammar Check. Spell check again. Having multiple people review your work will increase the likelihood of finding spelling and grammatical errors. Grant applications with significant grantsmanship (spelling and grammatical) issues will experience a negative impact on scoring.
- Make sure you have all the required pieces uploaded to your grant application. In order for the SAB to review and score your application fully, it needs to be complete. You can use our checklist to help ensure you’ve completed the application.