One of the hardest things to do in business is to write a grant and ask for extra funding. Even for seasoned grant professionals, learning how to write an effective and compelling grant application is not the easiest thing to do. Successful grant applications often take a lot of time, and when you’re faced with a large application process, which is often the case, you have to make sure that you are covering out that time to get it done.
When you multiply this with the many funding opportunities at the same time, the whole process can be very overwhelming. You might consider why there aren’t some tips to help me along the way, and that’s exactly what this article is for.
Finding grants should be easy, and before you abandon the next giant grant application that you’re doing, you should think about grant management software that you might need to be able to manage all of the grants that you have in place.
When it comes to choosing the right grant, a limited pool of money will be available and grant reviewers have to decide which projects are the relevant ones. You can definitely gain an edge on the competition by ensuring that you have an application that is clear and concise. It needs to hook the reader. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at some of the tips that you need for applying for your next grant.
Make your hook at the beginning of the grant
In the very first stage of grant application review, there is a triage. This is where the grant reviewers will rank all the applications and those that are at the bottom of the pile will immediately be removed from further consideration. You need to ensure that your application is engaging enough and interesting from the beginning so that you can encourage the reviewer to read on. Creating something catchy and concise starts from the very start of the title, and it should engage the reader as an important first step.
Put relevance in the spotlight
You should clearly outline the scope of your grant application at the very start of the grant process. Once you have defined the problem that your project is going to solve, then you need to convince the reader that the problem is important, urgent and you have the solution.This means you have to consider the relevance of your project to the grant application as well as how you plan to make sure that your project comes out on top.
People want to know that you have personality, and that means that your grant application has to be compelling with the right storytelling
Ensure that the reader has every bit of information required in a logical order so that they can follow the story from start to finish.Every concept should be explained thoroughly before you move on to the next, and you should ensure that there are no gaps that could.Leave the reader confused.
Prove that you’re the best person for this grant
You have to convince a reviewer that you’re the best person or team to execute a successful project. You’re asking these people for money, which means that you need to show them that you are worth it. What sets you apart from others that have worked in a similar area and what have you done to successfully complete a project in this area? Are there any unique resources or special skills that you have? These are questions that you must ask yourself to be successful.
Show that your project is feasible
The person reviewing your project to give you the grant or not should be able to see that you’re able to get the work done on time and to budget. The grant should drive home the message that the only thing stopping you from completing that project is money. You have everything else in place, right? If that’s the case, make that clear.
Show your why
Before you write your grant application, make sure that you know exactly where the money for the grant will be applied. If you can figure out where it will be applied to and used for, you’ll be able to show reasoning as to why you’ve applied for this particular grant on this particular day. By finding this element of your project or your idea, you’ll be able to see whether or not it’s going to be a successful one, and you can pass that information directly to those who are approving grants.
Don’t apply for anything you may not be eligible for
The worst thing you could do is get through the full grant application process, only to find out after so much hard work that your business is ineligible. You need your project to be eligible for grant applications, and there’s no use in wasting your own time trying to get through a huge application only to find out at the very end that you are not eligible for that.
Clear the hurdle early by doing your research and make sure that you match the funding guidelines to identify what eligibility means. Once you ensure that you’ve met the criteria before applying, you’ll be able to ensure that you have a good chance at getting that grant.
Get support
If you want your grant application to be compelling, then you need to rally your community and get their legitimate support for you. The more people who know and support what you’re doing, the better, because some grants will ask for letters of support. If you can get those from your community and show that giving you this grant is going to be beneficial to you and the community, you’re more likely to be approved.
Research the previous grant recipients
You may already know that competition for grants can be quite intense. To increase your chances of success, it’s important to do as much research as possible so that you can determine whether the previous recipients of that particular grant are just like you. This can help you to identify where previous grants have been awarded, which can be really helpful in determining whether you would be successful.
Set some goals, but make sure that they are realistic
If you ensure that your application is achievable and clearly defined from the very beginning, you may be able to convince the grant review team that you’re the right person to choose to give this money to. You need to back up your claims and develop a compelling case as to why you require funding above all else. You should also ensure that your idea is unique to your business or community. The idea that somebody else could have already pitched your concept ahead of you can be quite sickening, so you want to be able to avoid that process.
Consider your budget
In a grant application, the budget area is an opportunity to demonstrate that your project is well planned, well conceived, feasible and cost effective. Grant reviewers need to see that you are going to be the right person to give the money to because your budget is well developed and you already know exactly how it’s going to be spent and where. You have to convince them that this money is the only thing holding you back from greatness, and you have to really put your effort into believing that.
Put passion into your proposal
When you consider your grant application, were you imagining your passion lying? Putting yourself in the shoes of the grant review team is going to help you to determine whether or not your grant application is boring or if it’s passionate. Putting some life and passion into your proposal is going to help you to show your tone of voice and give you some authority in what you’re doing. You need to be able to convince them that your idea or project is exciting enough and worthy enough of funding. That comes down to your ability to tell a great story, as we mentioned earlier on.
Go over the application
If your goal is to develop a clear and concise application that communicates your idea effectively, then you need to share your application out to your friends before you submit it so that they can tell you whether or not you are missing any pieces. Having an objective point of view can make all the difference to your grant application, so you shouldn’t leave that part behind. Take on board their feedback and rewrite it if necessary, because you can trust that they will give you honesty before you go and make this big application.
It takes perseverance and dedication to really write a great grant. If you want to make sure that any grants you’ve applied for are well managed, then make sure that you also invest in grant management software so that you can be ahead of the curve.
