Is Grant Writing Keeping You Up at Night?

The deadline is coming, it’s less than 36 hours away. Your narrative is coming along, but you aren’t confident about it yet. You haven’t received all of the signature pages and letters of support from the client and grant partners. Forget about the budget narrative, you haven't even  gone there yet.  You’re worried and tired so your anxiety level is peaking.

Veteran grant writers know these feelings well. There are times when a grant comes together so smoothly it feels effortless. Then, there are the grants that feel as though they will never come together. Tough grants cause high anxiety that grows over the period of development as the pieces of the proposal seem to defy gravity or force of will.

A veteran grant writer has fewer of these experiences than a novice. Through experience we learn to sidestep some potential problems. But much of what goes into a grant proposal such as signature pages, letters of commitment, MOU’s, budget figures come from people and/or organizations outside of the grant writer’s control. Depending on others can be problematic for lots of reasons: People are busy; People are flawed; People forget things; People lose things; People do not always read emails from others who ask them to do things.

When the anxiety of an approaching deadline strikes, it’s wise to take some concrete steps to place the responsibility where it belongs and refocus on what you can directly impact.

1. Carry out a campaign of direct, polite, yet redundant, communication to unresponsive people using a variety of media (phone calls, emails, text messages, Skype phone calls, etc) and personal visits if needed.

2. Stick to your checklist and complete all the items you have control over.

3. Document your efforts to collect missing information.

4. Keep a folder of all emails related to the project, a folder of all memos, and a folder of all documents developed.

A grant writer is a ring master as well as the main performer in the proposal development circus. Striking a good balance between the two roles is important if you’re going to get any sleep.

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Photo Credit - Nara Vieira da Silva Osga

Writing a Grant Abstract

Non-profit consultant and expert grant writer, Derek Link, shares some ideas for writing a grant abstract:

An abstract is a short summary of your grant narrative, it gives the reader the big picture and should motivate them to want to learn more about your proposal. You’ll be required to submit an abstract for most proposals, but it is rarely part of the scoring criteria. This does not minimize its importance however, because it may be the first part of your application the reader sees.

These are the basic components commonly requested in an abstract. Be sure to read the Request For Proposals (RFP) carefully to see if there is a specified outline for you to follow that may deviate from this list below:

1. Statement of Purpose: Who is applying? What does this proposal do, who does it serve, where is it located? What is the proposed grant period?
2. Goals and Objectives: List or summarize the goals and objectives that this proposal seeks to address.
3. Management Plan: Summarize the key features that ensure your project will be professionally managed. Adequate budget, agency commitment, supervision, commitment of resoruces, etc.
4. Evaluation: Describe the key features of your evaluation methods and plans which will ensure that the project is properly monitored and that outcomes will be accurately measured.

Remember that most abstracts are limited to a single page so you must be brief and to the point. I suggest that you write the abstract before you write your proposal so you have the whole proposal clearly in mind before you begin to write the detailed narrative.

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