April 13, 2017 | Read Time: 3 minutes
Martin Teitel, a former foundation executive with more than 50 years of nonprofit experience, was a guest speaker at the recent Chronicle webinar “5 Steps to Writing a Stronger Grant Proposal,” sharing insights and advice on producing proposals that get grant makers’ attention and dollars. This checklist, adapted from his book “The Ultimate Insider’s Guide to Winning Foundation Grants,” includes additional smart suggestions from the foundation veteran.
1. Go on a cliché and gobbledygook hunt.
Grant makers are as guilty as other groups of lapsing into jargon and affected language. The trouble is, in-vogue terms such as “shifting the paradigm” or “taking down the silos” might not be clear and could in fact mislead the reader. And if the reader has difficulty understanding your proposal, he or she will be more likely to step out for that second cup of coffee.
2. Use short sentences, active voice, and lots of white space.
Successful grant proposals follow many of the rules of popular journalism, for similar reasons. They strive to be accessible and even compelling by letting combinations of words create an image in the reader’s mind and, in the best of circumstances, mobilize the reader’s thoughts and emotions toward a goal. In your case, the goal is the awarding of a grant — nothing more.
3. Paint word pictures that draw the reader in.
Some proposal writers lecture and wag their fingers at the reader. Others become captives of their field’s intricacies. Although technical proposals being reviewed by qualified readers can safely use formal language, a proposal writer should pay as much attention to the narrative as does any short-story writer.
4. Write as much from your heart as from your head.
Misguided English teachers have ruined much persuasive prose by demanding a dispassionate, objective-sounding voice. A proposal writer should be close enough to the work and those who do it to infect the reader with the enthusiasm and dedication of the people on the front lines. Analysis without feeling is sterile.
5. Have a good friend edit your prose.
The harder you work on your proposal, the more difficult it’ll be to see the gaps in logic, the redundancies, the passages that aren’t clear. To fix these problems you need two things: a good editor and a willingness to accept a critique of your work as help, not a personal attack.
6. Talk with successful grantees of the foundation you are targeting.
Those who work at nonprofits are part of a culture that values helping others, so asking peers about their experiences with a grant maker doesn’t have to be seen as helping a competitor — especially when you reciprocate. Asking other groups for assistance has the added advantage of building the kinds of alliances and networks that help everyone succeed.
7. When in doubt, don’t.
So often, in the rush and stress of completing a funding request, the proposal writer is faced with decisions about what to include. There’s a natural but counterproductive tendency to pile on information, perhaps with the thought that bulk is impressive. The end result of those poor editing choices is a mammoth and dense proposal that works against the goal of creating enthusiasm for your work.
