Writing a grant proposal can be an intimidating and overwhelming endeavor. Government, foundation and corporate applications require diverse amounts of information from non-profit organizations, such as budgets, program and narratives, organizational history and evaluation methods. Grant makers also have strict deadlines and procedures and will not accept late or incomplete applications. Whether you are a first time or an experienced grant writer, having your information organized can be quite helpful for your non-profit organization and team. Following are four suggestions — some basic, helpful tips to ensure your application is in good form.

1. Provide information specifically related to your organization and your project, rather than providing ambiguous, lengthy information not specifically related to your project. Trustees and evaluators read hundreds of applications a year and appreciate clear, transparent information that is easy to read and pertinent to specific projects. Using bullet points and list can also be helpful to readers and evaluators.
2. Provide statistics and information relevant to your organization and local community rather than relying on statewide and national information and statistics. Grant makers want to know specifics about what is happening in your organization’s community and how your program will address and assist with community growth. Evaluators often want to see “best-practice” methods and want statistics that show effectiveness of the program.
3. Provide crisp, clean, scanned PDF documents and avoid providing documents that are crooked, blurry or incomplete. Your grant application and all supporting documents are a reflection of your organization and professionalism. Grant makers are unimpressed with sloppiness, poor writing and the failure to follow procedures and guidelines.
4. Obtain letters of support from partnering organizations that are current, on letterhead, relevant to your project, and that explain the partnering organization’s involvement with your project. It is not helpful to include letters that are not current, signed or on letterhead. Support letters provide evidence to grant makers that your project and organization is valued and effective in the community. If you can show that your organization has ongoing support and success, you are more likely to acquire additional funding.

Tags: grant writing, grants, tips