Do you have a great research idea or an academic project but lack money? Well, this situation is quite common in academic circles. Many researchers need to look for means for bringing their brilliant ideas into life. The good news is that there are many organizations ready to support you and your idea if they find it worthy. Your only task is to convince them.
What is a grant proposal?
A grant proposal is an organized paper which contains details about an applicant, his background, career aspirations and description of the idea he needs a budget for. The goal of the document is to convince the selection committee to give you the money.
How to write a successful grant proposal?
It is not easy to find a good grant for your studies or a research project. It takes time and much of attentive reading (you need to understand organization’s policies and guidelines well before applying). But writing grant proposals which bring money is even harder. Remember that you need to sell yourself to those who review applications. They want to know what kind of person you are to be sure you are the right one to get the money.
However, despite its seriousness, such a proposal should be written in an interesting and informative manner. Make sure you put your idea in a simple way so that everybody can understand you, not just those who specialize in your area.
Tips to make your grant proposal successful:
- Start the whole application process early. By doing so you will have enough time for careful reading and deep thinking. And you don’t want to miss deadlines, do you?
- Apply as early and as often as you can. This adds chances to get the necessary funds, especially, if they come from different sources.
- Write a cover letter. This text will help the grant commission get an idea of who you are behind your academic ambitions. There are many guidelines how to write a good custom essay on Internet, you just need to follow them.
- Make sure you answer all the questions and do not leave blank spaces throughout the document. Also, follow all the guidelines carefully (this is very important!). By doing so, you will provide all necessary information and also show that you are a serious and attentive person.
- If you plan to apply to different organizations, make sure you follow their format even if you write grant proposal using the same words.
- Show how your research questions are connected with the project objectives, how the methods you plan to use will get you to the results.
- If you get rejected, revise your proposal and apply once again.
Most common mistakes in grant applications
Often, applicants who get rejected make the same mistakes. Here are some things which result in failure:
- Inability to tell the funder what exactly you want to do, how you will do this and why this is so important.
- Inability to meet deadlines.
- Not following the instructions or not answering all the questions.
- Lack of clarity. You might specialize in a very difficult and narrow topic and commission officers may know nothing about it.
- If the funder suspects that you don’t understand your research goals, you will never get a positive answer.
- Budget problems. You need to be very precise and realistic in describing what you need money for.
The whole process of writing a grant proposal is rather tense. The document itself requires a lot of thinking and rewriting. You have to spend lots of time to do everything properly. But if you start early and follow all the instructions, you will manage to convince the grantors to say yes to you.