Ten Ways to Blow a Grant Proposal

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Ten Ways to Blow a Grant Proposal

• SPU Center for Scholarship and Faculty
  Development
• June 17, 2003

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1. My ideas are so great the agency wont care
if they fit the program guidelines or not.

• know the agencys agenda and mission
• read the RFP completely and carefully
• address each area outlined in the RFP
• try to use the language of the RFP

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2. They dont actually count the pages. Or
maybe Ill just use a smaller font.

• follow page and font-size limits exactly
• either the reviewers wont read the proposal,
  or they will read it but be irritated

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3. I can write a proposal in a week or two.
Ill do it over spring break.

• what spring break?
• takes time contact Program Officer and previous
  grantees, do literature review, ponder the
  proposal, drafts and revisions, input from
  colleagues/grant writers, work out arrangements
  with institution, get necessary signatures

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4. Ill inflate my budget because the granting
agency will cut it anyway.

• budget should directly reflect work plan
• avoid miscellaneous categories
• dont make outrageous requests (consider the
  context of grant)
• figure in benefits and overhead

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5. Trust me, I know what Im doing.

• clearly state what you want to do
• identify specific tasks and a timeline for
  completing activities
• give background information cite relevant
  literature
• make your best case without sounding either like
  an egotist or a doormat

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6. Evaluation will be ongoing and consist of a
variety of methods.

• If an evaluation component is required, include a
  specific evaluation plan with timelines and
  benchmarks
• plan for formative and summative evaluation

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7. Who am I to attempt to talk to the Program
Officer?

• Identify the Program Officer
• Make initial contact early
• Try out concepts and ask for advice
• Consult as questions arise

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8. Ill get my department chair to do a
recommendation he knows me.

• Get the best-known people in your field to
  provide the recommendations
• If the grant doesnt specify inside or outside
  recommendations, be sure to include at least one
  outside recommendation
• For institutional endorsements, write a draft of
  the letter for the administrator from whom it
  will come
• Follow up to make sure your recommendations are
  submitted

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9. I will problematize Russian formalism with
feminist ideological contingency and modern
social cohesion discourse analysis.

• Avoid unnecessary jargon. Know your audience
• Keep diction and sentence structure simple
• Read out loud for clarity
• Dont give reviewers any reason to stop reading

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10. Deadline? What deadline?

• be sure to meet the deadline
• note whether the deadline is by postmark or
  arrival
• if you are using Fast Lane, watch out for an
  overloaded system at the last minute
• plan to send the proposal out 24 hours before the
  deadline

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SUCCESS!

• If you dont send out grant applications, you
  wont be awarded grants.