Tips for Successful Proposal Writing

Know the priorities of your funding source. Unless your proposed project addresses those priorities, your chance of funding is slim. Also, if you are approaching a foundation, be certain it funds in your geographical area and that your institution is an eligible recipient.

Know who will be reviewing your proposal. If proposal reviewers are peers, which is generally the case with federal agencies, you may use the terminology of your discipline. In many larger and nearly all smaller foundations, proposals are reviewed by lay persons, so either use clear definitions or write your narrative in more general terms.

Knowledge of your funding source will help you set the tone for the proposal narrative. Emotional pleas usually do not work well with peer reviewers and are best saved for judicious use in traditional fund raising activities. Instead, clearly document the problem, illustrating your understanding through use of literature citations and needs assessments.

Always follow the funding source's instructions for proposal format and submission. If the suggested proposal outline is optional, use it anyway. Reviewers will appreciate knowing where to find important pieces of information during the review. Also, do not exceed the maximum number of pages specified. Most federal agencies will not review proposals which do not meet page and other requirements.

Always present measurable outcome objectives for projects that will deal with people. (For example, "95% of students will become proficient in the use of SPSS-X to analyze laboratory data by the end of the semester, as evidenced by a score of 95% or better on the final laboratory exercise."). You may then add process objectives or specific activities to be undertaken to help explain how you will carry out your project. For example, "Twenty students from Laboratory Section 1 will be instructed during the Fall Semester in the use of SPSS-X to complete Analysis of Variance [ANOVA] on the levels of blood pesticides measured in research subjects." Exceptions include planning proposals, where the outcome is expected to be a document, and basic research (i.e., hypothesis testing).

The "trust me" approach is rarely successful , particularly with a funding source who does not know you. Clearly spell out how you will accomplish your objectives, who will be responsible for each major activity, and when each activity will be undertaken and completed. A detailed evaluation plan is also a must. Generally, it is insufficient to say only that the evaluation plan will developed and implemented during the project period.

Remember that most funding sources want to support projects which will make a major contribution to a discipline or to human welfare. They are looking for new approaches to problems, particularly those which can have a broad significant impact. So don't forget to discuss the significance of your project idea.

At all costs, avoid using the word "unique," as very few things are truly one-of-a-kind in today's world. "Innovative" and "novel" are frequently used in place of "unique." However, if you use these adjectives to describe your project or approach, clearly explain how your idea is different and back up your explanation with facts from the literature.

Prepare a project budget that is clear and easy to read. Unless the proposed sponsor specifies otherwise, use additional pages to fully explain each proposed expenditure. Remember to include any cash matching dollars or in-kind support from your institution and other cooperating agencies and organizations.

If appropriate, use carefully selected letters of support. Avoid overkill. Also, be sure that each letter gives an accurate reflection of the proposed project. If other institutions or organizations are collaborating, letters of commitment which detail the working relationship between the entities are a must. Do not use "To Whom It May Concern" general support letters, especially if they more that a month or two old. However, letters from your constituents that you have received during the past year or two may be included to support your statements of need for the proposed project. Use general letters of endorsement from clients or constituents extremely judiciously.

Review your final draft. If your proposal will be peer reviewed, ask a colleague to review your final draft to be sure you have presented your ideas logically and cogently. If the proposal will be reviewed by lay persons, ask a friend outside your discipline to provide this input. Have someone who is good with grammar and spelling do a final review and edit.

Prepare the proposal neatly, with style, and professionally. Print your proposal on either a letter-quality dot matrix or a laser jet printer. Do not use a 9-pin dot matrix printer. Its type does not copy well and is extremely difficult to read. Also, do not use type smaller than 12 characters per inch in your proposal narrative in an attempt to fit more words within a page limit. Instead, edit your work carefully and remove superfluous words. If possible, leave some "white" spaces between sections and/or paragraphs to give the reader's eyes a break. Spend a little extra time using font size, bolding, underlining, and indentation to set apart major and minor sections of the narrative.

Make neat copies of your proposal. If you are required to submit copies, be sure the photocopier is doing a good job. Light or smudgy copies make your entire submission appear sloppy. If necessary, pay a local print shop to make the copies. You have spent too much time preparing your proposal to present a poor first impression with a shoddy copy job.

Do not spend a lot of money on fancy report covers or multi-color presentations. Expensive production jobs rarely impress funding agencies. Some agencies give binding instructions; be sure to follow them.

For foundations, always include a cover letter which summarizes your request and indicates the support of the administration and/or board of directors. If possible, get the president of the institution or the chairperson of the board of trustees to sign the cover letter. Use cover letters as appropriate for other types of funding sources.

Do not use the "shotgun" approach with foundations and other types of funding sources. You should identify no more than three potential funding sources to be approached for one project at a single time. Note in your proposal that you are seeking funding from more than one source and list their names. Foundation officers and staff have their own network--which can be very helpful if you disclose your intentions in seeking funding or fatal if you do not.

If your project is funded by other than a government agency, send a sincere letter of thanks to the funding source. Ask how the funding source would like to have the grant announced in the media. Keep your funding source updated as you proceed with your project. These simple courtesies strengthen your linkage with the funding source and make funding of future projects more likely.

If your project is not funded, consider making a written request for feedback so that you can improve your proposal for resubmission. Federal agencies are required to provide reviewer comments on request. Some larger foundations will also extend this courtesy. Review these comments carefully and use them to strengthen your proposal for resubmission to the same or a different funding agency.

DO NOT GIVE UP! Refine your idea and polish your proposal and resubmit it. With some government agencies, it may take as many as three or four or five revisions and resubmissions before a project is funded.