Writing Grant Proposals
When writing grant proposals it is important to follow the foundation or agency’s guidelines and instructions carefully. Some agencies, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, will have lengthy proposal preparation instructions. Other funders, for example most private foundations, will require shorter proposals or letters and have less rigid rules. In either case it is important to pay close attention to such issues as length limitations, font size rules, required content, etc.
Common tips for social science grant seekers include:
- Read guidelines, program announcements, and other supporting documents carefully and follow all instructions.
- Clearly define your project and needs and present them in a logical manner.
- Pay attention to spelling, grammar, and punctuation, as such errors reflect poorly on your proposal.
- Write to the likely level of expertise of your reviewers. At private foundations, readers may or may not possess academic backgrounds in your field, so write to a general audience. Even reviewers at NSF or NIH may not be experts in your narrow subfield, so write accordingly, use specialized acronyms or terms sparingly and define them, if need be.
- Be sure to have “a hook” that tailors your proposal to the goals and interests of the funding source. Even sources such as the National Science Foundation ask for information on the intellectual merit and broader impact of projects. Don’t assume that this information is self-evident.
Several sites provide useful tips on grant writing or guides to proposal writing:
- The Art of Writing Proposals was written specifically for social scientists and is published by the Social Science Research Council.
- Grant Proposal Writing Tips is a guide to the basic elements of grant writing from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
- Dissertation Proposal Workshop, maintained by the Institute of International Studies at UC Berkeley, is a collection of tips, samples, and links to assist grant proposal writers.
- A Guide for Proposal Writing provides suggestions for improving proposals that were collected from a variety of sources, including NSF Program Directors, panel reviewers, and successful grantees.
- How to Write a Grant Application covers the entire process of preparing a grant application to NIH.
- Proposal Writer's Guide is produced by the research support unit at the University of Michigan and covers both government grant applications and inquiries to foundations.
- A Proposal Writing Short Course is a guide produced by the Foundation Center that covers the processes of identifying appropriate funding sources and writing grant proposals.
The Chronicle of Higher Education (by subscription only) includes a recurring column on grant-related issues: Previous columns have included
- Where to Start (3/10/2006) provides general tips for new-comers to grant proposals writing.
- Words Worth Their Weight In Cash (4/8/2005) provides tips on proposal narratives.
- The Buck Starts Here (2/25/2005).
- How to Write an Outreach Grant Proposal (9/15/2006) provides tips on outreach grants.
- So Happy Together (11/25/2005) provides tips for collaborative grants.
- Playing It Safe With Research Risk (8/12/2005) discusses human subjects issues.
- The Mysteries of Budgeting for a Grant (5/27/2005) provides budgeting tips for principal investigators.
The IGA Library & Data Archive also collects materials to assist grant seekers. A bibliography of books on grant writing and grant seeking is available on this site.
For assistance with identifying appropriate funding sources and writing proposal narratives, contact Jean Stratford.
For assistance with such aspects as proposal budgets, forms, and submission through IGA, contact Lori Dana, Director of Administrative and Financial Services.
The Network of Nations: The Evolution of International Relations, 1816 - 2005