Most people who do not receive grants do not know what went wrong after sending the grant proposal. It is possible that the grant proposal did not have the must-haves and dos. Note, effective grant proposal writing takes time, effort, and related skills. Therefore, you must follow grant guidelines before writing and submitting a grant application. In this way, you can get the government grants that you need for your program. Most proposals do not get fair consideration because of errors. So, do your research or seek help from grant expert services to get a well-written and error-free grant proposal. Below are grant mistakes you should avoid in the process.
1. Submitted proposal and reviewers’ time constraints
Simply put, it is a mistake when your proposed research is hard to understand. Always consider the preexisting knowledge the reviewers have and the time they have to assess it. One of the things that make it a challenge to understand your writing is structure. The best grant structure to use is the storytelling one. Also, a good flow is vital because consecutive paragraphs and sentences link to each other. More importantly, use words that matter too to make your reviewer’s job easy. And avoid complicated sentence constructions, for they make your proposal incomprehensible.
2. The page layout is overwhelming
Fixing this is easy, but most people overlook it. A wall of text in comparison to a clear layout is less motivating to read to the reviewers. Therefore, you need to know what to consider regarding the page layout of your proposal. For instance, use different font sizes, bold and italics to differentiate sections, figure captions, subsections, and the main text. Also, as long as you do not overdo it, highlight vital sentences and do not underestimate the power of white spaces. Adjust the spaces between sections and paragraphs and the length of the indent at the beginning of the paragraph. For paragraphs, do not have long ones, have 100 to 200 words instead of a single one on half a page.
3. Providing redundant information
Providing redundant information is a common mistake, but striking the right level of detail is a challenge. Sometimes you can struggle with this while writing your proposal. Do not force your proposal to fit within the word limits or page. Plus, do not sacrifice white space to add more information. The issue may be that you have redundant wordiness in your document. Edit it for most people repeat themselves when writing. But, be careful to avoid deleting information that helps your reviewers understand your research context and idea.
4. Not identifying the problem your research will solve
When a reviewer gets your proposal, make it easy and give them a story to read. Not just any made-up tale, but implement a narrative in your writing. One element that is important in a story is the element of tension. To implement it in your proposal, identify the problem that your research proposal aims to solve. Angle your background information in this way, and your reader will be curious and more interested in the research idea you are presenting.
When a reviewer gets your proposal, make it easy and give them a story to read. Not just any made-up tale, but implement a narrative in your writing. One element that is important in a story is the element of tension. To implement it in your proposal, identify the problem that your research proposal aims to solve. Angle your background information in this way, and your reader will be curious and more interested in the research idea you are presenting.
5. Not providing enough planning research
It is vital to provide enough detail about how you are planning to do the research. A reviewer needs enough detail about your research plan to know if it is worthwhile to fund your research. Doing this shows you thought through the whole project, the potential pitfalls, and the people involved. Also, it is best to include a timeline, a budget, a risk management plan, and a description of planned collaborations and personnel. Be specific as you can be about your plans for transparency purposes.
To conclude, the above are grant writing mistakes that may affect your chances of getting a fund. As you write proposals, ensure you prepare, research, write, review, edit, and review your paper again. How you present your goals is key to your perfect grant proposal. Plus, if you do not have the time to write your grant proposal, seek professional grant writers, for they know how to avoid common slips while writing one.
Read More: Tips For Teaching Your Child About Money
