Grant writing

Grant writing is the practice of completing an application process for a financial grant, which are often provided by governments, corporations, foundations, and trusts.[1] The skill of grant writing is known as grantsmanship.[2]

Grants are often written for charitable causes, research, and artistic projects.[3]

The grant writing process involves not only creating a coherent proposal but also analysing the needs of the grant maker. Such an analysis is necessary, as the grant maker and recipient may not have completely similar interests, and the writer should position the proposal to highlight aspects that fulfil the funder's needs.[4][5] Grantsmanship analysis may involve conducting research on the organisation and corresponding with relevant staff.[6]

Although grant writing has traditionally been carried out by the person or organisation seeking to carry out the grant's objectives if funded, third-party grant writers may also be employed.[7] A growing number of professional and academic courses have developed on grant writing.[7][8]

Process

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Open grants are often posted online through a request for proposals.[9]

After a grant has been selected, the elements of proposal creation typically involve:[10]

  • Analyzing the intended audience for the proposal
  • Analyzing the purpose of the proposal
  • Gathering information about the subject of the proposal
  • Writing the proposal
  • Formatting the proposal
  • Revising, editing, and proofreading the proposal
  • Submitting the proposal

These elements are less discrete stages than they are overlapping and often recursive activities.[11] The individual sections of a grant proposal include:

  1. Summary or abstract[12][13]
  2. Introduction or narrative[14]
    1. Mission statement[15]
    2. Significance[16]
  3. Analysis
    1. Literature review
    2. Data collection or projection[17][18]
  4. Workplan[19]
    1. Methodology
    2. Evaluation
    3. Communications
  5. Budget
  6. Experience
  7. Appendices

The post award phase is the last part of the lifecycle of a grant.[20][21] After funding is awarded, the funder may require the award recipient to make changes for continued support or as part of the grant contract.[22]

Analysis

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Some major agencies list recent grant recipients and titles of proposals online.[23] In the United States, a grant writer may request copies from the funding agency using the Freedom of Information Act.[4]

Drafting

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Some grant writers work in a team with other professionals.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Karsh, Ellen; Fox, Arlen Sue (2019). The only grant-writing book you'll ever need (Fifth ed.). New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-1-5416-1781-0.
  2. ^ "Art of Grantsmanship | Human Frontier Science Program". Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  3. ^ Minnesota Council on Foundations. "Common Types of Grants." http://www.mcf.org/mcf/grant/basics.html. Accessed January 25, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Markin, Karen M. “Words Worth Their Weight in Cash.” April 8, 2005. http://chronicle.com/article/Words-Worth-Their-Weight-in/44895/. Accessed February 24, 2011.
  5. ^ Stone, David A. “How Your Grant Proposal Compares.” http://chronicle.com/article/How-Your-Grant-Proposal/47471. July 29, 2009. Accessed February 5, 2011.
  6. ^ Tardy, Christine M. (2003). "A Genre System View of the Funding of Academic Research". Written Communication. 20 (1): 7–36. doi:10.1177/0741088303253569. S2CID 5205721.
  7. ^ a b Rajan, Rekha S.; Tomal, Daniel R. (2015). Grant Writing: Practical Strategies for Scholars and Professionals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-118-39512-7.
  8. ^ Torpey, Elka. "Grant writer : Career Outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics". www.bls.gov. Retrieved 2023-11-12.
  9. ^ Rajan, Rekha S.; Tomal, Daniel R. (2015). Grant Writing: Practical Strategies for Scholars and Professionals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-118-39512-7.
  10. ^ Araj, Houmam; Worth, Leroy; Yeung, David T. (2024-04-09). "Elements of successful NIH grant applications". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 121 (15). doi:10.1073/pnas.2315735121. ISSN 0027-8424. PMC 11009615.
  11. ^ Ding, Huiling (2008). "The use of cognitive and social apprenticeship to teach a disciplinary genre: Initiation of graduate students into NIH grant writing". Written Communication. 25 (1): 3–52. doi:10.1177/0741088307308660. S2CID 220256955.
  12. ^ "Writing a Successful Proposal." December 17, 2003. http://www.rit.edu/research/srs/proposalprep/write_proposal.html. Accessed February 4, 2011.
  13. ^ Bundy, Alan and Simon Peyton Jones. "Writing a Good Grant Proposal." http://research.microsoft.com/enus/um/people/simonpj/papers/proposal.html. Accessed February 4, 2011.
  14. ^ University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Kimberly Abels. “Grant Proposals (or Give me the money!).” http://www.unc.edu/depts/wcweb/handouts/grant_proposals.html. Accessed January 26, 2011.
  15. ^ "Grant Proposal Writing Tips." http://www.cpb.org/grants/grantwriting.html. Accessed June 18, 2014.
  16. ^ Casad, Bettina J. “Writing Grant Proposals. October 2003. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=1415. Accessed February 5, 2011.
  17. ^ "Nonprofit grant writing mistakes and grant writing tips." 2011. http://www.grants.com. Accessed March 30, 2011.
  18. ^ “5 Pitfalls of Grant Writing.” 2011. http://www.grants.com. Accessed March 30, 2011.
  19. ^ Jeremy T. Miner and Lynn E. Miner: Proposal Planning & Writing 4th Edition (Pg 105)
  20. ^ "POST AWARD PHASE". Grants.Gov.
  21. ^ "GRANT FRAUD".
  22. ^ Henson, Kenneth T. "Debunking Some Myths About Grant Writing." June 26, 2003. http://chronicle.com/article/Debunking-Some-Myths-About/45256. Accessed February 24, 2011.
  23. ^ Markin, Karen M. “The Buck Starts Here.” February 21, 2005. http://chronicle.com/article/The-Buck-Starts-Here/45108/. Accessed February 24, 2011.
  24. ^ Edwards, Katie M. and Danielle R. Probst. "Show Me the Money." Oct 2008. http://www.psychologicalscience.org/observer/getArticle.cfm?id=2416. Accessed February 5, 2011.
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