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Important Grant Writing Mistakes To Avoid

Written by admin on 18 April 2011

Here we have put together some important and common grant writing mistakes that you will want to be aware of, so you can avoid making them. Remember that being aware of potential grant writing mistakes is just as important as being aware of the proper ways to include important fundamentals to your proposal.

Important & Common Grant Writing Mistakes To Avoid

Mistakes no matter how minor can really affect the credibility of the proposal. These grant writing mistakes can give grant making agencies a hard time understanding the proposal thus lessening its chances of approval:

The grant proposal is too long.
There are too many complex words in the grant proposal making it difficult for grant making agencies to understand
Inaccurate, false and exaggerated cost estimates in the budget proposal.
There are typographical and grammatical errors within the proposal.
Inconsistencies between the narrative and the budget section of the grant proposal.
Unclear objectives.
The grant proposal is full of jargon and acronyms.
There are too many “quotable quotes” and “taglines” in the proposal making it look like a personal journal.
Writing the grant proposal in a format other than the grant making agency’s specified format.
There are some grant proposals that have not been read for not following instructions.
Submitting a grant proposal whose objectives is a far different from that of a grant making agency.
This grant proposal can remain unread no matter how good the project is.

To avoid this, ask someone who has a wide knowledge in grant writing to double check your proposal before submitting. There are also sites that can help you with editing and checking your work.

Here are some important tips you can use as you write your grant proposal:

Visualize your project into the future. How do you see it? Is it going to benefit your community or the public in general? This should be evident in your proposal to catch the attention of your grant making agency
Create your own set of goals and objectives for your project. Make sure what you have are realistic
Research for as many grant making agencies that you can find. But make sure these organizations have the same objectives as yours to better your chances of getting funding assistance
Before you write your grant proposal, keep in mind that you are creating not just a simple proposal but a plan that needs to be implanted.
Write your proposal in the given format required by your prospective grant making agencies.
While writing your proposal, have a positive outlook and believe that your proposal will be awarded the grant money.
Be concise and avoid using jargon and confusing terms.
When using acronyms, make sure that it is spelled out correctly especially when being used the first time.
Before you submit your proposal, ask someone from outside your organization to review your proposal to have an objective outlook
Always keep in mind that you have to submit your proposal before the deadline.
For your (or your organization’s) resume, include qualifications, work ethics and commitment. If applicable, mention previous grants awarded to your organization.
It is important to only include attachments specified by your grant making agencies. The most common attachment would be a Letter of Support or Endorsement for your organization from individuals or other organizations. Do not include unnecessary documents as this may just confuse the grant making agencies.

While writing these proposals can seem to be a daunting task, by knowing the common grant writing mistakes and how to avoid making them, you will be increasing your chances for success. Always remember the old adage “if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right”