The Secret to Writing a Compelling Grant Application





Do you get jealous about the fact that every other grant writer seems to be having more success than you? Has it been a while since you’ve had a grant application writing success?  Great grant application writing doesn’t just happen.  The best grant applications are those that are well-planned, researched and written with great attention to detail.   Here are the secret tips that other grant writers don’t want you to know.  

SECRET NUMBER 1: Grant Writing is Storytelling
Grant application writers may feel that their grant applications must be matter of fact and straight-to-the-point.  However, when funding bodies receive hundreds of grant applications that are all pretty much the same, it makes for eye-wateringly boring reading.  To make your grant stand out, it’s important to think of grant writing as storytelling.  Think about it!  Who doesn’t like hearing stories? We all know the feeling of being unable to put down a good book.  Your ‘story’ should effectively set the scene (explain your context), introduce characters (key stakeholders), have a complication (some issue or need), a hero (that’s you), and a resolution (a solution to the issue that only the hero can deliver).  Seriously!  How much more interesting would grant writing be if we all took this approach! 

SECRET NUMBER 2:  It’s not about you
Believe it or not, your funding body has its own mission, set of objectives and values.  So, spend some time researching the funding body.  No matter how great your project idea might be, if it does not fit within the funder’s interests or objectives, then you are really trying to fit a square peg in a round hole.  In fact, chances are, your proposal won’t even be reviewed if it doesn’t match the funder’s guidelines.  Funders publish their interests for a reason, and they will not change their areas of interest based on a good project idea.

SECRET NUMBER 3:  Think Outside the Box
Funding Bodies receive hundreds of applications and you can bet that many of them offer the same kind of solutions to the same kind of problems.  If you want to stand out, then think outside the square.  Funders are looking for innovation.  Funders prefer to try something new than to constantly fund the old.  Show the funding body that your solution is distinct, that it’s unlike anything they have seen before.  Great grant application writers think outside the box!  
SECRET NUMBER 3:  Keep it Simple
Don’t make your proposal more difficult to read that it needs to be.  Sometimes, in an effort to sound authoritative, we can be tempted to use big words and complex technical jargon.  Sure, we all want to be taken seriously and be respected as a grant writer, but using unnecessarily flowery language, won’t do that.  If your grant reviewer has to use a thesaurus to understand what you’re saying, your application is more likely to end up in the bin.  No one cares about your attempts to bewilder your readers with your eloquent and boundless vocabulary.  The best grant applications are simple, straightforward and easily understood.

SECRET NUMBER 5: Use a Grant Writing Service  
It’s a fact!  Engaging a grant application writing service can increase your chances of grant writing success. If you’re a grant writer, consider getting some professional help.  Red Tape Busters are specialist in grant and tender writing and can help your organisation or business win grant funding or achieve successes with tenders. Visit http://www.redtapebusters.com/  for more information. We are specialists in providing the following services:
· Lobbying;
· Tender Writing;
· Grant Writing;
· Resumes/Job Applications;
· Organisational/Business Development.

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