Tips for Proposal Writing

This KnowledgeBase archive includes content and external links that were accurate and relevant as of September 30, 2019.

1.    Do Your Homework -- Make sure that your program concept advances the mission of the foundation from which you are requesting funds.

2.    Follow Directions -- Read the guidelines, e.g., if they ask for stapled photocopies, don't three-hole punch it, put it in a binder and use beautiful Italian paper.

3.    Be Concise-More Is Not Better -- If you can't explain your program concept, goals and funding needs in a clear, one-page, 250-word summary, then it's not ready for submission.

4.    Clarity Counts-Avoid High-Brow Language and Concepts -- Stop with the quotes from Tolstoy, already!

5.    Pass It Through an Editor, a Proofreader, or at Least an Objective Pair of Eyes -- A passionate voice is wonderful, but passion doesn't excuse typos and bad grammar, which give the impression that you don't care enough to work hard for the grant.

6.    Demonstrate Collaborative Efforts -- Seek out and identify like-minded organizations to partner with; foundations don't like to see duplication of efforts, i.e., wasted money.

7.    Practice "Truth in Asking" -- Don't inflate your figures, hoping to get half of what you ask for; savvy foundation minds see right through all the budgetary tricks.

8.    Think "Blueprint" -- It's the late 1990s-accountability is key. Communicate program goals, a strategy for implementation and benchmarks for success.

9.    Show Potential for Future Sustainability -- Portray the foundation as a catalyst rather than as a perpetual benefactor.

10.    Homework is Worth 100 Percent of Your Grade -- Do your homework really means do your research. Demonstrate an understanding of the foundation's basic mission. Every grantmaker interviewed had noticed a marked increase in proposals that do not advance the foundation's major priorities. This trend seems to owe its origin in part to the growing accessibility of the Internet, which more easily connects grantseekers to grantmaker information. But improved access to information is no excuse for skipping the basic research. "We only fund programs in our state," says Theresia C. McMurdo, public relations manager, the James and Abigail Campbell Foundation, "yet we routinely get proposals for projects in the continental United States sent in by people who are busily [yet sloppily] surfing the Web.

Source:
Long, Linda A. The Inner Secrets of Successful Proposals: Top tips on getting your proposal through, straight from the people who know best what works: funders.” Captured from the web May 6, 2003 from the former FannieMae Foundation.

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