Ellen Karsh Arlen Sue Fox Popular Books

Ellen Karsh Arlen Sue Fox Biography & Facts

Grant writing is the practice of completing an application process for a financial grant provided by an institution such as a government department, corporation, foundation, or trust. Such application processes are often referred to as either a grant proposal or a grant submission. Successful grant writing requires a clear understanding of grantsmanship. While the principles and fundamentals of grantsmanship apply broadly, consistently successful grant writers are able not only to utilize knowledge about the form and content of the proposal documents, but also the intertextual relationships of the specific proposal to other, related documents (e.g., the funding agency's own mission statement and current projects, correspondence with agency personnel, supplementary materials, budgets, general and agency-specific writing guidelines, etc.). The elements of proposal-creation typically involve: 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 As with any writing process, all elements (before the submission of the final version) are less discrete stages than they are overlapping and often recursive activities. Grant writing is a new career path and there is a growing body of education in the field. Background Before the process of grant writing can begin, a funder and specific grant must be located. Grant funders include the federal government, state and local governments, foundations, corporations, individuals. In the United States, the two primary sources of funds are government grants and foundation grants. Grants available through the federal government are posted to Grants.gov. Foundations can be broken down into several categories: community foundations (they often consist of several or many individual funds, each directed by a separate governing body), federated funds private foundations, and family foundations. All grant-giving organizations are interested in funding different types of grants, which are often posted online through a request for proposals/applications (commonly referred to as an RFP). The RFP specifies the nature and cost of the program that must be proposed. These documents are issued by a public or private funding agency, inviting qualified organizations or individuals to submit a proposal for a specific funding opportunity. The requests for proposals typically include guidelines, due dates, and more required information that are essential for the grant writer to know as they write the proposal.   Career Grants, and by extension grant writers, have been needed as long as universities, research, partnerships, programs, and small businesses have existed. However, grant proposals have traditionally been written by one of the people who will carry out the grant's objectives if it is funded. It is only in the last 20 years that grant writing has emerged as its own career and discipline. A bachelor's degree is required for most positions. Specific classes and programs in grant writing have been created, though many grant writers still learn through on-the-job experience. Some grant writers are self-employed, and charge either an hourly wage or a flat fee per grant. Audience analysis Successful grant proposals focus on the mission and interests of the funding organization. A good audience analysis allows the grant writer the opportunity to better tailor the content of the proposal to ensure it follows the ideas of the funding organization. When submitting a proposal to an organization in another culture, it is important to understand cultural differences and how they can inform the applicant's approach. Proper cultural awareness ensures a persuasive argument that is free of cultural misunderstandings. If a language barrier exists, appropriate time may be allotted in the grant proposal writing schedule. This will result in copy that respects the conventions and styles found within the funding organization. Another helpful way of avoiding misunderstanding when displaying facts and data in a proposal is to use short sentences, simple vocabulary avoiding jargon, and local conventions regarding punctuation, spelling, and mechanics. Successful graphs use captions and proper colors. A good label to a graph or chart helps avoid misunderstandings when reading, and saves the reader the task of looking back at the text in order to know what the graphics mean. The graphics should not only be well-designed but should also have colors that are suitable for the eye and that are only used to represent data and not decorate it. Color in graphs should achieve something in particular—something that serves the goal of communication. Dressing up a graph might serve a purpose in advertising, but it only distracts people from what's important—the data—in an information display. Data in charts should be explicit and clearly categorized. Purpose analysis Once the purpose of the proposal has been carefully discussed and established by the writer, the executive board, and the team that will carry out the project, writing a list of specific outcomes that will surge from the proposal will be the next step to follow. The list will specifically help the writer to narrow down the order the project outcomes should be listed and how much detail should go into each one of them. When choosing what outcomes to list in the proposal, it is important that they reflect how they benefit the funding company. While specific demands and formatting vary from one request for proposal to the next, core elements to establish and communicate are: Who is making the request, including why they are qualified to make such a request and be trusted to produce a promised outcome. Step-by-step plan for exactly what will take place once funding is established, including the end goal/expected completion and when. Detailed budget listing all aspects of the endeavor and their costs, including any spreadsheets or other info-graphics that illuminate the projected costs. Drafting and formatting The drafting and formatting steps of the proposal writing process go hand in hand. It may be more helpful to draft the proposal according to the guidelines that proposals require. The structure of a proposal varies according to the type of proposal, the type of project, and the organization. Structure The structure of grant writing should be clear. Summary The major components of the proposal should be identified in this section. Because the summary is the first section of the proposal, it should be short, yet explicit enough to describe the problem or opportunity, solution, outcomes, timeline, expenses, and qualifications, while keeping the attention of the reader. It is important to use clear vocabulary to convey a persuasive message. The Foundation Center recommends the problem to be explained in one.... Discover the Ellen Karsh Arlen Sue Fox popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ellen Karsh Arlen Sue Fox books.