Grant Writing Guidelines

By Joe Redondo

A General Note To All: •

• Grant writing must reflect your passion for your cause, but you must be weary of your audience when doing so.

...

• Be cautious of over-complication, remember that you probably already know more about the subject than the grant reader.

  ...

  • • If they feel confused or lost, they will put your grant down and pick up a different one.

  ...

  • • However, if the grant is of a technical nature, be sure to include what is necessary.
      • Remember that money is involved, so try to keep your submissions away from an academic style and more tuned to a business style of writing.
      • Go over your grant several times with multiple editors.
      • Be sure you can provide evidence supporting your statements before you put pen to paper, as many organizations look to third parties to verify information.
      • More is less- if you can eliminate three penny or five cent words by replacing it with a good ten or twenty-five cent word, then do so.
      • ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE GRANT
      o This guide should only serve as a general template for grant writing and is by no means a substitute for the instructions provided by the proposals themselves.

  AguaClara Goals:
  • Grants should concentrate on three areas
  o Research
  o Plant Construction
  o Salaries of AguaClara Engineers Abroad
  • These salaries can be included in the plant cost
  • Change your language in the grant according to which goal you are concentrating on.
  o If it is a Research grant, then the language should be more technical in nature as you can expect the funders to have more knowledge about the subject.
  o If the grant is for Plant Construction, then try to make it less technical and mention more of the direct benefits provided by each AguaClara plant.
  • Be sure to quantify your findings when ever possible (i.e. The AguaClara Plants are designed to reduce water turbidity to less than 1 NTU.)
  o REMEMBER TO HAVE YOUR GRANT PROOFREAD BY SEVERAL INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THE TECHNICAL ASPECT OF THE WRITING AS WELL AS BY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HAVE A TALENT FOR LANGUAGE.

  Website Help:
  • http://schumer.senate.gov/new_website/grants.cfm^{Image Removed}
  • http://grants.gov/^{Image Removed}

  Guide:

  The following document is an excellent guideline to use when writing a grant. I recommend all potential grant writers to read it over carefully and to look back at it if you are stuck. YOU MAY NOT REPRODUCE THIS CONTENT IN ANYWAY.

  ...

  Seeking grant money can be time-consuming and sometimes frustrating. Among Minnesota's largest grantmakers, about one proposal in three is funded. You may find that you can get project money but not the operating money you need to keep your basic activities going. You may be surprised by funders' generosity, but you may also be surprised by their periodic changes in focus, especially if those changes leave you on the outside looking in.
  But remember that Minnesota has an extraordinary fund-raising climate. People from other states envy the major corporations and large family foundations that form the backbone of many of our innovative social and cultural programs. Most funders have board and staff people who are thoughtful, careful, curious, well-educated about community issues and willing to help you. If you have a good project that has been carefully planned to meet some real needs, you will find people willing to talk with you and advise you. Good luck

  ...

  .