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Nonconventional Tips from A Veteran Grant Writer

September 11, 2019

Josh Einhorn

Joshua Einhorn (MDECOE Grants Officer) is Co-Editor of The GPA Journal. The Grant Professionals Association (GPA) is an international membership association for the grants industry. GPA offers continuing professional development through local chapter meetings, regular webinars, and an annual conference.

Dr. Einhorn has submitted an article for publication in the 2020 edition of The GPA Journal. The article, entitled “Nonconventional Tips from A Veteran Grant Writer,” advocates:

Using one’s intuition

In a graduation commencement speech at Stanford University, Steve Jobs shared the following sage advice: “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your… intuition” (Jobs, 2005). In grant writing, intuition starts with the idea in the first place. Intuition actually comes into play at all stages of the grant writing process. While logic and experience are key, intuition is often the final arbiter when deciding:

  • Which idea should I pursue?
  • Which intervention should I advocate?
  • To which funder should I apply?
  • Which statistic should I use?
  • Which testimonial will pull at the heartstrings of a reviewer?
  • Which key personnel should I invite to partner on my project?
  • What budget will the reviewers deem reasonable and not excessive?

Not underestimating the importance of “white space” (i.e., the blank space around words)

Most grant writers want to provide as much information as possible, believing that the larger the quantity of information the better one can persuade a reviewer. So oft-times they choose the smallest font allowable, push the margins to the minimum allowable, and excise spacing between headings and content. Proposal reviewers look down and see an unending block of text squeezed onto all edges of the page. At a physical level, they have difficulty even reading the text as they must squint and often lose their place. At an emotional level, they may be filled with dread looking at the seemingly unending block of text. They may become annoyed and frustrated. At a practical level, they may wonder why you did not spend the requisite time editing your submission so that it was succinct, persuasive, and readable – and score your submission poorly. Better practices is to format text on a page so that it is visually appealing and maximally readable, using margins, indenting, and line spacing with a goal of harmony and spaciousness.

Using punctuation to maximum effect

Punctuation, properly used to maximum effect, can be a great ally to a grant writer. Punctuation can help a proposal reviewer by alerting them of the flow of a sentence, paragraph, or idea. Punctuation can assist when trying to squeeze information into a circumscribed number of words or characters. Lastly punctuation can help draw attention to an important factoid or statistic which might otherwise be buried or lost in a block of text or a long narrative.