Grant writing is perhaps the most rewarding experience for a writer. They get to develop a program from scratch, taking it from starting needs, all the way to figuring out specific objectives and completing a final evaluation. Then the writer gets to watch their plan come to fruition on paper and get a chance at funding.
Even with all that, time isn’t always on a grant seeker’s side when it comes to the application process. All too often, it seems like you find the perfect grant opportunity for your program only to find that the submission deadline is right around the corner. However, a rushed grant application is just that, a rushed grant application and the reader will know.
When it comes to online applications that are just a survey and enter into a database of requests, they are often easy and quick to complete. If they are asking for a narrative response, then you will need to stop, save, and start writing in a word document before submitting.
Grant Writing is far more involved than a few paragraphs. And even if that’s all they are asking for, you will have to say a lot about your program. You will need to hit all their bullet points in a very small word count, without any fluff.
From researching grant opportunities to completing your narrative response for an RFP, LOI, or curriculum, you will be writing multiple drafts and revisions before finally submitting a finished proposal. The grant writing process requires input from many people within the organization and research into best practices.
CEO of GrantWriterTeam Libby Hikind always recommends that every organization try to write their first and possibly second grant in-house in order to appreciate the experience and gather all the information about their organization and the requirements before coming to the GrantWriterTeam.
With a host of highly qualified and experienced writers, GrantWriterTeam can make quick work of a tight deadline. But even when using a professional writer, grant seekers need to keep their expectations reasonable. Typically, the amount of time put into writing a grant proposal scales with the reward; the greater the reward, the more involved you can expect the grant writing process to be.
If an organization is seeking a grant with a dollar amount of six figures for one programming year, it can probably expect 40 or more hours of research, writing, and development. Federal grants generally have an estimated hourly count to allow yourself adequate time.
When starting a quest to search and apply for a grant, it’s very important to manage expectations of the timeline. Be realistic. Odds are a grant whose deadline is in two weeks is going to be hard to meet, even for a seasoned grant writer. Grant proposals demand fine detail and clarity, both of which require skill and time.
As Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither can a winning grant proposal be created under an unrealistic deadline. Manage expectations and be patient. A rushed grant proposal is a losing one, and the team at GrantWriterTeam strives for victory.
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