Why Don’t I Ever Seem to Win Grants? What am I Doing Wrong?

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Modern PowerPoint Presentation
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Why Don't I Ever Seem to Win Grants?
As a grant writer you may feel you are pumping
out grant writing application after grant writing
application, and having no success. It sure can
be disheartening and being given the task of
grant writer for an organisation comes with
expectations that are often hard to fulfil. With
competition for grants at an all-time high, its
important that your grant writing hits the mark
every time. In fact, you should assume that every
time you write a grant, you are competing with
hundreds of other organisations and/or
individuals for the same money Is it any wonder
that many grant proposals get shelved without a
second look? To ensure that your grant
applications dont land in the reject bin every
time, here are some of the most common grant
writing mistakes that you must avoid
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What am I Doing Wrong?
2. Failing to Follow
Directions
1. Not Doing Your Leg Work
4. Sums that Dont Add Up
3. Careless Editing
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Not Doing Your Leg Work
All funding bodies have their own set of
objectives and interests. No matter how great
your project idea might be, if it does not fit
within the grants interests or objectives, then
as a grant writer you are really trying to fit a
square peg in a round hole. In fact, chances
are, your grant proposal wont even be reviewed
if it doesnt match the funders guidelines. In
your haste to acquire money, dont make the
mistake of applying and writing grants that dont
fit your vision and objectives. Instead, spend
some time researching available grants and
understand their mission and goals. If the grant
doesnt line up, dont waste your time trying to
massage your proposal to match their objectives.
Funders publish their interests for a reason, and
they will not change their areas of interest
based on a good project idea.
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Failing to Follow Directions
A sure-fire way to land your grant proposal in
the waste-paper basket is to not follow basic
directions. This is one of the most common
mistakes grant writers make, but also the easiest
to avoid. Funding bodies receive thousands of
grant applications and one way they sort out the
grant writing amateurs from the grant writing
professionals is to see who follows the
directions. So, if they request a detailed,
three-year budget, then give them one. If they
give you a word limit, stick to it. If they ask
you not to put staples in your document, then
dont. Ignoring simple instructions guarantees a
rejection for your grant application. So, make
sure to follow them down to the letter.
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Careless Editing
Spending several hours doing careful proofreading
might not be your idea of a good time. Spelling,
punctuation and grammar dont come naturally to
everyone. But, when it comes to grant writing,
it pays to pay someone to do it for you,
especially if you dont have the gift yourself.
In fact, getting someone to take a second look
over your work makes perfect sense. Chances are,
if your grant proposal doesnt make sense to your
editor, then it wont make sense to the funders.
Get your work checked!
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Sums that Dont Add Up
Since a grant application is all about acquiring
money, the budget section of your proposal is
perhaps the most important. Yet, its amazing how
people can skip over this section, approximating
numbers with no research or quotes, forgetting
that money is the entire point of your
application. Proposals that arrive with math
errors undermine an organisations credibility.
Do your numbers make sense? Does your budget
match the picture that the rest of your proposal
is trying to paint? If the funding body is
receiving hundreds of similar grants, with
similar budgets, they will know if you are trying
to fudge the numbers. So, dont pad the budget
with unnecessary or inflated costs. Research
past grants that the funding body has made to
similar organisations to yours to ensure that you
are not asking for too little or too much. Why
not involve your business or finance manager in
the grant-writing process? Dont put together a
great proposal and then blow it with a terrible
budget.
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If youre not having much luck with your grant
writing applications, then consider getting some
professional help. Red Tape Busters are
specialist in grant and tender writing and can
help your organisation or business win grant
funding or achieve successes with tenders.
Visit http//www.redtapebusters.com for more
information. We are specialists in providing the
following services
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Thank You!!