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الخميس، 16 أبريل 2015

Some Basic Grant Writing Lessons

By Joanna Walsh


There is an established sentiment in business and society generally that money is not easy to come by. Yet the fact remains that meaningful and beneficial activities require funding. Interested benefactors are prepared to provide money in the form of grants, but then they first need to be persuaded that the activity or organization requesting the money is a valid concern. Grant writing lessons can assist the latter in requesting funding successfully.

To begin with, asking other people for money is not easy for everyone. Many people are not comfortable with the process, either because, on principle, they are averse to approaching others for money, or because they do not want to betray the fact that their organization is struggling financially. The first objection is easier to resolve, but portraying an institution as financially sound seems to negate the possibility of asking others for assistance.

Another consideration is the nature of the request. Asking outside entities for money is an extremely serious process (naturally, since it is a request for financial assistance). The latter may in turn ask for extensive and detailed private information, or they may impose such stringent criteria that the requester is disqualified entirely. An entirely above-board, transparent request may be rejected purely because, in the opinion of its recipient, the activities of the underfunded organization are useless or in conflict with its own.

Writing requests for grant funding is therefore a process that requires proper attention and the necessary sensitivity to relevant issues. People who are not experienced in the composition of such material, or who are ignorant as to how one seeks sponsorship from other entities, may fail in their attempts to secure the money or even the interest of others. The following are a few basic guidelines in compiling grant requests.

Above all, the information contained in paperwork should always be completely true. Even the inadvertent inclusion of false or diluted data can be seen as a deliberate attempt to defraud the recipient (since money is involved). At the same time, the intentional manipulation of information to try to make the request more attractive is illegal, too, and should never be attempted.

Secondly, the request should be just that - a request, and nothing more. It is not appropriate to try to coerce or "hustle" the recipient into providing the funds. A more polite approach is suitable, and one that does not attempt to manipulate the recipient into releasing the money, or stridently demand that they do so. The latter may receive many requests for funding on a continuous basis, from different entities, so an excessively insistent or "hard sell" missive is not going to be received very well.

Lastly, the writing should be linguistically flawless. A request for money that contains spelling mistakes, wrong grammar or poor formatting is probably not going to be taken seriously and may even arouse suspicion. The paperwork should be impeccable, otherwise the recipient cannot be expected to agree to the request.

Many entities rely on sponsorship to maintain their activities. This necessarily entails submitting grant proposals and managing the associated paperwork. Grant writing lessons can equip those responsible for these processes to submit better proposals, with a higher chance of success.




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