Mastering Clarity and Conciseness: 6 Essential Tips for Effective Grant Writing

Grant writing is a complex task that requires persuasive language, technical expertise, and precise communication. To maximize your chances of securing funding for your projects, enhancing the clarity and conciseness of your grant proposals is crucial. Here are some tips to help you and your organization improve the clarity and conciseness of your grant writing, ensuring your proposals stand out and effectively convey your ideas:

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is the foundation of effective grant writing. Tailor your proposal to suit the specific requirements and interests of the funding organization. Research their mission, objectives, and past projects to align your goals with theirs. By adopting their language and emphasizing shared values, you can create a clear and concise proposal that resonates with the evaluators.

2. Outline Your Grant Proposal

Before diving into the writing process, create a well-structured outline for your grant proposal. This will help you organize your thoughts and ensure that you cover all the essential aspects of your project. Start with a clear introduction, followed by a comprehensive needs statement, objectives, methods, evaluation plan, and budget. Having a solid framework will prevent unnecessary digressions and keep your writing focused.

3. Use Simple and Concise Language

Grant proposals should be easily understandable to a wide range of readers. Avoid using jargon, technical terms, or excessive industry-specific acronyms. Instead, opt for clear, concise, and straightforward language. Break down complex ideas into easily digestible sections, using bullet points, subheadings, and short paragraphs to improve readability. Ensure that each sentence contributes to the overall message and eliminates any unnecessary fluff.

4. Be Specific and Concrete

Grant evaluators appreciate proposals that provide specific details and concrete examples. Avoid vague statements and generic claims. Instead, present quantifiable data, such as numbers, percentages, or measurable outcomes, to support your arguments. Use real-life stories or case studies to illustrate the impact of your work. Being specific and concrete helps create a clearer picture of your project's objectives, activities, and expected results.

5. Edit Ruthlessly

After completing your first draft, revise your proposal with a critical eye. Cut out unnecessary words, redundancies, and repetitive phrases. Streamline your sentences to convey information concisely. Look for opportunities to condense multiple sentences into one without sacrificing clarity. Read your proposal aloud to identify areas that sound convoluted or overly complicated. A well-edited proposal not only improves clarity but also showcases your professionalism and attention to detail.

6. Seek Feedback

Obtain feedback from colleagues, mentors, or professionals in the field to gain fresh perspectives on your proposal. Ask them to assess the clarity and conciseness of your writing. Their insights can help you identify areas that need improvement and suggest alternative approaches to express your ideas more effectively. Remember, constructive criticism is invaluable in refining your grant proposal and increasing its chances of success.

You've Got This! 💪

Clear and concise grant proposals are essential for capturing the attention of evaluators and securing funding for your projects. By implementing these tips, you can enhance the clarity and conciseness of your writing, making your proposals more compelling and impactful. Remember, grant writing is both an art and a science; continuous practice and refinement will ultimately lead to improved outcomes.

Best wishes with your grant applications! If you find yourself in need of more support, connect with our team at Bloom to help assist your organization through the grant writing process. We'd love to help!

What is a Grant vs. a Sponsorship?

What is a grant and how is it different from a sponsorship? Read on to learn all about grants and sponsorships and what they each have in common and what they do not.

You are likely reading this post because you want to maintain a robust budget for your nonprofit and you know how important it is for your organization to maintain several sources of income to support the sustainability and long-term impact of your nonprofit. This is where grants and sponsorships can support your budget needs, and as a result, attract more funders!

So, what exactly is the difference between a sponsorship and a grant? 🤔

Sponsorship: A sponsorship is an exchange for goods or services (e.g., sponsorship funding can be exchanged for visibility via social media) and does not have any impact or performance measures. Sponsorship dollars come from marketing departments and are more flexible in nature than grant applications. Corporate foundations tend to be sponsors and the initiatives that they fund tend to be smaller investments. Bloom does not provide a sponsorship strategy but often supports clients with sponsorship applications.

Grants: A grant is a quantity of money given by the government, a foundation or charity, or a person for a specific purpose (e.g., for research, general operating, and capacity-building needs). These agencies typically have the resources to fund initiatives at a national level but do not have the human capital, relationships, and understanding of the problems at a local level to take on initiatives directly. Additionally, unlike a loan, you do not have to pay back grant money; a grant is like a gift. Bloom provides a suite of services, resources, and coaching to clients to search for and help win grants.

Both Sponsorships and Grants:

• require a relationship in place and a clear ask;

• require deliverables (but look different for Grants vs Sponsorships).

Still feeling unsure about which one to go for? Let's review these scenarios:

Scenario 1: Your nonprofit needs funding for a fundraising event that is coming up within the next couple of months. Apply for a Sponsorship.

Scenario 2: Your nonprofit wants to design and execute a long-term program with performance measures and impact at the forefront. Apply for a Grant.

Do you need support with researching funders for your nonprofit? We'd love to help! Complete our Interest Form to schedule an introductory chat and tell us about your organization's needs.

Benefits of a Boilerplate Document

When working with a grant writer, do you find yourself spending a significant amount of drafting new language for them to use for the grant application process? If yes, you might benefit from a boilerplate document.

What is a boilerplate document? 🧐

A boilerplate document includes standardized language that can be reused more than once in a new context without any substantial changes to the original. Amazing, right? 🙌

A boilerplate document creates more efficiency in your time working together as the document includes founder-approved language that can be used in grant applications and recycled every time. Having agreed-upon language reduces the amount of time the grant writer and grant reviewer takes to communicate back and forth, and as a result, streamlines the grant writing process. A win-win for all! 🥳

How to create a boilerplate document:

1. Identify the most common grant prompts. Typically, grants require basic organizational information (mission, vision, etc), a community need statement, a program description, and an evaluation plan.

2. Find your best, award-winning content. Begin copying and pasting your best content into a Word document that aligns with common grant prompts. We recommend keeping the majority of your template general - so use a general operating grant to start.

3. Organize your template. Using your new template, organize the document in order that the questions appear in a grant proposal. The idea is that you can use this template to complete a grant application if they were side-by-side. Tired of looking for your EIN? Put that right at the beginning, where grantors usually first ask for it.

Wondering about your beautifully written program-specific content? If you use a cloud-based file organizer like Google or Teams, we recommend linking these special grants in your boilerplate document. That way, they are easily accessible but don't clutter the boilerplate.

Don't have the time to create a boilerplate document? No worries! We can create one for you. Learn more.