Three Things I’ve Learned as a Grant Reviewer

The majority of my experience is in writing grant proposals, but over the past few years I have had occasion to sit on the other side of the table and review proposals. I love engagements that give me the opportunity to learn from a new perspective, and reading through funding requests is the ultimate switcheroo! Each round of reviews brings new clarity and fresh ideas on shaping competitive proposals, but three things stand out every single time.

Don’t overdo it on the needs statement.

Admittedly, this one isn’t always a one-size-fits-all recommendation. There are occasions when you need to educate the reviewer on the importance of your issue. But if you’re writing to a funder who is already aligned with your organization’s mission (and those are the funders you should be writing to), you don’t need to spend page after page convincing them of why your work is important. Yes, provide a needs statement. But when you’re already well aligned, rest assured that the funder gets the issue. That’s why they’re focused on it, directing funding to it, and staffing the issue area with experts. Save the space for the good stuff about your unique solutions!

Be concise.

It can be tempting to respond to every question with the maximum allowable word count, but it doesn’t mean you ought to. Your proposal will stand out for its brevity and clear understanding of the issue / solution. Trust that your program will speak for itself if it’s well thought out and well represented on the page.

Connect the dots.

Don’t assume that the reader knows all of the ins-and-outs of your program if you don’t tell them (I’m looking at you, jargon lovers). Hold back on overusing acronyms or terms that might be ambiguous to someone not directly involved in your organization. Break things down, and then string them back together in a logical way. Keep the proposal organized, and your work will shine through. Tie everything together with precise ways in which your work is helping the funder meet their mandates. And never push something that isn’t a true connection, because it’s usually pretty clear to the reader and it could end up backfiring if you’re awarded a grant that’s outside of what your organization truly does. - more on that here -