Proposal writing combines persuasive writing skills and a thorough understanding of scientific literature on the topic of the proposal. This guide introduces medical writers to the essential questions all grant writers need to answer before starting a writing project.
Who is the audience for the proposal? Understanding the target audience, or those who will be reviewing the proposals, helps to ensure the proposal is written with the right tone, the correct assumptions, and an accurate understanding of the scope of the funding agency. For example, foundations and federal agencies provide funding support for biomedical research, but each has a specific mission. Foundations, like The American Cancer Society or American Heart Association, have missions that address specific health issues and improving the lives of individuals with those issues. Federal agencies, like the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Defense (DoD), Department of Justice (DOJ), Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and National Science Foundation (NSF), have missions to support innovative research with a broader focus.
Does the research take a different look at an old problem or is the research examining a new problem? The grant writer’s job is to ensure that the proposal fits within the priorities of the audience (the funder). That means describing the project or program clearly and accurately and making the case for why this particular project should be awarded funding.
What is the deadline for the proposal submission? Part of the grant writer’s job is to ensure that the entire application—the proposal as well as all of the supporting documentation that a funder requests—is submitted on time. Funders all have their own deadlines, and they won’t consider proposals submitted after a deadline. Since applications are more than just the description of the project, getting everyone who needs to provide information—from budgets to curricula vitae to the description of the proposed project—involved early in the writing process ensures that all of the components will be finished with enough time to copy edit the proposal and submit it before the deadline. It’s also important to be aware of the funder’s time zone and submit it before the deadline in their zone.
These days, all grant proposals are submitted online. As is the case with all medical writing projects, preparation is key. Before you start filling in an online form, make sure you have everything you need.
It’s important to follow funders’ guidelines. Proposals can be rejected if they don’t follow even the simple guidelines like the line spacing or margins. You don’t want a multimillion-dollar proposal to be rejected, or not even reviewed, because it doesn’t meet the requirements for the number of lines of text per vertical inch allowed or because the page margins were wrong.
A grant writer’s goal is to justify why it is important to fund the project now. Often that involves telling a data story or narrative. However, that story must fit within the funder’s mission and guidelines. By keeping the 4 Cs of grant writing in mind, grant writers can play an integral part on a project’s team.
With a mission to support research, funders task reviewers with identifying high-quality research that will have a demonstrable impact. Grant writers can play a vital role in the application process by ensuring that the application meets and exceeds the funder’s expectations.