Part 1 – Getting Started

A baffled professor once came to my office with the written critiques they had received for a failed proposal. One included this killer remark: “Reads like a journal article.” While grants go unfunded for many reasons, this book will assist you in writing successful grants, avoiding some of the pitfalls we, as well as others, have made while writing small foundations to large federal grants. Grants are becoming increasingly competitive, so it is essential to think through this process critically. Fundamentally, you are trying to sell your idea, so it’s important to communicate effectively on paper and in person. This chapter will provide the foundation of what is expected of you, to be successful in the grant writing game.