How do you write a good grant proposal? How do you write a good proposal for any type of project?
Jim Olds, former head of NSF’s Biological Sciences Directorate, offers some great advice in his post “What Grant Reviewers Really Look for (and What They Ignore).” Grant reviewers break down what they want into 5 questions:
- Can I explain this to the panel in 3 minutes?
- Is the question answerable?
- Can this person really do this?
- Is this the right approach?
- Will this move the sector forward?
He also advocates the use of storyboarding before actually writing your proposal. Quoted below.
Before you write a single word:
- Can you explain your project in three sentences?
- Can someone outside your subfield understand why this is important?
- Do you have a clear narrative from question to vision and impact?
If not, you’re not ready to write. You are ready to storyboard.
Create a simple, clear story first. Then carefully expand, making sure that every detail complements that core narrative.
Reviewers are smart, busy people under time pressure identifying good science. Please don’t make them understand your talent. Give them a story they can understand, defend, and champion.
You can read the full article here.
