Grant Writing Toolkit
A grant application should be written in a way that's easy to understand and quickly digestible.
Think about who is going to read it and under what conditions. Typically, assessors will review multiple highly competitive grant applications in a very short space of time.
Below are some writing techniques you could consider using in your grant application.
Use headings, sub-headings and white space – this makes it easier for the reader to navigate.
Avoid long paragraphs – shorter paragraphs are easier to read and to take in the information.
Bold or underline key sentences.
Use plain language that can be quickly read and understood. Write as though your audience is an educated reader from another discipline.
“Your writing won’t have more authority because you use bigger words. It will have authority because you have a deep understanding of your topic… the easier your application is to read, the more quickly they can grasp the concepts and, ultimately, the more positive their response to the proposal will be.” (Burke Smith & Works, 2012, p. 122)
If there’s more than one person writing the grant, take care that the same language and terminology is used throughout – sometimes different people can use different terminology and create inconsistencies throughout the application. To avoid this, ensure a single person does the final proofread of the application as a whole.
Using the funder’s language is a great way to demonstrate alignment between your project and the funding round. To do this you’ll need to read the funding guidelines carefully, as well as the funding organisation's mission and values statements. Highlight key words that you can use in your grant application.
Where possible, avoid jargon and acronyms.
Jargon can make an application hard to understand, especially if the reader is from another discipline.
If you do need to use an acronym, then spell it out in full the first time it’s used and then abbreviate the subsequent mentions.
You could also consider using a shortened form acronym rather than an alphabetic form. For example, the John Doe Youth and Sport Centre could be abbreviated to “the Youth Centre” rather than "JDYSC". This saves the assessor from going back to previous sections to re-check what the acronym stands for.
Keep the use of acronyms to a minimum.
Use an active voice rather than a passive voice: an active voice is more direct and powerful, and puts the focus on the subject. Using an active voice also tends to take fewer words, which comes in handy with tight word limits. For example:
To make it easier for the reader, use definitive statements throughout your application. For example:
The grant application needs to be grammatically correct. There are several things you can do to produce a grammatically correct application:
Grant application writing examples
Strategic Grants have published some examples of poorly written and well-written grant applications.
How to write well: Persuasive writing techniques
Fund Assist provides advice on writing techniques you can use in your grant application. See pages 193-196.
How do you balance creativity and clarity in your grant writing style and tone?
This article includes tips to help you craft a compelling and clear grant proposal that suits your audience and purpose.
Grant writing: Good habits (5:9 mins)
The first half of this video by ArtReach offers useful grammatical tips for grant writing.