by Margaret Jamal

Created on: January 05, 2009   Last Updated: April 08, 2010

A good grant writer is someone who submits grant proposals that score high in the reviewing process. Grant writing is a form of communication that should compel the proposal reviewers to suggest your project for funding. A grant proposal needs to have high scores in order to get funded. In order to receive high scores, good grant writers should think more like grant reviewers and donors.

The grant writer should keep in mind that the first people to review their grant proposals are actually concerned with keeping their jobs. Their job is to examine your grant proposal and then determine if it should go beyond file 13 (AKA the trash can). Very rarely will your grants be scrutinized by the one writing the check. The check writer generally relies upon the summary of information and recommendations of the initial grant reviewer.

Studying the goals and objectives of a potential donor is another attribute of a good grant writer. The grant writer who is able to demonstrate that the project goals and objectives in the grant proposal line up with those of the donor, will have a better chance of getting past the initial review process.

The granting process is competitive, even though statistics show few grant proposals demonstrate the qualifications for the funds that they are requesting. Because of this competitive nature, a good grant proposal needs to have an element that says, " You will be very glad to have chosen me above the other grant proposals." A good grant writer must be competitive with the intention of writing what it takes to win the grant award.

A grant proposal is a detailed document that is submitted to propose a solution to a problem. The solution must illustrate a comprehensive plan, along with how much money and resources are needed to get the job done. The documents making the best case for being able to solve a problem are the ones that are "granted" the funding award. Therefore a good grant writer must be a strategic and detailed thinker.

In the world of grant making, the demands for evidence based solutions and accountability continue to grow. A good grant writer must stay abreast of the evolving standards for best practices and new innovations, in project delivery as well as evaluation processes.

Most importantly, a good grant writer must know how to follow instructions for submitting a grant proposal. The Freedom of Information Act allows people to request copies of government grant proposals that have been awarded. After reviewing a number of copies, I found that many of the grants awarded were not necessarily represented with quality writing skills. However, there was a consistency with supplying clear responses to the requested information. They generally followed the instructions to the letter.

Government grants offer the best training ground to become a good grant writer. This is because unlike what occurs with foundations, corporations and individual grants, grant writers receive details about why their grant proposals are denied or awarded funding. Once you receive high scores for a program grant from the federal government, you will know that you have what it takes to be a good grant writer.

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