I see many grant proposals from people who are clearly passionate and excited about their project, but fall a little short of putting forth a persuasive argument for the funders. While a small bit of “human touch” can help an already well-structured proposal, emotion should be used sparingly.
You want to lay out a clear, rational explanation of why your project is aligned with the funder’s priorities and the award would be used effectively. You already know why your proposal should be chosen and how you can be successful in implementing it. However, if you do not convey this understandably to the funder, they may not select your proposal for funding.
In addition, please be sure that your claims are feasible and that you make logical connections. It is not enough to say that if you receive $300,000, you can end hunger in your town. Rather, you will need to provide statistics on hunger in your area, what it would take to provide meals to the number of needy people, and how you can make it happen within budgetary constraints. You could logically say that if you operated a soup kitchen that served two meals per day, you could largely eliminate the problem of people in your community going a day or more without eating.
It’s great to be passionate and committed, but be sure that you demonstrate how your good idea can become a successful project.
-Chris
