Statistics can be useful for bolstering the points in your grant proposal, but they should be used properly and sparingly. A professional reviewer cautions, “Statistics are important, but can be confusing. Use them when they set the stage and give a context for the project.”
Be sure to explain why you’re including them and what they mean in terms of the point you wish to make. Use just what you need; dumping rows and rows of numbers into your proposal will not necessarily help its credibility or improve your chances of approval.
Grant reviewers have to read through a large number of proposals and will not have time to analyze a lot of statistics without context. They want to be able to be interested in your proposal, so make sure that it is concise, clear, and interesting, with statistics used in the proper amount and for the right purpose.
-Chris
