Writing a winning grant proposal can seem like a dark and mysterious art. Find out how to boost your chances of success.  

Reading time: 3 minutes | By Lee Ellwood

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Knowing how to write successful grant applications can enable you to make all kinds of change for good. Competitive grants are opportunities: they make it possible for you to achieve the seemingly impossible by financing your ideas and projects. So writing strong grant applications is a vital activity for social impact, research and purpose-led organisations – but not always an easy one.

Applications that fail often:

• are unfocused, so they leave the assessors unclear about the proposed activity, and/or
• don't align with the funder’s objectives, so they never had a strong chance anyway.

The problem is that winning grants is a competitive process with more applicants than opportunities, which guarantees that most applications won't succeed. The trick is to increase your application's chances of success.

So just how do you write a winning grant proposal? Read on.

What makes a good grant application?

Successful applications always align with the funding organisation’s goals and objectives. Organisations fund projects that progress their own aims – not yours – so your application needs to align completely. Applying for an opportunity just because it’s in your field of activity is likely to be a waste of everyone’s time. If you’re struggling to write something solid against every criterion, your project probably isn’t quite right for the grant.

Next, a good grant application tells a convincing, credible story of achievable change. You need to earn the funders’ trust, because you’re asking them to believe in you enough to invest in an as-yet unproven activity. Demonstrating your ability to deliver the project will build their confidence, both in you and in your project. Try following this structure when you write:

• Problem: Identify the problem clearly, with evidence to support it.
• Solution: Outline exactly what you propose to do about it.
• Method: Explain how you’ll deliver on your promise, with a feasible, detailed project plan and budget.
• Outcomes: Specify the practical outcomes and their benefits, and explain how you’ll measure success.

Strong applications are also concise, specific and detailed. The writing needs to be persuasive and inspiring, but also evidence-based – broad claims without substantiation are useless. Resist the urge to write filler ‘fluff’, and make sure every word earns its place.

What are some tips for successful grant applications?

• Write as though the assessors know nothing about you, even if they do. They can only base their decision on what you submit in your application – not your reputation.
• Prove the problem exists. Include numbers, data, surveys and quotes, and avoid general, sweeping claims.
• Tie the problem to people, communities or society, not your enthusiasm for the project. Say who the problem is affecting and explain how the project’s outcome will change their lives.
• Tell the project’s story. Even if the application form asks for information in a different order from problem – solution – method – outcomes, knowing your narrative will help you ‘sell’ your project effectively.
• Use plain English: active voice, no industry jargon, and simply structured sentences. Assessors read lots of applications and their brains (and eyes) get tired, so make your proposal easy to understand and analyse quickly.
• Break up your writing with subheadings, paragraphs and bullet points, if the application form allows it. Help those tired assessor’s eyes find your information easily.
• Observe the word limits, because extra words are usually disregarded.

How can I improve my chances of successful grant applications?

Tell a convincing, well-evidenced story of potential and impactful change, and tell it completely and objectively. The 'objective' part is important, but can be hard to achieve. Because you're so close to your project, you might miss gaps in the application story that will leave the assessors confused or lacking a full picture.

When we write a grant application, we look for the gaps in the story, and we work on filling them. Being external, it's easier for us to dig out the details that demonstrate why your project should be recognised with a win. We ask you, ‘Why was that important?’ And ‘How many?’ And ‘So what?’ And ‘What happened as a result?’ (Annoying, but necessary.)

Then, as well as a strong grant application, you’ll also have a clear library of ideas, achievements and statements that you can repurpose in other written assets: capability statements, annual reports or industry submissions.

Switch your grants from ‘no’ to ‘go!’

To really boost your chances of getting a green light, we recommend outsourcing this work. Writing winning grant proposals requires time and objectivity, which you may not have in abundance. Every changemaking organisation works at full steam, and adding this kind of skilled, nuanced writing task to your team’s workload may be a recipe for a rejection. Rushed or poorly written applications just don’t win.

Hiring a professional grant writer will be an investment that can pay well – and take the pressure off your in-house team. The grant writer already knows how to write successful grant applications, and their time, skills and experience will powerfully complement your subject matter expertise. Let them look after the writing, so you and your team can focus on what you do best: developing and delivering projects that change lives.

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At EllWords, we want to see change happen in the world. That’s why we offer grant writing as a service: to help purpose-led people make a real difference.

Visit our Award and grant applications page to find out more and request a quote for your next grant proposal.