Models of Proposal Planning & Writing

Grantseeking has become an increasingly competitive process. Beginning grantwriters sometimes assemble a collection of facts and present that information to grantmakers, hoping to receive support. However, sponsors rarely award grant funding just because a grantseeker supports a specific cause or works for a specific organization. Grantseekers must persuade sponsors to invest in their projects and organization. Successful grantseekers know that persuasion, not information, attracts funding. Persuasive proposals present a seamless argument that stands the test of reason, addresses psychological concerns, and connects project ideas to the values of the sponsor.

Models of Proposal Planning & Writing illustrates, in intimate detail previously unpublished, an integrated process of planning and writing persuasive proposals. The grantseeker will see the questions that the authors asked of themselves and those asked of sponsors before they developed a complete grant application. Grantseekers will read the actual proposals the authors submitted to private and public sponsors, including paragraph-by-paragraph analyses of the key features that made them persuasive. The authors provide the reader with a verbatim examination of reviewer comments and grant award notification letters they received back from the sponsors. As a whole, these annotated models serve as a springboard from which grantseekers can begin to develop their own fundable proposals.