Start early! Writing a successful grant proposal takes time and attention.

When planning your proposed project, consider the following questions:

• What is the problem you intend to address?
• How will your proposal solve this problem?
• Is your solution innovative and collaborative?
• Will your proposal have a high chance of success?
• How are you or your team equipped and qualified to complete the proposed work?

Keep the answers to these questions in mind while writing and weave them into your grant proposal to instill confidence in the reviewers.

Read the funding announcement. Take time to carefully read the program description to understand the goals of the program. Do your goals align with the funding agency's goals for the program? Do the allowed expenses fit your needs? See below for more tips on reading a funding announcement.

Know your budget. What do you need to pursue your project and how much will it cost? Keep this in mind when searching for funding opportunities.

Talk to the program officer. Email a one paragraph description of your project proposal to the program officer to ask for feedback. Program officers can tell you if your proposed project is a good fit for the program. If it is not a good fit, then they may be able to suggest an alternative funding opportunity. Program officers are busy and may not have time to respond immediately, but continue to follow up.

Funding agencies, or sponsors, may have different grant programs. Each of these programs have different requirements that will be published in a document called something like a Request for Applications (RFA), a Request for Proposals (RFP), or a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). These are all essentially the same thing, but here we'll use RFA for consistency. These documents can be dense and difficult to read. However, carefully reading an RFA is essential for preparing a successful proposal. Here are some details to look for when reading an RFA:

When is the proposal due? Will you have enough time to prepare it?

Is a pre-proposal or letter of interest required or encouraged? If so, will you have enough time to prepare it?

Does the grant align with your needs? Read the section in the opportunity entitled “Abstract,” “Summary,” “Purpose,” “Priorities,” or “Objectives” get an idea of what the sponsor wants to accomplish with the grant to see if it is aligned with your goals.

• Are public/state-run universities like USU eligible to apply?
• Are land-grant universities eligible to apply? USU is an 1862 Land-Grant institution. It is not an 1890 Land-Grant institution (historically Black college/university [HBCU]). It is also not a 1994 tribal land grant college/university.
• Are universities with Agricultural Experiment Stations eligible to apply?
• Can USU submit more than one or two submissions per year for this opportunity? If not, this is a Limited Submission, and applicants must work with SPO to apply.
• Must a university work with another organization to apply (e.g., an Indian tribe, small farmers, K-12 teachers, industry partners, etc.)? 
• Are only certain states/counties/cities eligible?
• Must you be a member of a particular organization to apply?
• Must you be of a particular sex/gender, race/ethnic status, citizenship, student type, or faculty level?

How much funding is available for each grant, and what will the grant fund? Most grants have specific requirements for what they will or will not fund, e.g. salaries or equipment may not be allowed.

Are cost share/matching funds/in-kind donations required? (Do a search for these terms.)

What platform is required for submission? (Grants.gov, ASSIST, EDGE, Research.gov, foundation portal, email, etc.)

Are there additional instructions found elsewhere? Many sponsors will also have additional instructions either as a downloadable file, webpage, informational webinar, “office hours” Q&A sessions, etc. Thoroughly search the RFA and the sponsor website for additional resources.

Write an outline to plan your main points. This simple step is crucial for preparing a well organized proposal and provides a clear roadmap for writing.

Keep the audience in mind. Who will review your proposal? What is the reviewer's background? Be careful to not over use acronyms and avoid jargon that a reviewer might not understand. 

Be brief, concise, and clear. A poorly written proposal that is too long or repetitious will frustrate reviewers who are very busy and may be at the end of a long day of reviewing proposals. Keep the reviewer happy!

Write with confidence. A good proposal has a convincing story. Incorporate sentences throughout to explain the important of your proposed project, why it will be successful, and why you and your team are qualified to carry out this project.

Read the evaluation criteria. As you write your proposal, make sure you have a strong answer for each of the criteria. This is what reviewers will use to score your proposal, so use the evaluation criteria as a checklist. 

Ask others for feedback. Discuss your ideas with others in your field, and ask someone experienced in grant writing to review your proposal. Be humble and open to suggestions. 

Read and re-read the RFA. Check that your proposal is complete and meets all of the requirements.

Carefully proofread your proposal. Mistakes can be distracting to reviewers and convey a lack of professionalism.