Grant writing is often thought of, and even advertised, by some freelancers as a creative writing exercise.  But why is this NOT true?

Accountability

Firstly, funding (ESPECIALLY government funding) needs to be accountable, transparent and justifiable.  If the proposal can not stand up to factual data scrutiny it is unlikely to be funded. Remember politicians need to be able to confidentially justify why your proposal was funded using tax payer money.

Follow the Guidelines

Secondly, the only time funding guidelines will request submissions of creative writing is when they are funding creative writers and their works.  The same goes for funding emerging artists and commissioning works of art. 

So unless that is what the grant guidelines are specifically requesting, then DO NOT submit a creative writing or interpretive art piece!

Evidence, Facts & Data

As Jerry McGuire said, ‘SHOW ME THE MONEY!’

Assessors want to know:

1. What the problem you are solving is
2. Why it needs solving
3. How you are solving it
4. When you are solving it
5. Who is involved
6. How much it will cost

The Value Proposition

And finally, funders also want to know what the greater long-term value is.  Are there added economic, social, environment and/or intangible benefits that will result from funding this application?

Is your application something they can be proud to say they funded?

These are just a few reasons why creative story writing will not win you the grant.  Grant writing is more a fact finding & communication exercise, with an emphasis on writing clearly and concisely.

 

Over the coming months we will be releasing training courses, tools and resources to help you improve your grant writing skills and organisations internal capacity to win the grants you apply for, tackle your compliance obligations and improve your long-term viability.