Copy and
Pasting Will Equal A Recipe for Disaster in a CREATE Application
It is a fact that certain grant applications stand out because it is obvious that the grant writer understands that real people are behind the grants, and that they have opinions and feelings. Grant proposals that speak directly to those people are usually successful. They are not the grants that are "cut and pasted. Writing one master Service Need and Cost Effective Project Budget narrative then cutting and pasting it into all other course section narratives’ is a recipe for failure. Having key messages, stats and objectives is fine, but the tone and focus of each course narrative should reflect each individual course requested. It will take longer than cutting and pasting, but you’ll get a much higher success rate this way.
It is a fact that certain grant applications stand out because it is obvious that the grant writer understands that real people are behind the grants, and that they have opinions and feelings. Grant proposals that speak directly to those people are usually successful. They are not the grants that are "cut and pasted. Writing one master Service Need and Cost Effective Project Budget narrative then cutting and pasting it into all other course section narratives’ is a recipe for failure. Having key messages, stats and objectives is fine, but the tone and focus of each course narrative should reflect each individual course requested. It will take longer than cutting and pasting, but you’ll get a much higher success rate this way.
Think of it like job applications. You can send the same
cover letter and resume to 100 employers and you might get 5 interviews. Or,
you can focus on the 15 jobs that you really want and write the cover letters
from scratch according to the personal specifications they’re looking for. The
result is that you’re more likely to end up with the job you really want. Here
are some ideas and tips for increasing the likelihood of success for grant
applications:
Develop your key facts and
figures
These are the things that don’t change (or don’t change
much) from one application to the next. They could include your organization’s
background, what makes you unique, monitoring & evaluation, budget, etc.
Write in plain language
Just because the Expert Review Committee (ERC) members
are all experts in EMS, doesn’t mean they’re impressed with lots of jargon in
the industry. Write in clear and accessible language. Reading it out loud will
help you express your need in the most intelligent way possible.
You don’t always have to
go in cold
There is an opportunity for technical assistance when
writing a CREATE grant. In fact, you can benefit greatly from engaging with
CREATE staff by ensuring that you fully understand the program intent,
guidelines and eligibility requirements. Contact CREATE staff at (720) 248-2742
or by email at lj@coruralhealth.org.
