What are some strategies for crafting a compelling grant proposal narrative?

1 Understand the funder's priorities

Before you start writing, research the funder's mission, values, objectives, and criteria. Find out what they are looking for, what they care about, and what they expect from applicants. Align your narrative with their priorities and show how your project addresses their needs, interests, and goals. Use their language and terminology to demonstrate that you understand their perspective and that you share their vision.

2 Define your problem and solution

A grant proposal narrative should clearly define the problem or gap that your project aims to solve and the solution or approach that you propose. Explain why the problem is important, urgent, and relevant to the funder and the target community. Provide evidence and data to support your claims and show the magnitude and scope of the problem. Then, describe your solution in detail and show how it is feasible, effective, and innovative. Explain how your solution differs from or improves on existing or alternative solutions and how it will benefit the funder and the target community.

3 Highlight your impact and outcomes

A grant proposal narrative should also highlight the impact and outcomes that your project will have on the problem, the target community, and the funder. Impact refers to the long-term and lasting change that your project will create, while outcomes refer to the short-term and specific results that your project will achieve. Use SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) objectives and indicators to show how you will measure and report on your impact and outcomes. Provide a logic model or a theory of change to illustrate how your activities will lead to your outputs, outcomes, and impact.

4 Showcase your credibility and capacity

A grant proposal narrative should also showcase your credibility and capacity to implement your project successfully and efficiently. Credibility refers to your reputation, expertise, and experience in the field or sector that you work in, while capacity refers to your resources, skills, and systems to manage your project effectively. Provide relevant information about your organization's history, mission, vision, values, achievements, and partnerships. Highlight your staff's qualifications, roles, and responsibilities. Demonstrate your financial stability, accountability, and transparency. Provide a realistic and detailed budget and timeline for your project.

5 Engage your reader's emotions and logic

A grant proposal narrative should not only inform but also engage your reader's emotions and logic. Use storytelling techniques to make your narrative more personal, relatable, and memorable. Use anecdotes, quotes, testimonials, or case studies to illustrate your problem, solution, impact, and credibility. Use facts, figures, statistics, or evidence to support your arguments and claims. Use clear, concise, and compelling language to convey your message and persuade your reader. Avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that may confuse or alienate your reader. Use headings, subheadings, bullets, or numbers to organize your narrative and make it easy to read and follow.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?