Useful Guidelines for Writing Proposals

Be proactive: Start preparing your application as soon as your schedule allows and pay close attention to the submission guidelines from the very beginning. This ensures you’re not blindsided by requirements that are difficult to fulfill on short notice (letters of reference or endorsement, hard copies due by a certain date, mandatory length-limited abstracts, etc.) and gives you time to refine and perfect your proposal well before the deadline.

Be brief: Most funding opportunities have rigid limits on proposal length, and those that don’t will likely be fielding a good number of bloated applications that impose on reviewers’ time. Either way, it’s in your best interest to make your argument in the most concise way possible.

Be confident: Don’t say anything you can’t stand behind intellectually, but be forceful in declaring the value of your project. While academic writing often lends itself to thoughtful equivocation (“given the lacunae in this area, one might do well to consider…”) proposal narratives should be bolder (“my work will rectify these critical omissions in the following ways”). When referencing other scholarship, keep your focus on what you have to offer your field and not the other way around, and don’t be shy about referencing your own accomplishments if they’re relevant.

Be clear: Not all opportunities will have reviewers from your field, and even those who are familiar with your discipline might have a drastically different background or perspective. Extensive decontextualized references to authors, terms, or concepts that are not widely known may undermine the strength of your proposal. It’s also important to remember that reviewers must evaluate numerous applications as quickly as possible; if they don’t immediately understand what you’re saying, they might not have the time or inclination to re-read.

Be specific: Any goals, plans, or desired outcomes you envision should be explicitly stated in your proposal. Some projects may evolve into a different form once they actually take place, and it’s fine to anticipate that—but not at the expense of concrete language about the work you hope to produce.

Be supported: At their core, proposals are requests for money couched within explanations: “Here’s why this project needs to happen, and here’s why I’m the best person to carry it out.” You will always be competing against a number of other worthy contenders, so it’s important to do everything you can to increase your chances of success. I’m available to help you manage requirements, streamline your language for both clarity and length considerations, strengthen your appeal, and offer suggestions for improving vague or confusing passages. I can also write first drafts of abstracts and other materials, revise previous proposals to fit the guidelines of new opportunities, and proofread finished applications before submission. If you’re seeking funding, please contact me to discuss how I might assist in preparing your proposal and finding grants or fellowships to support your work.