Writing a Well-Integrated Grant Proposal

Greetings again. I hope you’re doing well.

Last week my blog post presented advice from peer reviewers on writing grant proposals. One point was that a proposal should be well integrated. As I stated that point, I realized that maybe I should explain it. That’s what I’ll do now.

Saying a proposal is well integrated means that everything in it fits together and that different parts support one another. For example, in a well-integrated proposal

• The literature review is well focused. All of its content relates to the hypotheses to be tested or objectives to be achieved in the work. The relevant literature is cited. Irrelevant literature isn’t cited.
• The methods are sufficient to test the hypotheses or achieve the objectives. All the proposed work relates to the hypotheses or objectives.
• Qualified people have been identified to do all parts of the work. No one without a needed role is listed.
• The budget covers everything needed for the work except for items otherwise paid for. The budget doesn’t request funds for anything unnecessary.
• All is consistent. Numbers throughout the proposal are the same, and everything adds up. If content in part of the proposal has been revised, other parts have been updated as necessary. The abstract accurately summarizes the rest of the proposal, focusing on the key points.

Preparing a well-integrated proposal can be difficult. In a way, it is like solving a puzzle. But the effort can be worthwhile. When peer reviewers see that you have come up with a good solution, they are likely to regard your proposal highly.

Until the next post—

Barbara