Supporting Documents for Grants

Letters of recommendation, letters of collaboration, references, oh my! Unfortunately, these important support documents are often left to the last minute by grant-writers. But, there is a danger to leaving these documents to an afterthought...

Get them early
First, they take time to get together.  If you're waiting till you finish writing your grant to reach out to your collaborators or supporters to provide a letter for you, it oftentimes frustrates those vital partners who are forced to turn something around so quickly, if in fact they can turn it around as quickly as you ask. Waiting till the last minute can also impact the quality of the letter you get. As we all know, writing is only as good as the time put into it.

Clarify what the sponsor wants to see
In some situations, agencies are happy to see letters that speak to the character or strong qualities of the PI, but more and more, agencies want to see specifics in letters of support, and do not want to see any "fluff" on how great the PI is. For instance, depending on the program and agency, they may want to see specific resources that a collaborator is providing - including time, numbers, access, etc. Some sponsors want to see letters from department heads that assure them that the institution and department are supportive of the PI, the project, and their career trajectory.

Write them yourself
Although you don't want to be presumptuous, most letter writers appreciate if the PI provides a draft of the letter (including exactly what the sponsor is looking for) that they can then alter or put into their own words. More often than not, the letter writer will just sign the letter written by the PI, although if there is any misunderstanding around commitments, the letter can bring those to light early on.

Consider submittal requirements
Most grant submissions use an electronic process. Make sure that your letters are submitted appropriately and once submitted, print out the full application to make sure that it looks right and that all of the letters look professional, especially if they are in a different format than other parts of the application with signatures, etc.

Resources
How to write an effective letter of support - Tufts University, Office of Proposal Development
Letters of Support - Fresno State, Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
Letters of Support - The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Office of Research