Formatting

Proposal formatting can feel like a nuisance. If you're like many folks, you develop a proposal using your preferred Word format. Then when you're getting close to the deadline, you start to copy and paste it into the agency's template online or reformat your original document to meet what they're asking for. It's at this point that you start to realize you hadn't noticed some of their formatting guidelines and you are confronted with some options. 1-You can shoehorn your current proposal into their format, 2-You can rework your proposal to best respond to their guidelines, or 3-You can throw out their guidelines and do it your way...

If you've read my blog before, you've probably guessed that option 2 is the "right" answer, but you may also realize that in the time crunch and pressure that often accompanies proposal development, you may be tempted to opt for 1 or 3.

Here's why you shouldn't.

Although it may seem that agencies put together formatting guidelines to make your life more complicated, they've actually done it to make their lives easier. When reviewers are going through proposal after proposal, preparing for a review meeting, they come to expect the flow of the required format. They know where to go when they want to flip back to your biosketch or your budget after reading your abstract. If you move things around on them, they will not appreciate it.

Proposal guidelines are developed to give you direction and a better understanding of what the agency wants and how they want it. We all know that funded proposals respond well to the call and the guidelines. So, if that's a given, your chances for funding are much better if you truly understand the call and guidelines from the beginning.

Although you may think that some agencies will appreciate your creativity with formatting, they won't. If they wanted creative formatting then they wouldn't have painstakingly developed their formatting guidelines.

Convinced? Great, here are some tips to help you out.

• The first thing to do is read the call for proposals and the formatting guidelines and then read them again.
• Before you start writing, create a template based on the call and the required format.
• Don't try to sneak your proposal through with a smaller font or no paragraph breaks.
• Once written, return to the guidelines to make sure your proposal meets them all.
• If you're unsure about the call or guidelines, ask. This is an opportunity to engage a Program Officer (just make sure you couldn't find the answer to your question in any of the agency's documentation or website, otherwise the PO will know you didn't do your homework).

Remember, even through formatting feels like a pain, it can actually provide you more insight into what the agency is looking to fund and what they think is important, based on required sections and space allotted to those sections. So, please, take formatting requirements seriously, because we know that funding agencies do!

Resources:

ORDE Proposal Development Checklist

What do grant reviewers really want anyway? - Robert Porter