Writing a grant proposal? Do you have a plan for how you will get it written, reviewed, and submitted on time?

A PLAN? Yes, a plan.

What can a plan do for you? A plan will:

• Eliminate your running around with your hair on fire trying to meet the submission deadline.
• Avoid creating emergencies for other people involved in getting your proposal submitted.
• Give you the whole picture of what needs to be done.
• Keep you focused and on track.
• Help you manage your available time.
• Reduce your stress.
• Organize your work so you can engage others in assisting you.
• Endear you to others (e.g. administrative and finance officers, your mentors, your colleagues, your co-investigators) who help you with your submission.

So what’s not to like? What’s that you say? Too much to do and you don’t have time to develop a plan? Don’t know how? Actually, the busier you are, the more you NEED an organized approach (read: plan).

Developing a plan requires a couple of things: 1) a desire to do it, and 2) some basic skills and techniques in project planning. You’re on your own for the desire part, but in my blog next week I will talk about project planning and introduce four basic concepts that will help you pace yourself for your grant submission. This will be followed by a weekly series of more in-depth blogs about each concept and its application to writing a proposal.

Your assignment, should you decide to accept it:

1. Decide on the funding agency, and opportunity, to which you intend to apply
2. Visit their website and get acquainted with their submission process
3. Determine deadlines for submission and decide when you plan to submit

Next Post: Planning to Plan: Gathering Materials

About the Author

Screen Name

Durango Kid, PhD

About Me

Durango Kid has had successful careers in industry, health care, non-profit organizations, public service, and academia. Now retired (sort of), she teaches investigators how to pace themselves for submitting grant applications and is a medical writer and editor when she's not cycling, cross-country skiing, or working as an avocational archeologist. My profile picture is a bowl dating to 1250 AD.