OK, my friend, I’ll admit: There’s a non-zero chance that you won’t get a milly in your bank with this one.
But you just might win bigly in the Game of Grants if you heed the advice below!
…why? Because you can bet on it: a time will come (if it’s not already now) when your livelihood depends on winning…not just winning in general, but winning money!
FUNDING!
A few weeks ago, I was asked by my faculty (Information Technology and Electrical Engineering, what a fancy name) to record a 30-min video on how to write successful funding applications. Me, who holds the silver medal position in the race to most consecutive grant rejections in my research unit (I think I was up to 26 when the spell broke…)
The irony! Oh well. So I thought to share the key points of my talk here too. Releasing the video publicly next week for those who want to see me just ranting about these… Anyway, let’s talk about…
Five to Win Funding
I divide all my humble wisdom in grant writing into five key ideas. Or tips. Not sure what to call these. But even before going into those, let’s just state the obvious:
- Always follow YOUR INSTRUCTIONS given to you by whatever organization you’re applying to
- I have no business telling you how to write an application specific to YOUR FIELD
- This is not financial (or medical) advice – take what you want and leave the rest.
Alright.
Ready?
Here we go.
Tip #1: Curate, Don’t Trust Blindly
Nobody knows everything.
But everybody knows something.
Start curating advice from many sources instead of blindly trusting your supervisor or just one person you look up to.
So, ask liberally, ask many people, but use your own intuition to filter all of it. If you trust someone blindly, you will end up writing their application, not yours. And more often than not, you subconsciously lose faith in your application.
And people can tell. Because text has a smell. (hey that rhymes)
If you don’t believe in what you’ve written, others won’t either. Plus if you take advice from everyone, your proposal becomes a mess anyway. So, reach out to different people, hear what they have to say, and start curating techniques, advice, grant writing strategies that you genuinely believe in.
The only way for others to believe in what you write is if you also believe in it. And talking about you…
Tip #2: Work on Yourself, Not Just the Proposal
People think hard work on the proposal is the only way. Grind. Write. Grind and write, grind and write.
Grind!
But focusing on yourself is just as important. Or wait, no. It’s even more important.
If you keep working on yourself, your proposals will improve too. And the easiest place to start is your mind.
Some people say people who cannot teach anything practical end up teaching mindset.
I disagree.
Mindset is the most practical, instantly actionable thing you can possibly develop.
Ruminate on the following in the context of your grant writing game:
- Past failures don’t define you.
- You’re not worse than those who have won that same grant before.
- Cynical beliefs like “the whole game is corrupt” or “I can’t win” sabotage your chances.
And you can work on all those beliefs.
And remember, the odds might be small, but winning is possible. Don’t fall into the trap of not trying because you believe it’s impossible.
Tip #3: Write Clear, Not Clever
Write clearly. And if possible, don’t try to be clever.
Such a cliche. And so true.
Keep it simple, and don’t confuse people. With that, I mean do not leave any loose ends in the application. Not even one. People want to know what you mean with everything.
And for the love of anything and everything you hold holy, write it yourself. ChatGPT is for grammar, not for generating your proposal.
(It writes botshit. Seriously. It does.)
Eliminating those loose ends in clear language is critical. Why? Human brains don’t like ambiguity. And you have human brains, don’t you?
1 clear impactful idea is 10x better than 100 vague ones.
Remember this: if you have to say your research is “truly unique” or “unprecedented in ambition,” it’s a sign of insecurity.
Your work should speak for itself.
Any man who must say “I am the king is no true king.”
You probably get the reference here.
Just show. Don’t tell.
Tip #4: Pitch it
Just in case it’s not yet clear, you’re selling your idea here.
You have two layers of cognitive defenses to break. You’re not just presenting scientific substance—you’re persuading humans. Reviewers and funders will decide whether to say yay or nay. And they’re, you guessed it, humans.
Lead with one big, clear, surprising idea to get through the crocodile brain. Then, provide an army of well-grounded benefits for the neocortex.
Take the time to learn how to pitch.
Read copywriting books or take a course.
My favourite one has always been The Best Way to Say it ( https://simohosio.com/bestwaytosayit ). Pricey, yes. But it helped me win $900k. Was “kind of” worth it.
Tip #5: Be Patient, Be Consistent
Work consistently.
You can’t just sit down and write a full proposal in one go. Plus daily work helps avoid misery. Finish the first draft fast, then step away. Consume content around the margins, take notes, rest, and integrate.
By margins, I mean stuff that relates to world outside academia. It’ll help you understand why you’re doing what you’re doing.
Time is more helpful than last-minute panic.
Masterpieces take time.
Remember, your subconscious mind can help you a lot. Four hours of hard thinking will never beat 48 hours of subconscious processing.
Take the time.
Bonus Tips:
Spy what’s been funded recently, using your keywords and related buzzwords:
These two are good sources. Figure out what has been seen as worth funding, and tweak yours ever so slightly to that direction. But just better.