What makes a proposal score well
Reviewers usually work from a scoring sheet. Once you know that, a lot of writing advice stops mattering and a few things start mattering a lot.
Every name, employer, organization, and number on this page was made up for the sample. We never publish a customer document, and we do not claim these examples produced any award or job offer.
How scoring usually works
The posting's questions become the scoring sheet, often with points attached to each one. A reviewer reads for the answer to question three under the heading for question three.
That is why answering in the funder's order, using the funder's words as headings, quietly earns points.
A weak answer next to a strong one
- Weak: We will serve many families in our community and make a real difference.
- Strong: We will serve 90 students from three named schools, four afternoons a week for 32 weeks, and report reading levels quarterly.
- The strong version is not better writing. It is checkable.
What costs the most points
- Skipping a question that felt repetitive
- A budget that does not add up or does not match the plan
- Claims with no proof attached
- Missing required attachments
- Submitting after the posted closing time
What we do about it
Our workspace lists every question from the official file, shows what the reviewer is grading, and marks any answer you have not backed up so you can fix it before you submit.
Do this with your own work
See the Application Writer exampleKeep reading
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