Your funding opportunity announcement (FOA, RFP, Call for Proposals) provides everything you need to produce a compliant proposal. In reviewing your RFP, you should look for the following information:

• Are you eligible to apply? (PI, institution, appointment type, etc.)
• Is there a limit to the number of applications from the institution? (Limited Submission)
• Note the Review Criteria. These may include standard criteria, points for competitive and/or invitational preferences, etc. 
• How should the application be submitted? (e-mail, federal platform, sponsor website?)
• Deadline. Is deadline specific to local time or time zone? Are there exceptions for holidays or emergencies?
• Are there specific page limits and/or formatting instructions?
• Budget caps or requirements for cost share or matching funds?
• Who are the identified agency contacts/ Program Officers?

Use the solicitation as an organizational template for writing by preparing outlines for your proposal and the various sections and attachments. Use the language prescribed in the solicitation to create outlines. Labeling key headers will ensure your proposal provides the required level of detail, in the order requested, and integrates the review criteria into the full proposal. We suggest writing three different types of outlines for a single grant project, for organization and diligence.

• Outline administrative tasks
• Outline all required documentation in list form
• Outline the body of the proposal

Our Agency Toolkits provide help and guidance to work with federal agencies.

View Agency Toolkits

In addition to the abstract, narrative, budget, and personnel documents, agencies will often require additional information supporting those documents. The list below contains the most commonly called for supplemental documents. To access comprehensive supplemental documentation provided by the Office of Research Development, simply click here. Below are just some of the documents that we can provide templates and writing prompts for. If you don't find what you need, reach out to us with your request at development@ord.msstate.edu. 

• References & Bibliographies
• Facilities, Equipment Other Resources 
• Postdoctoral Mentoring Plans
• Human Subjects Study Records
• Data Management Plans
• Resource Sharing Plans
• Multiple PI Management Plans

Writing is a craft, not a science.

Grantsmanship is matching your/your organization’s agenda to the mission, culture, and procedures of funders, and doing so in a way that maximizes quality, is innovative, and is a positive representation of the requesting organization. A good idea is the core of a grant application… but it isn’t enough.

• To merit funding, the idea must be closely aligned with the agency’s mission, strategic plan, and investment priorities, and presented in a matter consistent with the funder's preferred or required format.
• As funding is increasingly competitive, not only must the idea be innovative, relevant, and capable of advancing the state of knowledge, but the proposal must be compelling and well-written.
• Grantsmanship includes maximizing the opportunity to “sell” your idea - using each allowable component of the application in a way that is respectful of reviewers, using stylistic writing, effective visual images and formatting, consistently throughout the proposal.

Grantsmanship is knowing all of these things and recognizing that they MATTER.

You can improve your grantsmanship skills by reading funded proposals and reviews of un-funded proposals, attending development programs in grant writing, speaking with colleagues who have successfully attained grant funds, developing relationships with agency program officers, and serving as a panelist for proposal reviews.