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Fellowships and Grants

GGC Hours

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By Dana Ohren, GGC Consultant

Even if you have a well thought-out project and strong recommendations, your application may be rejected because it is irrelevant to the funding institution. For example, an organization whose mission is to strengthen international relations will not fund your project if it does not have a vital international component. Likewise, an institution which encourages interdisciplinary scholarship may not be impressed with an otherwise excellent proposal that draws on only one discipline for its methodology. To write competitive applications, one must emphasize how the proposed project meets the funding institutions’ goals. After all, the project is yours, but the money belongs to them.

The first step is to identify organizations and institutions that may be interested in your project. Most organizations have extensive websites with at least one portion dedicated to explaining their overall missions. Do not skip this part! Often, it is tempting, especially when deadlines are fast approaching, to go directly to the organization’s fellowship or grant page and immediately focus in on the details of the application package. However, by reading through other information, such as an organization’s mission, other ongoing projects and initiatives, its own funding source, and if available, past selection committees and funded projects, you can learn how to craft an application that will catch the eyes of selection committee members and mesh well with the organization’s overall mission. Attention to such “big picture details” can be the difference between a good application and an outstanding one.

Although your proposal should emphasize the ways in which your project accomplishes the organization’s goals, you must remain intellectually honest in your presentation. Do not pretend your project involves specific methodologies and potential outcomes if you know it will not. Instead, invest time in locating appropriate funding sources for which your project is eligible and learn as much as you can about that organization. Not only will you then write a relevant application, but with the extra knowledge you have gained through reconnaissance, you will know how to package your proposal in the most attractive way.