{"id":613,"date":"2014-10-22T16:12:10","date_gmt":"2014-10-22T16:12:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.hampshire.edu\/ctl\/?p=613"},"modified":"2014-10-22T16:15:14","modified_gmt":"2014-10-22T16:15:14","slug":"grant-writing-shouldnt-make-you-sob-okay-you-can-shed-a-single-tear","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.hampshire.edu\/ctl\/2014\/10\/22\/grant-writing-shouldnt-make-you-sob-okay-you-can-shed-a-single-tear\/","title":{"rendered":"Grant Writing Shouldn\u2019t Make You Sob (Okay, you can shed a single tear.)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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“It’s a foolproof formula for writing grant applications.”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After a five-minute Google search for \u201cgrant writing cartoons,\u201d it became very clear that applying for grants gets a bad rap. It\u2019s true\u2014grant writing can be an arduous, tedious process, in which you can put forth tremendous effort with potentially little return. Writing a grant proposal\u00a0is very much like preparing for a big life event (a wedding, a major trip, or having a child). You plan. You stress. You dedicate tremendous time to make sure everything is perfect. And then your great aunt complains that her piece of the wedding cake was stale. Or your friend looks at the photos from your trip to Europe and tells you that his trip to Europe took a more original, \u201coff the beaten path\u201d approach. All your planning and care seems to fly out the window and what you\u2019re left with is dismay and disappointment.<\/p>\n

And you know what? It can hurt. Hearing that your proposal was not selected for funding can be a real drag, but it can also present you with a learning opportunity. We\u2019ve been told by many Hampshire faculty who are new to grant seeking that they don\u2019t \u201cget grant writing\u201d and that it seems like \u201csome sort of mystical thing that doesn\u2019t make sense\u201d to them. Good news: Grant writing doesn\u2019t have to be nebulous.<\/p>\n

One of the best ways to learn why certain grants get funded is to serve on a grants review panel. There are many government agencies who are constantly looking for peer reviewers (and most pay a stipend!) for grant applications. In turn, you get the chance to see how grant proposals are evaluated, giving you key insights into approaches to your own proposal writing. Being a peer reviewer on a grants panel is also a great addition to your CV!<\/p>\n

Here are a few opportunities for you to consider:<\/p>\n