Here are common mistakes made by newer grant writers....

• Not reading (and following) the grant guidelines. One easy way to make sure you follow the guidelines is to pull in headers of key elements from the application into your outline of the grant. This helps you know what needs to be included. It also shows the grant evaluator, where you covered they kep points.
• Writing the grant in isolation. Pull together a team, including key partners, to plan out the grant activities. One person should write the proposal, but a team will provide you a better set of objectives and activities.
• Not spending enough time doing the needs assessment. Go out and talk with potential adult students and partners, include the what they say and data collected as a rational of why you chose a set of activities.
• Not knowing and using the language of the organization awarding the grant. Adult education lingo is different from library or health terms. Use the terms of the organization awarding the grant. For example, libraries want more customers. For example, for a library focused grant, include activities which result in learners getting library cards and using them.
• Not giving your draft to multiple readers for their suggestions. Some readers may be good writers and can help you with language. Others may know aspects of the community that you did not take into consideration. Those unfamiliar with adult literacy and your organization will tell you when they just don't understand a section.
• Writing the proposal from the organization's perspective verses the needs of the potential adult learner. Groups often will say what they need not what will help the learner. A simple statement, "We need more workbooks." could be replaced by, "Ten of our adult learners say they want more practice in math, and we do not have any books they can take home for practice." This is more concrete and is from the learner perspective.

Grant writing requires more skills that being a good writer. Writing a successful proposal requires good planning and making sure your idea "fits" your organization's mission and the goals of the funder.

For more help in writing a grant, contact valflorida@hotmail.com