Proposal Writing Resources

This is a list of general tips and resources for writing a grant proposal. For a list of agency-specific resources, see our Resources by Agency page.

Guide For Writing a Funding Proposal, S. Joseph Levine: A list of general tips for proposal writing organized by common types of application sections, including an example proposal.
The Art of Grantsmanship, Jacob Kraicer, U Toronto/HFSP: An older, but still popular, proposal writing guide, including suggested timelines. Uses vocabulary characteristic of NIH proposals, but advice is applicable to proposals to other agencies.
The Proposal Writer’s Guide, University of Michigan: A well-written general guide; addresses common section types with greater specificity than other guides. Includes old but still-relevant data on reasons why proposals are rejected.
The Anatomy of a Specific Aims Page, Bioscience Writers: A detailed breakdown of how to structure a Specific Aims section in an NIH application, but the advice on general argumentative structure is also useful for other types of proposals.
Introduction to Proposal Writing, GrantSpace by Candid: A free online course on the basics of proposal writing. Estimated completion time is 1 hour.
Scientific Editing and Writing Article Library, Bioscience Writers: A free online resource focused on scientific writing. Includes multiple articles on fine-tuning/editing scientific articles, proposals, and manuscripts; writing CVs, resumes, cover letters, and abstracts; and guidelines for formatting and including scientific jargon/vocabulary, among other helpful links.

Robert Porter (Director of Research Development, University of Tennessee) has published a series of short scholarly articles that provide practical advice for proposal writers:
- “Can We Talk? Contacting Grant Program Officers,” Research Management Review 17.1 (Fall/Winter 2009): 10-17
- “Crafting a Sales Pitch for Your Grant Proposal,” Research Management Review 18.2 (Fall/Winter 2011): 1-7
- “What Do Grant Reviewers Really Want, Anyway?,” Journal of Research Administration XXXVI.2 (2005): 5-13

“Debunking Some Myths About Grant Writing,” Kenneth T. Henson, the Chronicle of Higher Education

“The Science of Scientific Writing,” George Gopen and Judith Swan, American Scientist — a highly detailed treatment of style and sentence structure in scientific writing, focused on maximizing clarity when communicating complex technical ideas.

Science Magazine’s “Grant Writing for Tight Times” feature series from 2007 goes beyond grant-writing basics to offer guidance from grant writers, grant reviewers, and agency program officers:

Research and Sponsored Programs