Two ways to get your government grant proposal: hire a professional or do it yourself

Today, many opportunities to receive free money from the U.S. government have surfaced, primarily due to the economic difficulties the U.S. has encountered in recent years. To take advantage of these opportunities, there is one indispensable act that must be perform: government grant writing. The grant is awarded to those who convince the granters that the goal and monetary requirements to achieve that goal are in the best interest of the U.S. and will achieve goals the government has set for themselves, that is, for the nation. To convince them that your proposal is worthy, you must write one. Government grant writing is the key to winning that grant and setting in motion the processes that will render that startup money you need for your new business.

Many people or startup businesses turn to a professional who specializes in government grant writing, and many others do it themselves. Going with a professional does have it's advantages, especially if you have never written a grant proposal yourself. A professional makes his living by writing grants. He has done the research, knows that is essential, what to include, what to exclude, what the government wants to hear and see and what it doesn't want to waste time reading. You will want to shop around for a grant writer; don't settle on the first one you find because grant writers as a group are like any other writer group; there are good writers, acceptable writers, and terrible ones. Generally, you can determine which category they belong to by their references. A professional becomes one by performance. If the grant writer doesn't have many references, he's just a beginner. Ask the candidate for references and check them out. Ask the references not only whether the writer delivered, but also whether the writer was able to capture fully your proposal and did indeed account for all your needs. Some writers manage to get a grant, but do not get all that you need because they did not account for it. Going professional is your best alternative, but that's if you've got the money to afford one. Some of them can be expensive, especially those from a firm that specializes in government grant writing, since they have more than the writers to pay. You can easily find professional grant writers on the internet.

You can also try your hand at government grant writing yourself. The proposal will be a written document that begins with an executive summary, a general statement telling the audience what need calls for the project you have in mind, what the project is that will satisfy this need, and what, in round figures, the budget will be to carry the project to its completion. The budget will be based on the monetary requirements of the project, including organizational costs, such as personnel, facilities and the like. It is a summary, so it is concise, but also clear and compelling.

The rest of the proposal will provide the details you've summarized in the executive summary. Again, you can find successful proposals on the internet. Read as many as you can, and if you do your research well and write with truth and salesmanship, an odd combination perhaps, you might very well get that grant. It's worth a try.