Did you know that today, more grantmakers are bringing in local community members to review proposals with the aim of making the grant review process more equitable and inclusive? A 2021 study by the Center for Effective Philanthropy noted that in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, 94 percent of funders simplified applications and reporting requirements and provided unrestricted and multiyear grants. And 75 percent maintained those changes in 2021. As trust-based philanthropy takes root, the process will not only become more streamlined  but also emphasize “listening to the community.”

Here are some tips for writing a grant proposal for a diverse, community-based audience—in other words, how to write a proposal for readers who may know nothing about your organization or project. The answer is in the six Cs of communication–clarity, cohesiveness, completeness, conciseness, concreteness, and context.

Clarity

Clarity comes first on the list because it is the most important part of good grantwriting. If your thoughts are clear, your writing will be clear, and your grant reviewer will understand your message.

Your organization is complex, whether it is comprised of a team of passionate volunteers who pitch in where needed or has hundreds of employees and binders full of policies and procedures. An organization is a little like a beehive. Each bee plays a specific role necessary for the swarm’s survival, but from a distance, it appears chaotic.

Assume that the person looking at the hive is not an entomologist.  Instead of writing complicated, jargon-filled grant proposals, strive to achieve the “of course factor,” so your reader thinks, “Of course, that makes sense,” and “Of course, we want to fund that.”

Avoid using jargon. Your aim is to inform your audience, not to impress them. Don’t leave out necessary technical terms, but make sure your language is as straightforward as possible. Fully develop your thought in a single sentence rather than cramming several ideas into one. Use facts and figures in your writing for greater impact.

Cohesiveness

Lead your reader through the information so they can see how it logically fits together. Only include relevant information; don’t go off on tangents or add random facts. You want your proposal to be concise but detailed, which requires determining what information is essential and what should be left out. Convince your reader that there is a problem to be solved or an opportunity to embrace in the community, then explain how your organization is qualified and has an action plan ready.

Frame the need in the community your organization intends to address in terms of the individual people impacted by it. For example, rather than writing how your organization needs to install wayfinding signs on its trails system, note that users need more straightforward guidance and educational information on the sights. This strategy creates a logical connection between your request for funding and the benefit to the community that you serve.

Keep your ideas focused on your message. Structure your paragraphs with a single main idea and supportive sentences. Paragraphs should be three to five sentences long.

Completeness

When presenting your ideas, include enough information to prove that your plan will work, but not so much that your reader becomes overwhelmed. Too much information can obscure your message. Employ the Goldilocks principle: not too much, not too little, but just right.

Conciseness

Why use five words when you can use three? Readers prefer concise prose for ease of reading, particularly when they have hundreds of grant proposals to read. Plus, most grant applications allow only a certain number of characters, so you need to make each character count. Practice counting your characters in your writing, then shaving off a hundred characters per page. You’ll soon be writing much more concisely.

Concreteness

Be as precise and as concrete as possible in your language. Also, be consistent in your phrasing and word choice. If you refer to a park as a park, don’t refer to it later as a campus, plaza, or garden. Changing terminology confuses readers.

You should also avoid unclear antecedents in writing—using “they” or “that” in sentences where who or what you are referring to is left to interpretation.

Context

Read the question on the application form, making sure to consider the proposal section in which it resides. For example, if the application asks about your programs and services, and the section of the proposal is the organizational description, give a broad overview of the scope of services your organization provides. If the application asks you to explain your programs and services in the project description, get specific on the timeline, work plan, staffing plan, goal, and objectives.

Remember, the days of writing grant proposals that resemble research papers are over. Remember the six C’s of writing instead: clarity, cohesiveness, completeness, conciseness, concreteness, and context, and always keep your audience in mind.

Allison Shirk is a grantwriting professor at Western Washington University and Seattle Central College. She is the founder of Spark the Fire Grantwriting Classes and an approved trainer by the Grant Professionals Association.