Technical Aspects of a Grant

Many funders will provide extremely specific and detailed directions regarding the technical aspects of a grant. All components and guidelines provided by the funder must be included. Typically, however, there are some standard technical elements of a grant.

For example, a budget summary is presented in a table format with clear headings and total amounts. In a project I completed for one of my M.A. professional writing courses the professor included a template of a typical grant budget summary. I utilized my business minor to assess average cost of goods, salaries and total amounts requested. The table itself is positioned in a visually appealing way on the page and includes bolded subheadings, dollar signs, and an introductory heading labeled "Program Budget and Narrative."

Consistent heading and subheading designs should be utilized throughout the entirety of the grant. Including white space between headings, information and paragraphs can make the layout of the grant easier to follow.

A table of contents is typically included after the abstract. This aspect should include all images and tables. Images should be clear and presented either with white space surrounding or enough room around the text. An image included in the grant should serve a logical purpose as opposed to just adding a design feature.

A good question to ask when thinking about the technical aspects of a grant is; does this element make it easier or harder for a funder to understand and/or follow the layout of the grant? A good rule of thumb is that a funder should never have to look for or wonder where information is hiding. A grant should always look professional, presentable and include all necessary information before submission.

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