Writing an Abstract For a Grant Proposal

A grant proposal is designed to secure funding for a nonprofit organization to further develop the organization's programs. A good proposal requires a fair amount of research to find the appropriate funds from funders, identify deadlines, understand the proposal format and its required content. An abstract provides an abbreviated summary of the proposal itself, and its primary purpose is to convince the reader to read through the entire proposal. It also contains information about any previous observations and results that are relevant to the proposed project. A properly written abstract will contain conclusions and recommendations that will encourage the reader to move ahead with the project. It will state the purpose of the project, its specific goals, the research methodologies, if applicable, and the project’s significance.


Read the grant application completely. Use a highlighter or pen to denote the questions that you have to answer and the paperwork and materials that you must provide along with the application.


Draft notes to explain who you are representing, what your project is and the amount of funding that you are requesting.
 
Draft an introduction that includes a detailed, but concise, project description and why you are seeking grant funds. Include information about your organization's demographics and how your community or field will benefit by the completion of the project. The introduction should reflect the main points of your proposal, and include a hypothesis or a statement of the problem, the project goals and the research objectives. Use statements like, “The purpose of this study is to…” or “The primary objective of this project is to…” The introduction should also include a rationale to the project that will make it clear to the reader that the research is needed. Detail your budget and which types of resources you will need. Be sure to include a time line for the project's completion.


Re-work the draft, double-checking your figures and paying close attention to grammar, spelling and punctuation. Check it one more time before printing it out.