Grant Writing Is Not Just for Academics

Why the word "grant" makes many people picture a narrower funding reality.

The other day, I had a great conversation with a friend and fellow scientist. I told them that I’m a grant writer. And they said something to me that many other grant writers have probably heard before too, in some form or another.

“So, you’re a grant writer. Your best clients are probably academics.”

That initial perspective is understandable

Academics are usually the primary applicants for research funding. And because grant funding is often the life line of academic research, scientists often publicize and highlight their funding successes a lot. So, when many people hear the word “grant,” they tend to think of universities, professors, research institutes, and scientific projects. That makes grant writers sound like they have a very narrow “niche role.”

Grant writing as an academia-only niche activity is a common misconception

There are also many other grants for different sectors and purposes. Government and EU agencies, philanthropic foundations, ministries, and private companies offer grants to a broad range of applicants. Eligible applicants could include nonprofits, hospitals, public bodies, small and medium businesses (SMEs), and for-profit organizations, depending on the grant call.

So, the fact that people often use the word “grant” as if it automatically implies scientific research and innovation is only part of the wider story about grant proposal writing.

Grants can support many different types of work.

For example:

• Grants can support scientific research.

• They can enable innovation and product development, including proof-of-concept work that helps build credibility and the scaffolding for further innovation work.

• They can fund pilot and demonstration of products and frameworks. These could include work that validates products or solutions and help move them closer to market readiness.

• They can help start or maintain community programs, including citizen science initiatives and outreach work.

• They can help build public health initiatives, like community health programs and outreach.

• They can be used for capacity building and technical assistance.

• They can support procurement of equipment and other capital needs.

• They can help finance general operating costs.

• They can fund training and education, including travel. These grants could be used either to fund the applicants themselves or educational programs of organizations.

• Certain grants also support matching and co-funded activities.

Eligibility and specificity of grants

Given the broad range of different grants and funding bodies, not all sectors are eligible to apply for all types of grants.

Some funders want to advance fundamental research. Others want to strengthen communities, increase public engagement in specific areas or demographic groups, or improve public health. Still others want to support education, test innovations, bring more innovations onto the market, or strengthen SME or nonprofit capacity.

The specificity of grants and that of the funders’ missions and visions mean that they also expect particular sectors to be represented within their applicant pools. For example, academics wouldn’t be eligible to apply for small business equipment grants. Citizen science grants might not necessarily be compatible with projects involving company secrets and proprietary workflows. And SMEs might need to pair up with a university to apply for grants that target public institutions.

The specificity of many grant calls also means that academics aren’t the only ones that benefit from grant funding. Funders support many types of work, and these funding streams can be just as important to organizations that aren’t universities or publicly-funded research institutes. Therefore, the actual grant landscape is much much broader and more varied than what many people might realize.

This also changes how grant writers’ role should be perceived

Therefore, a grant writer isn’t just someone who helps academics write research proposals. There are still many grant writers who do exactly that (i.e. writing for academia). But academics might also tell you that this sometimes conflicts with the implied role of academics, who perceive grant writing as something they should be doing themselves.

Outside of academia, grant writers also help nonprofit organizations develop fundable program narratives.

They help SMEs transform innovation concepts and ideas into strategic stories that grant reviewers will view positively.

They support overly burdened staff at hospitals and public institutions apply for much-needed funds. For example, grant writers could help obtain grants to build and expand initiatives that benefit patients, educate the wider community, and build infrastructure to improve the effectiveness of campaigns against preventable incidents, diseases, and disabilities.

They also support startup founders and agribusinesses build more sustainable, climate-friendly solutions into their business workflows, products, and services.

They also help organizations transform fragmented ideas into structured, coherent, and persuasive narratives that strategically highlight each project or program in need of funding.

Therefore…

So, you see, the breadth of grants and the breadth of sectors needing funds out there are reasons why grant proposal writing isn’t just relevant to universities and research institutes. Nonprofits, SMEs, hospitals, agribusinesses, schools, and other mission-driven organizations can also be eligible to apply for grants.

The idea is that there are local, regional, national, and EU-level agencies and various foundations with generous budgets that acknowledge that good ideas need money to transform into impactful outcomes.

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Hi! I offer grant writing and science writing services to scientists, nonprofits, innovators, and educators in agrifood, life sciences, and sustainability.

DM me to schedule an exploratory call. We’ll discuss your specific needs and find solutions to get you rolling.