Writing the title for a grant proposal isn’t as easy as it looks. You need to make sure that your title is catchy, clear, and conveys exactly what you want it to do.
This can be challenging because there are so many different rules and regulations when it comes to writing titles, depending on the type of audience that will read them. Here are 14 tips for how you can write a strong title for your project:
| Takeaways |
|---|
| Crafting an effective grant proposal title is essential for grabbing the reader’s attention. |
| A well-crafted title should be concise, clear, and relevant to the proposal’s content. |
| Keywords in the title should highlight the project’s purpose and potential impact. |
| Striking a balance between creativity and accuracy is important to make the title memorable. |
| Customizing the title for different funding opportunities can demonstrate alignment with the organization’s goals. |
1. Write The Project Summary As A Strong Introduction To The Proposal
The project summary is the first thing a reader will see, so it’s very important to make a good first impression. The objective of this section is to provide an overview of what you hope to do, who will be involved, and why they are needed.
Keep it concise and clear; don’t go into detail about what your research or project entails unless asked for more information at a later stage. In general, if your grant proposal is being submitted in response to an RFQ (Request for Qualifications), or RFP (Request for Proposals).
Or another similar document, then you must tailor your proposal accordingly by including any relevant keywords used in that document within this introductory paragraph so that it aligns with their specific requirements.
Need help maximizing grant opportunities? Our guide on Tips for Getting More Grant Money with Nonprofit Proposal Writing offers valuable insights and strategies for boosting your grant funding success.
2. Focus On The Relevance Of Your Project To The Sponsor
The second step to writing a title for a grant proposal is to make sure that it focuses on the relevance of your project to your sponsor.
You should take time to read through the mission statement and objectives of your potential sponsors, and then try to integrate them into what you write for your title.
For example, if you’re applying for funds from a hospital foundation that aims to improve people’s health outcomes by educating them about preventative care, your title could be something along the lines of “Improving Patient Outcomes:
A Campaign for Health Literacy.” This way, even if the person reading over your proposal doesn’t know much about this particular organization or its goals (or even if they don’t know much about grants), they at least have some context for why you’re asking them for money.
3. Proofread And Rephrase Your Title
Proofreading is important, so make sure to run a spell checker over your title before submitting it to the grant committee.
If you are not sure about the spelling of a word, look it up in a dictionary or ask someone who has recently taken an English class. Make sure that your title is grammatically correct, as well.
A title with incorrect grammar can affect whether or not a reader will choose to read your proposal.
Finally, make sure that your title is relevant to the project you are writing about and does not contain too many technical or industry-specific terms (unless those terms are essential).
This will help ensure that everyone who reads it understands what it’s about without having any background knowledge in the field at all!
Crafting a successful grant proposal involves careful consideration. Learn 10 Things to Consider When Writing a Grant Proposal to ensure your proposals stand out and meet the requirements for funding.
4. Highlight The Value Of The Research
As you write your proposal, ask yourself what is the value of your research to the sponsor. What is the value of your research to the community? What is the value of your research to the field? What is the value of your research to the world?
For example, The purpose of this study is to determine whether or not exposure therapy (a type of cognitive behavioral therapy) can be used as a treatment for people with XYZ disorder who have failed traditional methods such as medication or group therapy.
This project will provide valuable information about best practices and how these treatments may help those suffering from XYZ disorder.
5. Adhere To Rules On Length And Character Count
The length of a grant title is important. It should be no more than 60 characters long, meaning that you won’t have any problems with the character count.
You can use common abbreviations and contractions, but don’t overdo it you want to keep your title as clean and simple as possible for the reader.
Look at some examples from other proposals in your field:
- “Building Capacity for Early Childhood Education in Rural Communities” (80 characters)
- “Improving Undergraduate Teaching Skills Through Mentorship” (86 characters)
- “Supporting Small Businesses in Central Pennsylvania Through Improved Access to Capital” (88 characters)
Looking to create an outstanding grant proposal? Explore our article on 11 Tips for Writing an Exceptional Grant Proposal for practical advice and techniques to make your proposal shine.
6. Describe What You Will Do In The Project
In your proposal, you’ll need to describe what you will do in the project and why it is important. The first part of this description is called a “research question.” The research question should be something specific, like: “What are the effects of eating breakfast on weight loss?”
You should then explain how you are going to answer that question using methods such as surveys or experiments (in other words, how you’re going to collect data).
Once you’ve described how and why it’s time for the results and the actual findings from your project. Don’t just tell us what happened; show us! If possible, use charts or graphs so we can see exactly what happened over time or when comparing different groups of people.
Next, comes to impact what impact did your study have? This can include things like saving lives or making life easier for people with different diseases or disabilities.
If there isn’t an obvious way for your study to have an impact (like saving lives), then instead talk about ways in which other studies might be able to use these findings in the future, such as developing better treatments based on them.”
7. Start With A Working Title
A working title should be short and simple. It should be focused, relevant and interesting. A good working title will also be specific to the grant you are writing for so that it can guide you through the rest of the process.
Keep in mind that the final title will be longer than your working title and may need to include extra words such as “Grant Proposal” or “Request For Funding” at the end of it to meet grant requirements.
Securing grants for your nonprofit or small business is achievable with the right strategies. Discover how to succeed in grant writing with insights from How to Win a Grant for Your Nonprofit or Small Business and open doors to funding opportunities.
8. Use Keywords Strategically Within Your Title
Keywords are a powerful tool for grant writers as a way to get your proposal noticed by funding agencies and search engines alike. But keywords are not tags, and they’re not there just to pad out the word count in your title.
Keywords should be used as part of a strategy to give potential funders an indication of what the content of your proposal will include.
Keyword research should begin by identifying terms relevant to your organization and its goals, which can then be expanded into broader themes (e.g., “community” or “education”).
The next step is to conduct a competitive keyword analysis: look at the titles of other funded proposals and see what words they use most frequently and why those words are important.
For example, if you’re writing about infrastructure projects in rural America, then including the word “infrastructure” might be helpful since it’s likely that all grant applicants will use this term in their titles;
However, if you were instead writing about how cities can improve their transportation systems using green technology solutions like electric vehicles or bike lanes (both excellent keywords), then including these terms would help differentiate you from other proposals trying rely on more generic terms like “infrastructure.”
9. Avoid Slang And Jargon
The title of your grant proposal is not the place to use slang, jargon, or acronyms. Slang is an informal language that’s often used by a particular group of people (e.g., teenagers) or in a particular context (e.g., sports).
Examples include: “the man,” “the boys,” “the game” and “the fans.” Jargon refers to specialized expressions that have a meaning known only within certain groups (e.g., lawyers, doctors, engineers).
Examples include: “adverse outcome,” “outcome” and “risk factor.” Acronyms are abbreviations formed from initial letters of words that make up a phrase or name (e.g., AIDS).
Contractions are shortened versions of words that eliminate one or more letters to speed up speech; they’re usually followed by an apostrophe (e.g., doesn’t).
Abbreviations are short forms for longer terms; they can be used when space constraints make complete word forms impractical (e.g., the US for the United States).
Try as you might, there will always be some jargon and slang in your grant proposal, after all, it’s part of everyday life!
But these should never appear in the title itself because they’ll confuse readers who don’t know what the terms mean and if those readers aren’t confused enough already just trying to figure out what you want them to do with their money…
10. Consider Using Numbers, Acronyms, Or Other Symbols In Your Title
You may want to use numbers, acronyms, or other symbols in your title. For example:
- A study of the impact of climate change on the Great Lakes might have a title like “Impact of Climate Change on the Great Lakes.”
- A grant proposal for an infrastructure project could be titled “Transportation Infrastructure Improvements in City X” to highlight how it would benefit city residents.
When using numbers and abbreviations in your title, make sure they’re consistent with any style guide that has been established for your target audience.
In some cases where there is no official style guide for instance, if you are writing a grant proposal for an academic research project you can choose whether or not to use these methods;
However, it’s always best to consult with someone who has experience writing grants before making this sort of decision.
11. Maintain Consistency With Your Target Audience’s Style Guide Or Preference
One last thing to consider is consistency. Consistency is an important part of any writing project, especially when you’re working with a team. When writing a grant proposal, it’s always best to be consistent with the target audience’s style guide or preference.
If you’re working for yourself or your organization and don’t have a style guide, then follow the style guide of the target audience (or at least use their preferred method). If you don’t know what that is it probably doesn’t matter!
If your goal is simply to get funded by them, then following their preferences will go a long way in making sure that happens.
Wondering how to create a proposal that stands out and gets funded? Dive into our guide on How to Write a Proposal That Gets Funded to master the art of crafting compelling proposals that capture attention and support.
12. Use Caution When Including Geographical Locations In Your Title
Using the name of a geographical location can be problematic. If you use the name of a town or city, what happens if the grant is funded but the project is moved to a different location?
If your title uses the name of an organization or sponsor, what happens if they change their name? You want your title to remain relevant even after it has been implemented.
The best way to ensure that your grant proposal’s title will still make sense in five years is by naming it something unique and descriptive rather than including any specific place names.
Your best bet would be using terms like “research” or “project” because these titles have no room for error!
13. Be Clear, Concise, And Factual In Your Title
When writing your title, it is important to make sure that it is clear, concise, and factual. Avoid jargon and slang, as they can be confusing to read.
You should also use numbers, acronyms, or other symbols when appropriate to help convey the importance of what you are writing about in the title (for example: “5 Ways” instead of “5 Methods”).
You should maintain consistency with your target audience’s style guide or preference throughout your paper.
14. Work From A Template Or Checklist For Titles
If you’re in a rush to write your title and don’t have time to think about how best to proceed, use a template or checklist.
Checklists are great for making sure that you’ve covered all the bases in your proposal. If you haven’t included enough detail about your project, your proposal will be rejected because it’s incomplete. Checklists make sure this doesn’t happen!
Templates are also helpful when writing titles because they ensure that every section is included and that each section has been written properly according to the guidelines provided by funders such as The National Endowment for Humanities (NEH).
Conclusion
In summary, writing a title for a grant proposal is not rocket science. It can be easy to get stuck on the details and forget about what matters: clarity and concision.
Resisting this temptation may mean using more words than you might have originally planned, but it will help keep readers engaged with what you have to say.
Further Reading
Here are some additional resources that can provide further insights into grant proposal writing and related topics:
How to Write a Winning Grant Title Short Description: Learn the art of creating impactful grant titles that capture attention and increase the likelihood of success.
Successful Grant Proposal Examples Short Description: Explore real-life examples of successful grant proposals to gain inspiration and a better understanding of effective proposal writing.
Writing for Grants: How a Catchy Title Gives You an Edge Short Description: Discover the importance of crafting a catchy grant proposal title and how it can give your proposal a competitive advantage.
FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions about grant proposal titles:
What is the role of a well-crafted grant proposal title?
A well-crafted grant proposal title serves as a concise introduction to your proposal, grabbing the reader’s attention and conveying the essence of your project.
How can I make my grant proposal title stand out?
To make your title stand out, focus on clarity and relevance. Use keywords that highlight the project’s purpose and impact, making it easy for readers to understand.
Should a grant proposal title be creative or straightforward?
A balance between creativity and straightforwardness is ideal. While a creative title can pique interest, it’s important to ensure that it accurately represents the proposal’s content.
Can a catchy title improve my chances of securing a grant?
Yes, a catchy and compelling title can make your proposal more memorable to reviewers, potentially increasing your chances of standing out in a competitive grant application process.
Is it advisable to tailor my grant proposal title for different funding opportunities?
Absolutely. Tailoring your title to match the specific goals and priorities of each funding opportunity demonstrates your commitment and alignment with the granting organization’s mission.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.