grantsmanship – Strategic Grantsmanship

The Narrative Thread: What Reviewers Are Actually Tracking as We Read Your Grant Proposal

Narrative coherence in grant proposals is not about style—it is about strategy.

When writers talk about “narrative” in grants, it is often misunderstood as storytelling in the literary sense. Reviewers are not looking for drama, flourish, or creative voice. What we are tracking—often subconsciously—is whether the proposal maintains a coherent narrative thread from beginning to end.

This narrative thread is not ornamental. It is the mechanism that allows reviewers to follow logic, evaluate significance, and maintain confidence in the investigator and the proposed work.

Post-submission Strategy, Revisited

Last week, the NIH Office of Extramural Research posted a brief blog entry about the submission of patent citations post-submission. However, I found the blog entry left out a key bit of strategy that I share with you here.

Last week, the NIH Office of Extramural Research (the office that handles funding for researchers external to the NIH, which has its own intramural scientists and funding opportunities as well) posted a brief blog entry about the submission of patent citations post-submission (meaning, after the application has already been submitted) in its Extramural Nexus blog. However, I found the blog entry left out a key bit of strategy that I thought I would share with you here. Continue reading “Post-submission Strategy, Revisited”

Want to Learn 5 Simple Ways to Win More Grant Funding?

Sure! you say—if getting grant funding were simple, we would all be rolling in research funding! Winning grant funding is challenging, but if you consistently follow these 5 simple rules for grant writing, you will find your grant writing becomes more efficient and successful.

Give me the cheat sheet!