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The proposal as a whole: making every part pull in the same direction

The proposal as a whole: making every part pull in the same direction

by Dave Thomas | May 11, 2026 | Uncategorized

This series started upstream of writing: with the strategic choices your team needs to make, the funder landscape you need to understand, and the central argument you need to commit to. Everything in the series since has been in the service of expressing that argument...
Know your panel: understanding your funder is strategy, not background reading

Know your panel: understanding your funder is strategy, not background reading

by Dave Thomas | May 11, 2026 | Uncategorized

Most guidance on grant proposals tells you to write for your audience. Reasonable advice, but incomplete. Understanding your panel is a strategic exercise: a disciplined attempt to see your proposal through the eyes of the people holding the decision, and to position...
What is your team actually arguing? Alignment before the grant writing begins

What is your team actually arguing? Alignment before the grant writing begins

by Dave Thomas | May 11, 2026 | Uncategorized

Individual researchers can resolve their central argument alone. Teams rarely can. The process of writing a grant proposal together forces a set of strategic choices that most teams have never explicitly made: which idea is primary, which threads get subordinated, and...
Your proposal’s public summary is not a formality: it is your opening pitch

Your proposal’s public summary is not a formality: it is your opening pitch

by Dave Thomas | May 11, 2026 | Uncategorized

The public summary is where strategic clarity and communication skills meet most visibly. It is the section where you must answer, in plain language, the question every funder is quietly asking: does this team know what they are doing, why it matters, and who it is...
Criteria are not a checklist: they are your scoring system

Criteria are not a checklist: they are your scoring system

by Dave Thomas | May 11, 2026 | Uncategorized

Funding criteria are not bureaucratic boxes. They are a window into what the funder believes matters. Before you write a word, sit with that for a moment. What change is this organisation trying to drive? What risks are they trying to manage? The answers shape not...
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  • The proposal as a whole: making every part pull in the same direction
  • Know your panel: understanding your funder is strategy, not background reading
  • What is your team actually arguing? Alignment before the grant writing begins
  • Your proposal’s public summary is not a formality: it is your opening pitch
  • Criteria are not a checklist: they are your scoring system

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