government grant writing jobs

“From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with which I shall not put.”

- Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I love that thought from the old statesman/historian/blowhard because it illustrates a collective affliction in the way we use our native tongue. Not only do we fall unthinkingly into copying each other when it comes to the latest trite phrase; we also adhere rigidly to grammar shibboleths such as “proper” sentence closure.

In the business writing classes that I teach for federal agencies, nonprofits and private firms, otherwise intelligent men and women admit to hang-ups that have bedeviled them all the way back to that blue-haired high school English teacher diagramming sentences on the dusty blackboard.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve got nothing against rules – if they make sense. Take capitalization and spelling. If you casual email communicators can’t exert the effort to capitalize the first letter of the first word in a sentence, I assume you’re just as indolent in the “thinking” that goes into the message itself. By the same token, if you rely solely on “spell-check” and blissfully ignore the distinction between “their,” “they’re” and “there,” or fail to edit your writing for proper name spelling, I have a perfect right to ask: “What else is wrong with this email (or white paper, memo, proposal, etc.)?” Or worse: “I thought this guy was a professional.”

No, the “rules” that trouble me are the imagined ones, such as not ending a sentence with a preposition, or avoiding “And” to start a sentence, or placing commas. My advice: Lighten up and be yourself. Back in my Washington journalism days, when I was struggling with the transition from covering civil and military aviation for a trade publication to covering the Pentagon for a lay readership at Business Week magazine, I got some great advice from an editor: “Write as if you’re having a conversation with an intelligent friend.”

Try it. When you talk to your boss, a colleague, a vendor, etc., I guarantee you already end your sentences on a preposition and start the next sentence with “And.” And when you actually write, try saying the words out loud. Reach a natural pause, and it’s comma time. Try it. The key here is to keep process from hamstringing product, to avoid focusing on form so much that content suffers.

Please visit my website at http://www.davegriffithscommunications.com, where you’ll find that I’ve worked with a variety of government, nonprofit and private-sector clients on business communication skills — from effective writing to presentation skills to media training. I travel widely to do writing skills training and media and presentation skills training for federal agencies and businesses that need help with technical writing and written sales proposals.

Grant Writing For Dummies $24.99 An all-in-one guide to locating and securing available grants. As the amount of established granting foundations increases, more money becomes available—but the application process can be long, tedious, and is always highly competitive. Grant Writing For Dummies guides you through the entire grant-winning process and helps you stay current with application protocol and new grant opportunities to find a piece of the available $500 billion in government grants. If you’re new to the grant writing process or have applied for grants in the past but had difficulties, Grant Writing For Dummies gives you fast and easy access to discover how to separate yourself from the pack and secure your grant in a slow, post-recession economy; advice for NGOs (non-government organizations) and NPOs (non-profit organizations) seeking assistance in the non-domestic grant arena; information on applying online for e-grants; formatting suggestions for a clean and organized e-application; step-by-step instruction for registering with and using Grants.gov, the largest online federal grant database; lists and recommendations for up-to-date grant opportunities via newly created Web sites and databases; strategic advice for grant writers during research, program design, and the application process, in order to keep current with the increasing expectations of granting boards; and more.:; Interactive CD is packed with sample materials and templates to get you started on your proposals; Ready-to-use phrases for every successful proposal; Guidance on locating available grants, carefully applying, and ultimately winning grants for both non-profit and for-profit grant seekers. Grant Writing For Dummies provides you with invaluable guidance and the knowledge and know-how to give yourself the best chance to win grants.

Grant Writing for Dummies (Paperback) $16.33 An all-in-one guide to locating and securing available grantsAs the amount of established granting foundations increases, more money becomes available—but the application process can be long, tedious, and is always highly competitive. Grant Writing For Dummies guides you through the entire grant-winning process and helps you stay current with application protocol and new grant opportunities to find a piece of the available $500 billion in government grants. If you`re new to the grant writing process or have applied for grants in the past but had difficulties, Grant Writing For Dummies gives you fast and easy access to discover how to separate yourself from the pack and secure your grant in a slow, post-recession economy; advice for NGOs (non-government organizations) and NPOs (non-profit organizations) seeking assistance in the non-domestic grant arena; information on applying online for e-grants; formatting suggestions for a clean and organized e-application; step-by-step instruction for registering with and using Grants.gov, the largest online federal grant database; lists and recommendations for up-to-date grant opportunities via newly created Web sites and databases; strategic advice for grant writers during research, program design, and the application process, in order to keep current with the increasing expectations of granting boards; and more. Interactive CD is packed with sample materials and templates to get you started on your proposalsReady-to-use phrases for every successful proposalGuidance on locating available grants, carefully applying, and ultimately winning grants for both non-profit and for-profit grant seekersGrant Writing For Dummies provides you with invaluable guidance and the knowledge and know-how to give yourself the best chance to win grants.

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