Top Ten Ways to be Sure Your Proposal is Not Funded!

The following are ten comment causes for proposals not to be funded.  Some items on this list may not apply to your proposal since every funding agency operates differently.

1. Didn’t get anybody to edit your proposal.
2. Didn’t submit all required documents in time.
3. Disregarded the page limits or font size restrictions.
4. Submitted the first draft of your proposal.
5. Showed just how disconnected and unproductive your group really is in a collaborative proposal.
6. Didn’t reference other related studies.
7. Didn’t provide any preliminary data to establish foundation for your research.
8. Proposed an unrealistic amount of work for the money and time available.
9. Started writing the proposal only a few days before the deadline.
10. Didn’t talk with the funding agency’s program manager before submitting your proposal.