With so many potential grant providers out there, it’s no surprise that a new grant writer can quickly become overwhelmed. You may find yourself panicking, wondering if you chose grants that were related to your business and if you actually qualify for them. It can be unsteady territory. Luckily – this is where the idea of a grant sample comes in.
What is a Grant Sample?
The idea is to write a brief letter to the company offering the grant you’re interested in. Formulate no less than two paragraphs, no more than a page, and send it on with a request for them to review it, and then contact you to discuss whether or not your sample suggests your suitability for the grant.
How to Write a Grant Sample?
Writing this is the same as writing the grant itself – you take the time to fully think through your goals, your mission statement, and your request and then you condense it all into a brief request. The idea here is to be as “to the point” as possible without losing important information. Sound familiar? The principle is almost identical to writing the grant, but in this case it is on a smaller scale.
When to Use a Grant Sample?
The most common time to put such a sample into use is when you have just realized your business may not fit all of the requirements for a grant that you’ve been eying. Rather than waste your time writing up a full multi-page grant proposal only to be rejected, writing a grant sample is a much safer choice. This allows the company to examine your potential and let you know whether or not you’d have a chance. This may also be a potential method for approaching a company you know you fit the criteria for. If used correctly, you may be able to weed out companies that aren’t going to respond positively to your work and spare yourself the hours.