Last Updated on Feb 18, 2021 by James W

Grant applications take a long time to complete and a lot of hard work is involved. Plus, many grant seekers spend a lot of night hours trying to write it perfectly and finishing it while checking all the smallest details. All this is done to ensure that they get the funds for their organization. Whether you are seeking grants from usgrants.org or a private grant firm. You need to apply for it, submit and wait. What if you get that rejection letter in your mail? This means that your application did not make the cut and your proposal was not convincing enough. What could be the reason for this? There are many different reasons why this can happen and below are some common reasons why your grant proposal was not considered. 

The proposal was not clear and concise 

It may seem like an obvious reason, but if the reviewer does not understand what you wrote on the application, it is a start for you not making the cut. All the ideas that you have been having in your head need to be put on paper in a way that is clear to the reviewer. Therefore, writing down what you mean by how someone can understand is vital. One idea that can be helpful is to focus each paragraph on one topic. Plus, begin each paragraph with its conclusion, meaning you start with what you want to say and support it with several sentences to make your writing easy to understand.

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A wrong reviewer reviewed your proposal 

Sometimes, if you write a lot of grant proposals, you may feel that the reviewer who reviewed yours did not get it. And if another reviewer could have given it a chance, you would be awarded the grant. Although this may be a possibility, it does not change the fact that your proposal was not considered. Plus, sometimes, it may be that the problem is you wrote the proposal for the wrong reviewer and not that the wrong person reviewed your proposal. Because of this, you need to know who will review your proposal. Where you know who your reviewer is you write it accordingly. For instance, if your reviewer is going to be a scientist, write your proposal scientifically. Focus on the return of investment and feasibility if your reviewer is an entrepreneur. 

The reviewer took a long time going through your proposal 

As you write your grant proposal, you need to write in a way that will help the reviewer minimize the time they spend going through your application. Even though you know how to write and know a lot in your field, ensure that you do not write too much unnecessary stuff. Therefore, it is not necessarily going through much detail, especially on things that are common knowledge to your reviewer. Plus, there is an unending stream of proposals that your reviewer needs to go through. 

The reviewer did not like your project idea 

Rejection of your grant proposal can come in many ways. Where the reviewer understood your proposal, reviewed it, matched it with the right tender, but was still not awarded. This can be because you do not have the right idea. The best way to handle it is to change your proposal. Thus, enter into new collaborations, call your colleagues, add new technology and make it more innovative. For instance, if you feel the reviewer did not believe you had the right expertise, team with a partner that does. Plus, you have control of your application and you can change the content and ensure that you win the next time. 

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The proposal did not match the scope of the subsidy tender

Anyone proving a subsidy has a similar goal to it as no one provides free money or for the sake of it. Therefore, if your application was highly innovative and with great impact but still did not match the subsidy tender you may not be considered. So, if you need the grant, you have to ensure your proposal will address the goal of the funders. If it does not match the scope of the subsidy tender no matter how beneficial or innovative it is you will end up receiving the rejection letter. 

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