USE CASEGRANT PROPOSALS
Grant Proposals
Aims, significance, approach, timeline and budget, each aim mapped to the work and the cost behind it, and the whole proposal checked against the call's page limits and format rules. The aims and the case for funding are yours.
AIMS · SIGNIFICANCE · APPROACH · BUDGET · TIMELINE
FIG 1ANATOMY
What goes into a grant proposal, and who does what.
Funders use different names, but most proposals have the same anatomy. Reviewers often read the aims page first and decide from there how carefully to read the rest.
§01 · YOURS ALONE
Aims / summary
MOREMIND DOES
Maps each aim to the approach subsections, milestones and budget lines that support it, so an aim with nothing behind it stands out.YOU DO
Write the aims and the central hypothesis. The rest of the proposal follows from this page.§02 · SHARED
Significance
MOREMIND DOES
Finds verified evidence for the size of the problem and the gap in current knowledge.YOU DO
Argue why it matters to this funder's priorities.§03 · SHARED
Approach
MOREMIND DOES
Analyses your preliminary data and builds figures that stay readable at the required font size.YOU DO
Set out the design, the methods, the potential problems and the alternative strategies.§04 · SHARED
Timeline
MOREMIND DOES
Builds a Gantt-style chart from the milestones you set, linked to the aims.YOU DO
Set realistic milestones you can be held to.§05 · SHARED
Budget & justification
MOREMIND DOES
Lays out the budget by year and category from your figures, checks the totals and links each line to an aim.YOU DO
Set the costs and write the justification, using your research office's rates.§06 · SHARED
Compliance
MOREMIND DOES
Formats to the call's page limits, fonts and margins and tracks the required sections and attachments.YOU DO
Read the current call and confirm every requirement. Calls change between rounds.FIG 2HOW IT'S ASSESSED
What assessors look for.
Each funder publishes its own review criteria; read them first. Many score versions of the same things.
FITThe proposal answers this call and its priorities, not a generic one.
SIGNIFICANCEAn important problem and a clear gap, supported by evidence.
INNOVATIONWhat's new in the question, the approach or the expected result.
APPROACHA feasible design, with potential problems and alternatives addressed.
TEAM & ENVIRONMENTThe people and facilities to do the work.
VALUEA budget justified line by line and proportionate to the work.
FIG 3COMMON MISTAKES
Where marks are usually lost, and how MoreMind helps.
What MoreMind can catch, and what it leaves to you.
MISTAKE 01
Too many aims, or aims that depend on each other
The aims map shows which aims have methods, milestones and budget behind them. Deciding to cut one is your call.
MISTAKE 02
A budget that doesn't match the work
Each budget line is linked to an aim or milestone, and totals are calculated from your figures.
MISTAKE 03
Over the page limit at the deadline
Length is tracked against the call's page limit as you write, so you see the problem weeks early.
MISTAKE 04
No plan B
The approach template includes a potential-problems-and-alternatives section for each aim, for you to fill.
FIG 4WORKFLOW
How a grant proposal comes together.
A proposal is usually written against an internal deadline set by your research office, which falls before the funder's.
Fig 4AIMS · SIGNIFICANCE
01
Read the call
rules & criteria
02
Aims page
you write
03
Evidence & data
verified · logged
04
Approach & timeline
you · milestones
05
Budget
linked to aims
06
Compliance & submit
research office
01 · READ THE CALLLoad the call's page limits, required sections and review criteria. These become the checks.
02 · AIMS PAGEWrite the aims and hypothesis first, and get feedback on this page before anything else.
03 · EVIDENCE & DATAVerified sources for significance, and figures from your preliminary data.
04 · APPROACH & TIMELINEWrite the approach. The timeline chart is built from your milestones.
05 · BUDGETLay out the budget and write the justification line by line.
06 · COMPLIANCE & SUBMITCheck the format and attachments, then submit through your institution.
FIG 5EXAMPLE
Aims on a timeline.
Each milestone is tied to an aim, so a reviewer can see when each one will be delivered and that the plan fits the award period. Your timeline will depend on the funder and the project; this only shows the shape.
ILLUSTRATIVE · NOT REAL DATA OR A REAL PROJECT
YEAR 1 · H1 · ILLUSTRATIVE
Set-up & approvals
Ethics, recruitment, instruments ready.
YEAR 1 · H2
Aim 1: baseline data
Milestone: dataset collected and cleaned.
YEAR 2 · H1
Aim 2: intervention
Milestone: intervention delivered to all sites.
YEAR 2 · H2
Aim 3: analysis & dissemination
Milestone: results reported and data deposited.
FIG 6BEFORE YOU SUBMIT
Checklist, tools and further reading.
FIG 7FAQ
Common questions about a grant proposal.
It formats to funder and institutional templates, and you can load the requirements from the specific call. Calls change between rounds, so check the final proposal against the current call document.
NEXT STEP
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