Since most recommendations are confidential, this is the area of an application over which an applicant has least control. Lack of sufficient advance planning regarding funding schedules by candidate. Applicant's proposal requests almost immediate funding with insufficient lag time. Most foundations want to fund ongoing research, not retroactive reimbursement for work already finished. Omitted or irrelevant supplementary materials.
Applications fail when such material overwhelms rather than convinces the reviewer.
The grantmaking organization may infer an incoherent mind from a scattered or messy proposal, so avoid the risk. With the exceptions of the first three errors, none of the above items will eliminate your chances for a successful application. Adapted from How to Get Money for Research , by Mary Rubin, The Feminist Press, 1989. Please direct questions and comments regarding the GradGrants Center to Jody Smith , Director.