An abstract is an arcane term synonymous with summary/executive summary. It is a summary of a grant proposal and it is generally written last. The abstract is important if it’s scored or not because it may be the first thing that the person scoring your proposal will begin reading. The abstract is rarely included in the scoring used to rank proposals.
Most abstracts follow a typical format –
1. Introduction – Intro sentence or two – Name the project, who is applying, where it is going to happen, what it will do, and for whom.
2. Goal(s) and Objectives – This may be an outright listing of these components or it may be a summary of the key points of them. It will depend on how much space you have to work with and the Request For Proposals (RFP) directions.
3. A summary of how effective management of the project is ensured.
4. A summary of the evaluation measures that will ensure achievement of the objectives.
It’s a good thing that this is all that’s required because generally those items are going to take the full page usually allocated for an abstract. Sometimes the abstract is even limited to 300 words. This is the case when the agency intends to use them as PR copy to describe the successful applications on a web site or in a brochure.
Related Posts:
Five Mistakes to Avoid When Writing Grant Objectives
Preparing for the Grant Writing Process
Helpful Grant Writing Resources:
Federal Grant Resources eBook – Helpful in finding those government grants.
101 Tips for Aspiring Grant Writers – A book to help you with all the various sections of the grant. This is written by Veronica Robbins, a highly successful grant writer.