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Develop a Proposal Narrative

If you are planning to apply for a grant or non-construction contract, please contact Sponsored Programs as soon as possible and provide the name of the sponsor and the specific program for which you plan to apply.

The proposal narrative is the main body of an application that describes the project. Please find below guidance, resources, and tools that are recommended for you to use when developing the narrative for your proposal:

Review the List of things to check before deciding to apply for an externally funded program

Submission deadline – make sure you have enough time to meet the deadline
Sponsor's review criteria- be sure your project responds adequately to review criteria
Sponsor's Goals – be sure your project goals align with those of the sponsor
Eligibility Criteria – make sure Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) or non-profit entities are eligible to apply. If an applicant must have 501(c)(3) status, please contact the Division of Philanthropy and Engagement to discuss the possibility of submitting your application.

Utilize samples and boilerplates

LeoTeach Description

BioPride Description

Honor's College Description

McNair Program Description

Know where to locate data

East Texas A&M and System-Wide Data (students, faculty, facilities, and equipment inventory)

Departmental Data Viewer

TAMUS Empower U

Maestro Inventory – contact Sponsored Programs

Census Data

Community College and School District Data from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)

Community College Enrollment – THECB

Reports -THECB

Consider including collaborators

Find a collaborator within the A&M System using Maestro
Find an external or internal collaborator using Pivot
Contact staff for assistance with locating collaborator:
- Within the A&M System using Maestro
- From Other Universities or East Texas A&M using known experts

Utilize the external review services available through Sponsored Programs

External reviewers are grant writers and editors who will review your proposal and provide technical edits, as well as, questions and comments where further clarification is needed. An external review usually takes 3-5 days but can take up to 2 weeks during a busy season. It is a service provided through Sponsored Programs. External reviews are available upon request.

Write to the review criteria of your sponsor

Check if your sponsor provides the criteria that will be used to determine what is awarded. Most federal or State programs will provide review criteria, while private foundations will imply review criteria through their mission statement.

National Institutes of Health

National Science Foundation

Department of Education

Department of Energy

National Endowment for the Humanities

Review any of the applicable guidance below for writing a proposal narrative

NIH's Writing Your Application

NSF's A Guide for Proposal Writing

Basic Elements of Grant Writing

(Corporation of Public Broadcasting)

The Foundation Center’s Short Course on Proposal Writing

EPA General Tips on Writing a Competitive Grant Proposal