One way is that you must take an honest look at your track record of grant funding. If you have not received any funding before, start with small grant funds, demonstrate that you can be accountable and deliver on the small funds. Only then, should you try for medium-range funding.

Funders will often footnote requirments, definitions of requirements, or where the requirement came from. If any other source is mentioned, be sure to Google that source and make sure you are not overlooking an important document.

You should first clearly define your research question and have an extensive unstanding of your project and data. You also need to have a basic knowledge about different kind of analyis methodology. From there, you can determine the best analysis method to answer your research question. You are not just to describe your mothods, but to show how and why you applied them and demonstrate that your research will be rigorously conducted.

The starting point for any conversation with a funder is a concept paper and logic model.

You will want to have done your homework in order to identify funder priorities, the types of programs that have been funded recently, and perhaps to understand your PO’s professional background. You will also want to have a solid logic model and concept paper to share in your introductory email. When ready to make contact, send an email with a summary of the issues, be specific, ask for a time to talk, and attach your concept paper and logic model. Do not bog the PO down with methodological details, but concentrte on the big picture, outcomes, and deliverables.