Conservation Grant Writing:
What Reviewers Want to Know

From SERA (Southeastern Registrars Association) Newsletter, Winter, 1997, p.7.

While funding applications may differ in wording and format, all granting agencies--both public and private--ask prospective grantees for concrete information about their proposed project. Whether an institution is seeking an overview through a conservation assessment or requesting funding for treating an individual item, a proposal must illuminate those issues that are key to convincing prospective readers why a particular project is worthy of funding. Through the proposal, the reviewer gains insight into how well the proposal's objectives are understood and how well the project will proceed.

There is never enough money to fund all deserving proposals. Rewarding some projects may mean less available funding for others. Each grant awarded is an investment in a chosen project. Reviewers recommend proposals that will make the most of invested dollars by selecting those projects that meet an institution's highest priority for collections care and that are technically appropriate.

Reviewers base their recommendations on the information provided in the body of the grant proposal. Make the content of your proposal descriptive and succinct. Reviewers often read several grants per cycle. Respect the time and effort they will give to evaluating your proposal. Provide executive summaries of previous reports, e.g., "Museum Assessment Program" (MAP), "Conservation Assessment Program" (CAP), other surveys. Make sure you answer the question you have been asked. Eliminate superfluous information, filler, and "fluff." Avoid buzzwords and technical terms that are not completely understood. The art of preparing a sound proposal lies in furnishing core data, accompanied by those details critical to building confidence in the quality of your proposal.

Consider that reviewers are forming opinions about both content and presentation. Carefully proof read your proposal. Do not rely exclusively on computerized spell checking devices. Ascertain that titles, organizations, and professional associations are correctly named. Do not overstate a consultant's credentials or underestimate the time needed to complete project activities. Your proposal makes a first impression about your institution to the reviewer. It represents the institution's commitment to the project and its attention to detail.

All funding agencies provide applicants an opportunity to describe the importance of the objects or collections under consideration. Tell reviewers about the significance of this project to the parent institution and how the proposed activity will impact other repository functions. What will the success of this project have on a local, state, or regional level? For collections that receive use, demonstrate demand by providing reference statistics or letters written by experienced users. Cite visitor attendance to shows where similar items have been exhibited.

Describe how the activities outlined in your proposal relate to other conservation actions the institution has completed, is continuing, or is contemplating. Present your institutional conservation policy statement and explain how the activities proposed fit into the institution's mission and long range plans. Specify the number of staff charged with conservation responsibilities.

A disaster plan is the most basic element in any conservation program because it compels an institution to explore potential dangers in its building and managerial structure. Risks discovered in the course of planning will govern actions necessary to safeguard holdings. Provide information about your plan in your grant proposal--when it was last updated, its current state of progress, and when staff last practiced the plan.

Because maintaining a stable environment is one of the most cost-effective means of preserving large numbers of holdings, include a description of environmental conditions in your institution. Provide information on the type of system you have, what its target goals are for temperature and relative humidity, and how conditions are measured and recorded.

Many, many grant proposals make excellent funding candidates based solely on the merit of the objects considered. Most weaknesses in proposals occur in describing project design or methodology. For example, a clear understanding of the distinction between informational and artifactual value is critical to the success of almost all library and archives proposals. Requesting funds to stabilize a painting that will be returned to an uncontrolled environment is unlikely to be favorably interpreted as the institution's highest priority. Include a work plan detailed enough so that an outsider can readily evaluate its methods.

Discuss specific arrangements with vendors or contract personnel to ensure that the most appropriate techniques or materials are applied. Obtain confirmation of this understanding in writing. Explain how materials and supplies itemized in your budget are to be used. When proposing surveys, outline the materials to be examined, how the survey will be conducted, the level of detail it will address, and what the results will achieve. A strong proposal will articulate what will be done and by whom under a specified timetable.

Decisions are best made by curatorial and conservation personnel working together. Involve conservation personnel well in advance of submitting your project proposal. Without a project conservator's preliminary treatment proposal, detailed information about condition and format remain ambiguous to the reviewer. Provide a rationale as to why materials are to be treated as proposed along with other possible options that have already been explored. Anticipate peripheral issues that may influence the completion of your project. Always allow sufficient time to develop clear, well-articulated answers that address problems, goals, proposed solutions, and final results.

Know your collection. Know its strengths, its weaknesses, and how it fits into the universe of holdings. Before embarking on specific conservation activities, ensure "intellectual control" of your holdings. Knowing what you have, its significance, its condition, and how it will be used or displayed will help you to appropriately prioritize conservation actions and submit a convincing grant proposal.