STEM for
Centennial Academy
Generating brand identity within technical modes
I've worked intimately with the Centennial Academy to develop a grant proposal for the purchase of two chemical fume hoods for the school's science lab. Grant proposals require an immense awareness of the mode's expectations and technical demands. As a business document, grant proposals must address monetary concerns and concrete details. As a solicitation, grant proposals must emotionally appeal to potential funders and highlight the organization's capabilities, impact, and mission.
Balancing these needs with the visual and aesthetic demands calls for versatile writing and technical perfection. As the primary author and editor for this project, I was responsible for maintaining this balance, compiling relevant research, analyzing product options, and developing a brand identity within the proposal.
Brand Identity
The effective grant proposal is not fundamentally a plea for money. Instead, it acts to introduce one organization to another and highlight the shared characteristics in their identities and missions. Branding becomes absolutely essential in a grant proposal. As I was creating this proposal, I was constantly considering the organization that I was writing for. Who are they? What do they stand for? What are they offering, and who is their audience?
To keep a strong sense of the organization, I considered their primary mission (in this case, schooling), the service they provide (education), and their customer base (students and teachers). Additionally, I considered how they presented themselves publicly. From there, I develop-ed a list of adjectives associated with their identity.
These adjectives became the basis for their branding throughout the proposal.
I went through a similar process for the potential funders that we were considering. While I was writing, I highlighted the similarities between the organizations, and, vitally, reinforced the branding of the Centennial Academy to properly introduce them to our potential funders.
While grant writing is highly specialized work, the process of building and maintaining a brand identity within a piece of writing—both technical and non-technical—is fundamentally the same. Likewise, building a brand through advertisement or social media requires a clear understanding of the organization and an intimate awareness of their audience.
Technical Requirements
While navigating the branding priorities for this proposal, I strictly adhered to the technical requirements of grant writing. This grant proposal is organized into the specialized sections expected of formal proposals and includes several figures, charts, and appendices. In order to maintain professional integrity, I ensured that there were no grammar, spelling, or formatting errors. This project allowed me to refine my practical editing and proofreading skills. Furthermore, this proposal showcases my versatility as a writer and my awareness of audience, emotional appeal, and brand identity.
I am still working with the school's staff to finalize the details before we submit the grant for approval, but the proposal is complete in its entirety.
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