Grant applications typically include resumes of key personnel who will be responsible for carrying out the project and managing the grant. These resumes need to be concise, and highlight work experience, education, and leadership in areas directly relating to the project.
Ideally, each resume should be limited to one page with matching layout to visually show unity and cohesion. It is also important to keep the funding organization in mind and align with their mission and goals at every opportunity.
You don’t have to start each resume from scratch for every grant application. As you write more and more grants, you will start to develop boilerplate documents as you notice what is recurring. Resumes of key leadership within your organization, and key personnel within projects should be on file. Normally, if a resume is too long, it’s a bad thing. In this case, a bloated resume gives you more to choose from when tailoring resumes to fit the grant and the funding source.
Things to keep in mind when editing resumes for a grant application:
- Did they ask for a full resume, or a paragraph or two of background? Always deliver in the format requested in the NOFO.
- Highlight training, education, and specific aspects of work experience that fit the duties of the project.
- Emphasize employers, volunteer work, education, and awards or recognition with values that align with the funding organization and the grant’s purpose. For example, if the grant is for funding for services for survivors of domestic violence, highlight anything that directly relates to working with this population, or working towards the goal of preventing or stopping domestic violence and supporting survivors.
- Funding priority areas. For example, grants will often prioritize projects that involve women and minorities in positions of leadership, and resumes are where you can directly show this because this is where the funding entity gets to meet the leadership and staff they will be working with.
DO NOT fall into the trap of treating resumes as an afterthought to a grant application. This is your opportunity to humanize your organizations and show your funder that the individuals who will be managing grant funding specifically share their values and have already been working towards mutual goals.
The trick is to adjust resumes to fit the project and the funder without it seeming contrived. This means it may take several drafts. Boyd Grants is here to help! We offer coaching for all aspects of grant writing, and through this we help you optimize every part of your grant application for success.
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