What is the deal with jargon?

When writing a grant application, it is important to keep in mind that your potential funder may not be well-versed in the language of your industry.  On the flipside, if you contract writing grants, you may not be well-versed in their language.  Many grant makers want to see cross-industry and cross-sector partnerships on projects they are looking to fund.  Jargon is industry-specific verbiage, so you can see how this can get confusing quickly for grant writers, grant makers, and project partners.  In fact, some industry-specific terms carry legal weight that lay people are unaware of.

So what’s the deal with jargon when it comes to writing grants?  Grant writing can be very technical, especially if the project for which you are seeking funding is highly technical.  The best way to deal with jargon is to avoid it when possible, and define terms when it is unavoidable.  Including a definitions section or clearly defining words the first time they are used goes a long way to help the adjudicator understand what you are talking about.

If you have questions about terms or words, ask.  You can even ask project partners or applicants to provide you with a list of definitions of important terms.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions.  Experts often forget how much of their knowledge is specialized because they are inundated in the industry.  This is a perk of having an external grant writer because to make these translations within the context of the grant. 

When writing in an industry-specific language that is out of your wheelhouse, have your grant partners proof-read the application with plenty of time to make adjustments.