Every successful grant proposal starts with an engaging executive summary. It stresses the significance of the proposed research, and it makes a compelling case for your grant request in a short and readable passage. Here we explain the value of the executive summary and what should (and should not) go into it.
Updated on June 15, 2022
Every successful grant proposal starts with an executive summary. The executive summary presents the key elements of your application in a condensed and engaging form. It's also sometimes called a project description, abstract, or summary.
A grant proposal's executive summary introduces your research project goals, preliminary findings, and the personnel involved. It stresses the significance of the proposed research. It makes a compelling case for your grant request in a short and readable passage.
This article explains the value of the executive summary and what should (and should not) go into it if you want to get your funding.
Grant proposals are organized into distinct sections. The executive summary is often the most important section because it's the first thing reviewers will read, just like an abstract is often what readers read first when searching for useful research.
Some granting agency reviewers may base their opinion on the abstract alone. “The abstract must sell the grant,” says a US-based grant evaluator. “If I don't get interested by the first page, the proposal is lost,” says another.
Even when evaluators read the entire proposal, those first impressions are critical. If these decision-makers come across a poorly written executive summary, they might start reading the following pages with a negative bias—this may be difficult to overcome. Or they might stop right there. However, if the executive summary is well written, evaluators will likely approach your proposal with a more welcoming attitude.
There are also administrative reasons why the executive summary matters. Some granting agencies, like the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), use the grant proposal title and executive summary to assign proposals to a specialist review panel. Your executive summary should reflect the key elements of your proposal so it ends at the hands of those who will see its value.
Before you start drafting the executive summary, learn everything there is about the sponsoring agency.
Start by perusing funded grant applications. How is their summary structured? How much did they score in this section?
Requirements differ across granting agencies. Many have a word limit for the executive summary (~500). Others ask for a more comprehensive description of the project (2–3 pages).
Some ask you to mention the type and amount of funding or other support you're after. And yet others want the budget to be submitted separately from the technical proposal. Picky picky, but they make the rules you have to play by.
Let the sponsor's mission and funding proprieties shape your executive summary.
Certainly, the granting agency's funding priorities, mission, and specific guidelines will inform the content of your executive summary. There are also general best practices that work across different fields.
Here, we'll give you a basic structure. Then keep reading to see a real example.
Try to structure your executive summary like an abstract—only with more emphasis on your (and your research project team's) ability to do the research.
Regardless of the summary length—ranging from one paragraph up to two full pages—you need to answer the following questions:
This is the typical order you might follow, though it's not always as strictly defined as a research abstract.
At the start of your executive summary, briefly contextualize your proposed research in the overall landscape of existing scholarly work. Then mention the unmet need(s) or knowledge gap(s) creating the need for your research. To make these points, you can use phrases like “It is still unclear how. ”, “…has not been determined”, or “there is currently limited research on…”
Next, mention who you and the rest of the research project staff are, including any external collaborators. Describing your competencies and previous research record can convince the evaluators that you deserve this funding.
Your executive summary should stress your unique capacity to get work done and meet the sponsor's needs. If you have a website for your project, link to it in a footnote or with an embedded link.
Present your project's overall goal and particular. For policy-related research, this may also cover the aim to develop interventions that solve the real-world problem you are researching. You can make these points with phrases like “Our overarching aim is. ”, “We propose to explore…”, or “We will investigate the…”
After stating the purpose of your research project, briefly describe your research design or methods used to conduct the work. This includes possible barriers or shortcomings. To do so, use phrases like “We will show this, drawing on X/Y theories” or “We will achieve this goal by…”
It's good to refer to the initial or expected findings of your research. This builds the reviewers' confidence in the feasibility of your work.
Conclude by addressing the (positive) impact of your proposed research.
Useful phrases here include: “has important implications for …”, “will shed critical light into…”, and “These results will contribute greatly/play a key role in…”
Background: The cumulative intensity of human stressors has led to degradation of marine ecosystems and the deterioration of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea.
Gap in the field, need for this research: Practical conservation measures are required to shield threatened marine ecosystems from intrusive human activity. Conservation must involve social views supported by human values that differ significantly between Mediterranean countries. Social, financial, and political differences increase the challenge of balancing sea conservation with sustainable use. Extensive cross-regional cooperation is urgently needed to secure adequate protection of this region's marine ecosystems and biodiversity.
Research project goals: This research project aims to promote collaborative research to support marine management and conservation design and influence policymaking.
Methodology, team's abilities: We will devise innovative approaches and mechanisms to reduce knowledge gaps and promote marine conservation science.
This project involves collaboration between the Marine Conservation Department of Big Fish University and the G. W. Sharque Center for Applied Research. The project team comprises a multidisciplinary group of internationally renowned experts in marine biodiversity conservation. These members have collaborated successfully in the past on two funded projects.
Expected project activities and outcomes: This partnership is uniquely positioned to support the development of cross-regional and national policies through four key activities:
Practical applications, research impact: Meeting these research aims will have important practical applications. It will enable integration of marine conservation policy into cross-regional maritime planning agendas for the Mediterranean seas. In this way, it will help counter the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in this region.
Grant evaluators read dozens, even hundreds, of grant proposals every week. The executive summary should capture their interest to convince them to read the entire application. To achieve this:
Naturally, as there are best practices, there are things to avoid. These are the main ones when writing your executive summary.
Hopefully, after reading this, you saw the executive summary is all about quality over quantity. A precise and specific summary beats a wordy and redundant one. So how can you use the limited space provided to the greatest effect? We'd like to offer a few experience-based tips.
