| The golden egg for everyone from students to | | | | countries. He could not understand why he was getting |
| scientists to businesses is to get a grant to do | | | | turned down right and left. |
| something. There is a host of information in books and | | | | I took a look at the grant packages he was applying |
| on the web regarding the best methods to make this | | | | to. The answer was incredibly obvious. The grants |
| happen. Some sources are better than others, but | | | | were tailored towards the proposals that would |
| many people applying for grants lose the forest for the | | | | encompass the establishment of court processes and |
| trees. | | | | constitutional legislative drafting. Put another way, the |
| The average grant application is very interesting to | | | | agencies offering the grants were looking for |
| read. Why? Well, the vast majority of applicants seem | | | | someone to help set up the courts and write legislation, |
| to have really failed to understand why the grant | | | | not someone to teach Eastern Europeans how to sue |
| provider is offering support. When they inevitably get | | | | for negligence! |
| turned down, they take the position that "grants don't | | | | Grants can be critical forms of support regardless of |
| happen" and so on. Well, they do. The key is to | | | | what you are trying to do. In this economy, they are |
| understand why a potential grant is being offered. | | | | pretty much critical. To get them, it is vital that you |
| I'll give you an example. A few years ago a friend of | | | | understand the mission of the organization providing |
| mine was interested in living in Eastern Europe. He | | | | them, whether private or public, and what is trying to |
| applied for a host of legal grants that were available | | | | be achieved. If your idea does not fit within that scope, |
| from the U.S. government. His applications were all | | | | don't waste your time or theirs by applying for |
| along the lines of providing training in civil litigation | | | | something you have no chance of getting. |
| lawsuits to attorneys and the legal profession in those | | | | |