Incorrect formatting can prevent proposal submission to Grants.gov and other sponsor systems. Thankfully, these errors are relatively easy to fix in advance if you know what to look for.
We have found that some versions of Word auto-correct quotation marks from “straight” to “curly”. If these curly quotes are routed in an application to Grants.gov, an error results which will prevent submission until corrected.
We highly recommend all proposal preparers adjust auto-correct settings in Word to prevent this from occurring.
That’s not the only potential formatting headache. We recommend that even seasoned proposal preparers review sponsor proposal guidance like:
- Grants.gov: Submitting Special Characters
- NIH: Format Attachments
- NSF: Format the Proposal
Thank you,
Amanda Snyder
Associate Director
Office of Sponsored Programs