Grant Applications vs. RFPs: Writing Differences Explained
Grant applications and RFP responses share a persuasive goal but differ in tone, structure and evaluation. Here's a side-by-side comparison, the sections each requires, and what both reward.
Grant applications and RFP responses share a goal - convincing someone to invest in your project - but they get there differently. Grant writing is narrative and mission-driven, making an emotional and evidentiary case for funding a need. RFP writing is expository and requirement-driven, proving you can deliver a defined scope better than competitors. Same persuasive purpose, different tone, structure and evaluation. Here's how each works.
Grant Writing vs. RFP Writing: What's the Core Difference?
| Grant application | RFP response | |
|---|---|---|
| What you're asking for | Funding for a project or program | A business contract to deliver work |
| Typical applicant | Often (not always) a nonprofit | A vendor or contractor |
| Dominant writing style | Narrative, descriptive and persuasive | Expository and persuasive |
| Central question answered | Why does this need matter, and can you deliver change? | How will you meet these requirements, and at what cost? |
| How it's judged | Project merit, impact and sustainability | Compliance with criteria plus competitive value |
How Do Style and Tone Differ?
Both documents are fundamentally persuasive, but they draw on different modes of writing. It's worth naming the four:
- Persuasive - convinces through logical reasoning, evidence and appeals to values.
- Narrative - tells a story with a beginning, tension and resolution.
- Expository - explains and describes how something works, such as your project management structure.
- Descriptive - engages the senses and creates a vivid picture.
Grant writers blend descriptive, narrative and persuasive registers - a funder needs to feel the need before they fund the solution. RFP responses lean expository: straightforward information, specifics and facts mapped to the buyer's stated requirements. Neither is "better writing"; each matches what its reader is scoring.
What Goes Into a Grant Application?
A grant application generally includes an executive summary; a direct problem statement (sometimes framed as a Theory of Change); goals and objectives; the systematic methods and strategies you'll use to achieve them; success metrics and how you'll measure them across the project period; past, present and future funding sources demonstrating sustainability; and a project budget - usually on a provided template. If no budget template is supplied, present a snapshot with heading line items plus a sequential detailed budget so reviewers never have to guess how money will be spent.
What Goes Into an RFP Response?
An RFP response typically opens with a cover letter and executive summary, then covers company background; past performance and references; project goals and the Statement of Work or scope of services; project description, timeline and milestones (including anticipated challenges, transition plans and often a risk analysis); budget or cost sheets and fees; required legal forms and contract documents; and your response to the stated evaluation criteria. The structural difference from a grant is telling: you're not justifying that the work should happen - the buyer already decided that - you're proving you're the one to do it.
What Do Both Documents Require?
Clear communication and disciplined length. Both are compiled largely from internal sources - your own subject matter experts - and both are read by evaluators with limited time and many submissions. Don't overwhelm them: a proposal that buries its best argument in volume loses to a shorter one that surfaces it. Both also reward mirroring the reader's language. If a solicitation uses a specific technical term like "trainers of trainers" (TOT), use it prominently and consistently so reviewers can find what they're looking for.
How Are Grants and RFPs Evaluated Differently?
Grant reviewers assess the overall merit of the project: is the need real, is the plan credible, will the impact last? RFP evaluators score how completely your response satisfies published criteria - which makes compliance a scoring mechanism, not just hygiene. Both, though, get judged on writing quality and thoroughness. And both deserve a real final review before submission. If you don't win, ask for feedback and revisit your approach - the next application benefits from the last one's autopsy.
Need Help With Grants and RFPs?
The Bid Lab has writing experts for both sides of this work - see what grant writing services involve, or search live opportunities on Bid Banana. Whether you need a partner to find opportunities or manage the writing, schedule a free consultation by calling 1-844-4BIDLAB or emailing respond@thebidlab.com.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between grant writing and RFP writing?▼
Grant writing seeks funding for a project and is narrative, descriptive and mission-driven - it must establish that a need matters. RFP writing seeks a business contract and is expository and requirement-driven - the buyer has already decided the work should happen, so you prove you can deliver it competitively.
What sections does a grant application include?▼
Typically an executive summary, a problem statement (sometimes a Theory of Change), goals and objectives, methods and strategies, success metrics with measurement plans, past and future funding sources demonstrating sustainability, and a project budget - usually on a template the funder provides.
What sections does an RFP response include?▼
A cover letter and executive summary, company background, past performance and references, project goals and Statement of Work, project description with timeline and milestones (plus challenges, transition plans and risk analysis), budget and cost sheets, required legal forms, and responses to the stated evaluation criteria.
Can the same writer handle both grants and RFPs?▼
Yes, though the registers differ enough to require deliberate adjustment. Grant writing leans on narrative and descriptive persuasion to make a need feel urgent; RFP writing leans on clear exposition mapped tightly to requirements. Strong writers switch modes based on what the reader is scoring.
How are grants and RFPs evaluated differently?▼
Grant reviewers assess overall project merit - whether the need is real, the plan credible and the impact sustainable. RFP evaluators score how completely the response meets published criteria, making compliance a direct source of points. Both are judged on writing quality and thoroughness.