HOW LONG SHOULD THE NEEDS SECTION BE?
The proposal reviewer must understand the seriousness and urgency of the problem if he or she is to respond. In this case, responding means making a grant. This is why grantwriters must be articulate and persuasive. Because the problem or need is at the heart of your story, this section should be the lengthiest one in your narrative. How long should it be? In a five-page narrative, the needs section might run a page or a page and a half. A proposal twice as long—say ten pages—would merit a two- to three-page discussion of the need or problem being addressed. Remember, an accomplished author takes the reader on a long ride up the story arc, carefully building the conflict and layering the tension. This ...