Pro7 minute read· Updated 5 November 2026
Writing a grant proposal reviewers can score
Build a climate grant proposal around the scoring criteria, with a theory of change, logframe and budget that a reviewer can mark line by line.
Reviewers do not read your proposal for pleasure. They read it with a scoring grid open beside it, and they give marks only where they can find what the grid asks for. This guide shows you how to build a climate or nature proposal around that grid: headings that mirror the criteria, a problem backed by evidence, a theory of change and logframe that hang together, a budget that matches the activities and a compliance check before you press submit.
Inside this playbook
- What you need
- 1. Find the scoring grid before you write a word
- 2. Mirror the criteria in your headings
- 3. State the problem with evidence
- 4. Build the theory of change, then the logframe
- 5. Make the budget match the activities
- 6. Name the risks and how you manage them
- 7. Show sustainability and exit
- 8. Draft with the right tools
- 9. Run a compliance check before submission
- Checklist
- Further reading
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