Further Reading — Chapter 13: Organizational Capacity and Key Personnel

Biosketch formats change; verify the current required format with your funder.

Biosketches and Personal Statements

  • NIH biosketch format pages and sample biosketches (grants.nih.gov). The official, current biosketch format and real examples — including strong personal statements. The model for Section 13.4; the format is specific and updated periodically, so use the current version.
  • NSF biographical sketch requirements (NSF PAPPG; SciENcv). NSF's required format and the SciENcv tool for generating compliant biosketches. Note NSF and NIH formats differ.
  • University research-development guides to the personal statement. Many institutions publish guidance and examples for tailoring the personal statement to a role — among the most useful free resources for early-career applicants.

Organizational Capacity (Nonprofits)

  • O'Neal-McElrath, Winning Grants Step by Step, the organizational-capacity chapters. Practical guidance on the capability statement and presenting track record, staff, and management capacity.
  • Candid and the National Council of Nonprofits, capacity-statement resources. Free guidance on writing organizational-capacity sections and on grant-management readiness for smaller organizations.
  • Resources on fiscal sponsorship (e.g., the National Network of Fiscal Sponsors). For new organizations borrowing an established partner's infrastructure and grant-management capacity (Section 13.7).

Letters of Support and Commitment

  • NIH guidance on letters of support and the distinction from collaborator/consultant letters (grants.nih.gov). Clarifies what reviewers expect and the support-vs-commitment distinction.
  • Sample letters of commitment from funded proposals (via NIAID samples and institutional repositories). The best way to learn the specific, binding tone of a strong commitment letter.

For Early-Career and New Applicants

  • NIH Early-Stage Investigator (ESI) policies (grants.nih.gov). The special consideration for newer investigators (Section 13.7); essential context for early-career researchers (and Chapter 27).
  • Mentoring-plan and career-development guidance for fellowships and K awards. Where the applicant's development is part of the capacity case (Chapter 27).