Many funders ask for biographies of key personnel. For general operating proposals, that means your top three to five staff members and possibly your board president as well. For program proposals, key personnel are those who have some control over the execution of the program, either as supervisors or through doing the actual work involved.

Keep each bio short—no more than a half page at the most. Never send full resumés unless requested because they take too much time to read. By converting a resumé into a 125- to 150-word paragraph, you save the program officer a lot of time, which she will appreciate. Needless to say, mention experience in bios that directly applies to the program for which you seek funding.