Statements of Grant Purpose: General Overview
Statements of Grant Purpose: General Overview
Statements of Grant Purpose: General Overview
The U.S. Fulbright Statement of Grant Purpose outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and
How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright year. The Statement of Grant Purpose is required
for all types of Fulbright awards, although the statement format for each award type varies slightly.
The two big Fulbright award categories are: Study/Research and English Teaching Assistant
(ETA) program.
The ETA Statement of Grant Purpose should address the following points:
Why do you wish to undertake an ETA opportunity?
Why are you applying to this specific country?
What do you bring to the classroom that will enrich the learning experience of English
language learners overseas?
What specific ideas do you have for engaging with students and helping them to learn
English?
What specific qualifications, training, or experiences do you have to prepare you to serve as
an ETA?
How do you expect to benefit from the assignment?
What plans do you have for civic engagement outside the classroom?
Do not make your Statement of Grant Purpose location-specific within the host country, unless
specifically requested to do so in the country summary. ETAs will be placed by the Fulbright
Commission or the U.S. embassy in the host country, so nothing addressed in the Statement
of Grant Purpose should be location-specific since you will not know where you will be based
and what particular resources will be available.
The statement can deal with your personal history, family background, intellectual development, and
the educational, professional, or cultural opportunities to which you have or have not been exposed;
explain their impact. This should not be a reiteration of facts already listed in the Biographical Data
sections or an elaboration of the Statement of Grant Purpose.
This is your only space for reviewers to get to know you on a deeper level.
Remember, applicants are not interviewed on the national level. The personal statement is all that
the reviewers have to draw conclusions about your overall characters, motivations, attitudes and
outlooks.
Brainstorming
Research the host country. Think about why you are genuinely interested in the host country.
Based on your personality and characteristics, how do you foresee yourself interacting with the local
population, culture, way of life, etc.? What is it about your experiences that illustrate the many
reasons your work must take place in this country specifically?
Get deep. Avoid talking about surface culture (“I enjoy the food and traditional holiday celebrations”),
but rather, talk about how you would engage in “deep culture” (social norms, concepts of self vs.
group, familial structures, challenges in local government, etc.). The more nuanced you can get, the
better. Learn more about Edward T. Hall’s Cultural Iceberg Theory: http://bit.ly/2cD00ns
Draft your initial content for the two essays together; divide it up later.
Sometimes, applicants can get caught up mentally categorizing their content into either the
Statement of Grant Purpose or Personal Statement that it hinders the initial brainstorming process.
Once you have an initial draft, you can then start to parse out content based on the category criteria.
Ultimately, the Personal Statement should complement the Statement of Grant Purpose
without duplicating information.
Writing Techniques
Open your piece with an engaging hook.
Strive for a fresh, narrative quality that sounds like you. This can be a powerful anecdote or vivid
memory that relates to your passion or research topic. Avoid a hook with an overgeneralized
statement (e.g. “Cultural diversity is important in a globalized society.”)
Avoid clichés, stereotypes, platitudes, and overly sentimental language. It is great to share
service-oriented accomplishments, but avoid anecdotes that convey a “savior vs. victim” sentiment.
For example, “I felt joy and gratitude when I saw the smiles on those impoverished children.” Keep in
mind that Fulbright is looking for candidates who can learn from cultures and populations, so focus
on concrete and substantive experiences you have had in facilitating cultural exchange.
Getting Feedback
Request feedback on your drafts from a variety of people.
This includes mentors, professors, colleagues, supervisors, and consultants at the Writing Center.
Keep in mind that everyone will give slightly different advice, and at times you may even receive
conflicting advice from various sources. It is up to you to collect as much feedback as possible,
synthesize the information, and tailor it to what fits best with the authenticity of your narrative.
Engage a competent and trustworthy proofreader. After many drafts, it is nearly impossible to
proofread your own work. It is important that you consult with others not only for content-related
feedback, but to critically read through your drafts for grammatical and spelling errors as well.
Be patient.
For high-stakes application essays, you can expect to work through up to 10 - 12 drafts before your
statements are ready to submit! Know that writing is a process, and it takes a lot thinking and
critiquing to ensure your work is top quality.