What is a normal grant success rate?

For competitive federal grants, 20-25% is typical. New investigators often have lower rates initially as they build track records.

How can I improve my success rate?

Get feedback from funded colleagues, attend grant-writing workshops, target appropriate funders, and submit preliminary data.

A balanced approach works best. Quality matters more than quantity, but submitting to multiple agencies diversifies your chances.

Track your grant application success rate and calculate the expected funding from future submissions.

Grants Submitted

Grants Funded

Average Grant Amount

Planned Future Submissions

Success Rate

25.0 %

Total Funding Won$150,000

Expected Future Wins1.3

Expected Future Funding$62,500

Success Rate vs Grants Submitted

Grant success rate is the proportion of submitted proposals that receive funding.

Success Rate = Grants Funded / Grants Submitted

Expected Future Funding = Planned Submissions x Success Rate x Average Amount

Federal grants (NIH, NSF): 15-25% success rate

Private foundations: 10-30%

Internal university grants: 30-50%

Improving proposal quality and targeting the right funder can significantly increase your rate.

A researcher submitted 12 grants, won 3, averaging $50,000 each, and plans 5 more submissions.

Measure research output.

Estimate h-index.

Calculate impact factor.