Who's This For
You've clarified your impact identity. You know who the characters are in your broader impacts story. Now you need to structure it all into an actual narrative, something that goes on the page in your proposal.
This issue is for you if you're sitting with all the pieces but can't quite see how they fit together. Or if you've written broader impacts sections before that felt like lists dressed up in paragraphs. Or if you're ready to write and want a framework that makes the process clearer.
The Partnership Moment
You have good intentions. You have ideas. You even have potential partners who've expressed interest.
But when you sit down to write the broader impacts section, it comes out as a series of statements:
"The PI will develop educational materials for K-12 audiences. Graduate students will be trained in science communication. Project results will be disseminated through conference presentations and a project website. The PI will work with local industry partners to explore translational opportunities."
Each sentence is true. Each activity matters. But nothing connects. The reviewer reads a list, not a plan. They can't see how it will actually unfold, why these particular activities, why you.