I do grant writing for nonprofits, public agencies, and some research-based businesses, and we endlessly tell clients to follow all RFP requirements religiously

I do grant writing for nonprofits, public agencies, and some research-based businesses, and we endlessly tell clients to follow all RFP requirements religiously and precisely. See https://seliger.com/2008/02/25/what-does-a-grant-proposal-look-like-exactly-13-easy-steps-to-formatting-a-winning-proposal/ https://seliger.com/2008/02/25/what-does-a-grant-proposal-lo... for example: Read the RFP carefully for formatting instructions and follow them precisely. For example, if the RFP says the proposal is to be double spaced, and does not make an exception for tables, double space all tables, no matter how silly this looks. The Department of Education, for example, will often reject proposals for non-compliance for just such nitpicking instructions. We've seen innumerable proposals rejected for slight page limit violations, font violations, and similar minutia. Is this bullshit? Maybe. But if a funder is looking for reasons to reject you, and some are, try to give them as few reasons as possible.