Convert Grant Proposal Markdown to Word

Budget table becomes an editable Word table

A GFM budget table converts to a native Word table a program officer can open and check.

Markdown:
| Line item        | Year 1  | Year 2  |
|------------------|---------|---------|
| Program staff    | 80,000  | 82,400  |
| Materials        | 12,000  | 12,500  |
| Evaluation       | 15,000  | 15,000  |

In the .docx:
[ Word table, bold header: Line item | Year 1 | Year 2 ]
1pt borders, body cells plain text.

Funder-required headings map cleanly

Section headings become Word styles the funder template can restyle.

Markdown:
# Project Title
## Statement of Need
## Goals and Objectives
## Methods
## Evaluation Plan
## Budget Narrative

In Word: Heading 1/2 styles -> funder template applies
its required fonts and spacing to each section at once.

Outcomes list converts at the top level

A bulleted outcomes list becomes a Word bullet list; nested sub-outcomes fold into the parent item.

Markdown:
- Increase literacy rates by 15%
- Serve 500 students per year
  - 60% from Title I schools

In the .docx:
• Increase literacy rates by 15%
• Serve 500 students per year  60% from Title I schools
  (nested item folded in; apply Word multilevel list to split)

Diagrams need manual insertion

Logic-model image references render as alt text; add the diagram in Word.

Markdown:
![Logic Model: inputs -> activities -> outcomes](logic.png)

In the .docx:
Logic Model: inputs -> activities -> outcomes  <- alt text only

Next step: in Word, place cursor here -> Insert -> Pictures.

One proposal from shared boilerplate

Merge reusable sections with the tailored narrative, then convert.

Workflow:
  1. md-merger: org-boilerplate.md + this-narrative.md +
     budget.md -> proposal.md
  2. md-to-docx: proposal.md -> proposal.docx
  3. Word: attach funder template, add diagrams, check pages

Funders enforce page limits, but page count is determined by the final Word formatting — font, margins, line spacing — after you apply the funder's template. Markdown has no page concept, so always open the .docx, apply the required template, and re-check the page count in Word before submitting. The conversion preserves content, not pagination.

Theory-of-change and logic-model diagrams referenced as images (![Logic Model](logic.png)) render as alt text only — no picture is placed in the .docx. Insert the diagrams in Word after conversion (Insert → Pictures), or recreate them as Word SmartArt where the alt text appears.

The converter emits Word list paragraphs for top-level items only — bullets for -/* lists, decimal numbers for 1. lists. A nested list under an item is folded into that item's text run rather than written as an indented Word sub-level. The bullet/number markers still read clearly, but you won't get true multi-level outline numbering automatically. If you need precise sub-level numbering, flatten the list to one level in Markdown first, or apply Word's list styles after opening the file.

GFM tables convert to real Word tables with a bold header row and 1pt borders, but cell contents are written as plain text. **bold**, [links](url), and ` code ` inside a cell keep their literal Markdown characters rather than becoming formatted runs. Keep table cells to plain values; put rich formatting in the surrounding body paragraphs, or style the cells in Word afterward.

![alt](path.png) does not place a picture in the Word file. An inline image renders its alt text as plain text; a standalone image line renders as text too. No binary image data is fetched or embedded. After converting, insert images in Word via Insert → Pictures, or export your figures separately and add them where the alt text appears.

md-to-docx takes a single Markdown source — paste it or upload one .md/.markdown/.mdx/.txt file. It does not merge multiple files into one Word document. To assemble several Markdown sections into one document, combine them first with md-merger, then run the merged file through md-to-docx.

A --- delimited YAML frontmatter block at the top of the file is not stripped for this converter — marked sees the opening --- as a horizontal rule and the key/value lines as a paragraph, so your metadata can appear as visible text plus a divider line in the Word output. Remove frontmatter before converting, or build/clean it with md-frontmatter-builder and delete it before export.

Markdown allows ####### (seven hashes) but Word only has Heading 1 through Heading 6. Any heading deeper than six maps to Heading 6 rather than being dropped. If your document relies on a seventh level, restructure the outline or shift it up with md-heading-shifter before converting so the hierarchy reads correctly in Word's Navigation Pane.

Budget figures and beneficiary details never leave your machine — marked and docx.js run in the browser. The only server-side record for signed-in users is a usage counter (that a conversion ran), with no proposal content.