WRC Handout
2.1.5
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Writing a Grant Proposal
by Craig White and Paul Castelloe Center for Participatory Change Make it easy for them to say
YES!
Make sure the fit is good. Your project should closely match their guidelines. Otherwise, you’re wasting their time—and your own. Follow the instructions exactly. They have to read lots of proposals. When one is exactly right, they’ll appreciate it—and remember it. Convince them that funding you is a smart investment—you’ll use their money carefully, you’ll get a lot done, and you’ll help them achieve their goals. Show them that you will give them what they need. That may be strong evaluations, good publicity, or knowing that they are really making a difference. Make connections and build relationships with foundation staff and board members whenever you can. People give money to people they know. When writing is hard… ...talk it out. Sometimes it’s hard to just sit down and write a particular section of a proposal. So instead, talk it out. Have one or two people talk through the section while somebody else writes down their exact words. Then, see if you can use that as a start for your written answer—make whole sentences, move things around, make it flow together. Finally, when you’re done with the writing, read it out loud again to see how it sounds. Before you put it in the mail: • Add a cover letter that includes a summary of your request. • Proofread everything...again. • Double check to make sure you answered all the questions and are sending all the required materials. • Make a copy for your files. • Make sure you mail or deliver it in time to meet the deadline. After you’ve sent it in: • About a week after mailing, call to make sure it arrived and is complete (this is also an opportunity to talk a bit with the grant maker.) • During the review period, if you have major successes, send a letter and let them know. If you get an article in the paper, send them a copy. • Be patient. The review process can take a long time.
Writing a Grant Proposal
Writing a grant proposal—like any big project—is easier when you break it down into steps. 1. GETTING STARTED Read the whole grant application carefully. Highlight all of the questions you have to answer and materials you have to include. Underline key words or phrases you might want to use. Before you start writing—brainstorm. What are the strong points of your organization? Your program? What are your best arguments and examples? These ideas give you a place to start writing. 2. THE SUMMARY Start by writing a one paragraph (3 or 4 sentences) description of your request. It should include:
WRC Handout
2.1.5 • Who you are • What your project is • How much you’re asking for This summary lets you start with the big picture—the rest is filling in the details. You may be able to use this summary in the proposal, or as the first paragraph of your narrative. 3. WRITING THE PROPOSAL Most grant applications ask for the same information, but they often have different formats. Some will have a list of questions. Others will ask for a “narrative”—the story of your project. Start by writing a draft—don’t worry about making it look good, just get the ideas down and polish them later. Look at the ideas you brainstormed before, and start with the questions that you have the most answers for. If you get stuck on one question, work on another one for a while. Talk most about the parts of your project that they’ll like best—use their guidelines for clues. When you’re done with the draft, go through and polish it up. Make sure the ideas are clear. Read it out loud to see how it flows. You may need to rewrite a lot—that’s okay. You can use the key words and phrases you underlined in the application. But don’t worry about getting fancy—just say what you have to say, briefly and clearly. When you’re done with the writing, go back and look at the summary. Make sure it exactly reflects your proposal— your ideas might have changed! Proofread everything! Reading the whole thing out loud is a good way to catch mistakes. Have someone else proofread it too. 4. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS Finally, add all the other required materials, which may include: • Project budget. Be specific and realistic on what you will need to spend. Show you’ll use their money wisely. Don’t always ask for the maximum amount—a budget for $19,870 looks more precise (and is less likely to get cut) than a request for the $20,000 maximum. • The organization budget shows how this project fits into your whole organization, and allows the grant maker to see how much you spend on administration compared to programs. • Letters of support and newspaper articles document your success and your partnerships with other organizations. • Other documents may be requested for financial and organizational reasons: the 501(c)(3) letter of taxexemption; an audit or financial report, and a list of the board of directors. Make a file with several copies of each, so you have them ready whenever you write a proposal. (http://www.cpcwnc.org/Toolbox/writinggrants.html)
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The Components of a Grant Proposal
by Paul Castelloe and Craig White Center for Participatory Change The Grantwriting Process There are several steps that you need to do before you can sit down and write the six parts of a proposal as outlined here. These steps are: 1. PLANNING. Begin by planning broadly what sorts of projects your organization will do — set general goals for your group. 2. MORE PLANNING. Next assess the key issues in your community, prioritize one issue, discuss potential projects that would address the issue, then select a project that you want to carry out. 3. STILL MORE PLANNING. Plan out the project in detail — the goals, objectives, and activities of the project, how you’ll evaluate it, and the budget (income and expenses). 4. FUNDRAISING RESEARCH. Now begin to search for foundations or corporations that may be interested in funding your project. The local library and the internet can both be great resources.
WRC Handout
2.1.5
(941) 359-4506
5. APPLY FOR A GRANT. Write to foundations asking for their application for a grant, then fill it out according to the recommendations in this brochure. When writing is hard… ...talk it out. Sometimes it’s hard to just sit down and write a particular section of a proposal. So instead, talk it out. Have one or two people talk through the section while somebody else writes down their exact words. Then, see if you can use that as a start for your written answer—make whole sentences, move things around, make it flow together. Finally, when you’re done with the writing, read it out loud again to see how it sounds.
The Six Components of a Grant Proposal
Most of the items listed below are part of every application for foundation, corporation or government funding. Sometimes they will be listed as several items, sometimes they will be asked as questions, and sometimes you will need to cover them in a written narrative--but these are the standard building blocks you'll use. 1. THE STATEMENT OF NEED OR OPPORTUNITY. Here you outline the current situation that your project will address. If you’re trying to solve a problem or build on an opportunity, you have to define it first. Be as specific as you can. Don’t assume that the reader knows anything about your community or the situation. But don’t dwell on the negative; don’t portray the problem as one that’s too overwhelming to solve. When you define a problem, define it in a way that it’s clear that your group can actually address the problem. Finally, it’s best if this section is brief — just quickly, yet concretely, describe the situation that you’ll be addressing. 2. GOALS AND OBJECTIVES. This section outlines what you hope to achieve with your project. Goals refer to the general things that you want to accomplish — for example, “We will start an after-school program for children from our community,” or “We will try to help people earn more income through the creation of a cooperative business.” Objectives are outcomes, more specific things that can be easily measured — for example, “Reading ability for 65 children will be improved; we will show this improvement by comparing before and after scores on a short reading test,” or “People who participate in this cooperative will show an increase in their income after one year .” For both goals and objectives, be as specific as possible. This is key. 3. PROJECT ACTIVITIES. Once you have defined what you’re going to do (in the goals and objectives section), you need to define how you’re going to do it. These are the project activities, where you explain in the nuts-andbolts of how you’re going to carry out your project. This section should be as specific and detailed as possible too; it should also include a timeline that shows when the activities will be carried out. For example, the project activities for an after-school program might include: “We will have 65 children between the ages of 7 and 10 on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3 to 5 pm. Children will work with a volunteer, who will read stories with them and ask questions that test their comprehension. Sept - Dec, 2000.” 4. EVALUATION PLAN. An evaluation plan outlines a plan for showing that you met the goals that you set for your project. Evaluation does not have to be complicated — getting people to tell stories about how the project has benefited them can be one of the best ways to evaluate your work. More information on evaluation can be found in CPC’s brochure entitled, “Self-Evaluation for Grassroots Groups.” 5. ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION. Somewhere in the proposal, you will need to outline your organization — its history, accomplishments so far, structure, qualifications of key people, and so on. Use this section to explain why you are the right group to do this project. 6. ATTACHMENTS. In most proposals, you will be asked to attach several things, including a budget (anticipated income and expenses both for your project and your organization as a whole), a copy of the letter from the IRS about receiving your tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status (if applicable), and a list of your board of directors with professional and community affiliations. (http://www.cpcwnc.org/Toolbox/components.html)