Basic Elements of a Proposal
Download
Report
Transcript Basic Elements of a Proposal
Valerie Mann, Author of Getting Your Share of the PieThe Complete Guide to Finding Grants and
President of Mann and Mann Grant Solutions,
Fruitland, MD
Cover Letter
If an application has a cover sheet, the grant writer can
generally skip a cover letter
The main purpose of a cover letter is to further confirm
that the application was indeed sent
Cover letters are critical when you are sending the
application to the “State Single Point of Contact”
which is also referred to as the Clearinghouse
Cover Sheet
In federal applications, the cover sheet is the Standard
Form 424
Contact information for the applicant and for the
project director
Employer Identification Number (EIN) of the
applicant as well as the amount requested
The title of the project and a brief description
Abstract
This is a brief summary of the application that is no
more than two pages and should only be prepared
when explicitly requested
The heading should clearly state the title of the
project, the funding agency, and the name of the
applicant
The first paragraph should be a summary of the
activities
Abstract Continued
The second paragraph should briefly describe the
need
The third paragraph should discuss specific positive
outcomes
The fourth paragraph should describe the capabilities
and experience of the applicant organization
The final paragraph should be a “wrap-up” that talks
about evaluation and sustainability
Statement of Need
Do not assume anything
This is no place for vague or general statements or
flowery language
Do not embellish or exaggerate
Be specific, simple, and direct. Use hard statistics and
individual histories and anecdotes when available
Include a general description of the situation, the
number and type of people affected, the extent to
which they are affected, and what will happen if
nothing is done to change the situation
Statement of Need Continued
Clearly demonstrate that without grant funding the
project will not move forward
Show that you are trying to find funding from other
sources
Showing the allocation of funds in your organization’s
budget is important to demonstrate that no additional
money is available
Discussing the economic situation of the local
community is a good idea as it drives home that more
money cannot be obtained from the community
Project Description
As in the Needs section,
be clear, direct, and
specific.
Reiterate the overall
amount requested along
with the specific price of
the major cost categories
Goals and Objectives
This section can be defined as, “What we hope to
accomplish”
Make the goals realistic yet ambitious
Funders are more interested in a good-faith effort to
accomplish your goals
Quantify any objectives where this is easy to do as this gives
the funder a frame of reference to show the impact of the
program
Administrative Capacity
Funders need to know that their funds will be in safe
hands
State that the project will be a priority for your
organization
Include a brief history and mission of the organization
Mention accomplishments
Administrative Capacity Continued
Mention experience with other grant programs
Describe your staff and how their expertise and
training would aid in administering the grant
Explain who will do what in your organization in
regards to administering the grant
Administrative Capacity Continued
Mention if your group has had any problems in the
past with grants
Serious problems with previous grants will often keep
an organization from receiving grants for a period of
time
Do not be modest
Budget
This section should give a clear statement of what you
plan to do
Many state and federal applications have a specific
form that must be used
Most applications require a brief narrative giving extra
detail on the budget itself
Sustainability
Most grant programs require that the funds be spent
over the course of one or two years
Writing this section can be difficult as in many cases
the applicant has no idea where they will continue to
get additional funding
Do not make grandiose claims
It is okay to state that the organization will consider
funding this out of its own budget in the future
Applicants may also say that they will look for grant
funds from other sources
Evaluation Plan
Even if an evaluation plan is not required it would be
worth doing
The organization is expected to take baseline data and
compare it to data after the project is complete to see if
the project accomplished its goals