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
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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