Transcript Grantsmanship

Grantsmanship
Why grants????
Stimulates change
Commitment to planning and
organizational responsibility
Should you????
Is the organization ready for a grant?
Is grant/project consistent with the
organization’s mission?
Types of Funding
Public
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Federal
State
County
City
Private
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Foundations
Corporations
Professional
Organizations
Private Industry
Private
Corporate/Company Sponsored
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Separate independent foundation founded by Co.
Federated Funds
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Raise funds to support nonprofit
Family Foundation
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Independent, family donors, decisions
Community Foundation/Trust
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Manages funds for community benefit
Independent Foundation
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Primary function to make grants
Types of Applications
Solicited
 Grant
Announcements
 Call for Proposals – notice of an
opportunity to submit a proposal on a
specific topic.
 RFP/RFA
Unsolicited
 LOI
Basics
Neat, easy to read
USA Today style
Free of jargon
Charts and graphs
Anticipate questions
“Grandmother Test”
Vetting Funding Sources
How many grants will be awarded?
How much funding is available?
Who has been funded before?
Calling the Program Officer
Matching requirements?
Contact with Funders
Briefly describe your general idea and
the strengths you would bring to the
project
Does the agency support this type of
project?
Application kit
Contact with Funders
Can/will the program officer review a
draft or abstract?
Can you review a copy of a funded
proposal
Before the visit/call
 Review materials and legislative
priorities
 Learn the kinds of projects
usually funded
 Recently funded projects
During the visit/call
 What are the common
strengths/weaknesses of proposals
submitted?
 Major areas of emphasis in current funding
cycle?
 Future interests?
 Can unfunded proposals be resubmitted?
Beginning to Develop Your
Proposal
“Buckets”
Look for points that are emphasized by
the funding source and begin to gather
related data
Begin to think about what research is
needed to address these points well
Gather your team
Summary/Abstract
“Dust Jacket”
Context at a glance
May be published
Gives first impression
Often given to reviewers
Summary/Abstract
Identifies grant applicant
At least one sentence on credibility
At least on sentence on problem
At least one sentence on objectives
At least one sentence on methods
Total cost/amount requested (unless it’s
a scientific abstract)
Space or word limitation
Introduction
Also called
Credibility
 Qualifications
 Description of the Applicant
 Background
 Organizational Capability
 Organizational Capacity
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Introduction
Descriptive
information
Differentiating
information
Evaluative
information
When/why started
What you do
Quote from founder
Characteristics of
clients
Qualifications of
staff/board
Recognition/awards
“Highlights in our
History”
Project Description/
Approach/ Methods/ Narrative
Organizational Information
Brief Summary of Organization’s history
and mission.
 Description of current programs, activities,
service statistics and
strengths/accomplishments including what
makes your organization unique.
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Needs Statement
Needs
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The situation—opportunity, problem, issue,
need, and the community—that your
proposal addresses, and how that need
was determined.
Goals and Objectives
Specific, measurable activities to
accomplish these objectives.
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Goal
Objective
 Objective
 Objective
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Action
Action Steps
How to carry out the objectives.
 Timeline in which all of this will take place,
with specific start/end dates.
 Describe the people involved in
implementing the objectives
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Measure Success
How do you know that you have
achieved the objective.
Describe what will change in the lives of
individuals, families or community as an
outcome of your objective.
Impact of Activities
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How the proposed activities will impact the
designated community or population.
Evaluation
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How you will measure the results, and how
the results will be used, disseminated, or
publicized.
Sustainability
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How you plan to sustain the project after
the funding period has expired.
Approach/Procedures/Methods
Sometimes called “plan of action”
Typically the longest part of the
proposal
Describe what you will do with the
money
P. 94 in Hall & Howlett
Approach/Methods
Clearly describes program activities.
States reasons for the selection of
activities.
Describes staffing of program/project.
Presents a reasonable scope of
activities that can be conducted within
the time and resources of the program.
Management Plan
In this section you must answer the
question as to why you are the most
appropriate organization/person to carry
out this project
Necessary expertise
Resources
Management Plan
Clear, logical plan that will executed by
a project team of well-qualified people
Discuss in detail the roles and
responsibilities of key personnel
Amount of time (percent of effort) they
will work on project
Time frame - months
Management Plan
Visualize that you have been funded …
Who would you need to hire?
 What qualifications would they need?
 What resources would you need?
 Job descriptions
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Management Plan/Credentials
What special skills are required to carry
out the project? For example an
education grant would require someone
with curriculum development skills.
Paragraph highlighting qualifications.
Past experience
 Publications, presentations in the topic
area
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Management Plan/Institutional
Qualifications
Your institutions needs to have the
resources to assist and support your
carrying out the project
Comprehensive Library
 Learning Resource Center
 Accessible
 Computers
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Sample Qualifications
What are the institutional
qualification/capabilities of the
following?
NEPA Women’s Health Alliance
Scranton Cultural Center
Fricchione Child Care Center
Meals on Wheels
Project Management
Dr. E. Brown
Principal Investigator/
Project Director
Program Director
D. Evans
Research Assistant
Type title here
G. Anders
Project Coordinator
To be hired
Administrative Assistant
Graduate Students (3)
Facilitators (3)
Introduction
“Wow stuff”
Evaluation results
 Growth of services
 Success stories
 Strong community support
 Have done and can do
 Annual Report
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Needs Assessment
Assessing the need – before beginning
proposal, thoroughly assess the need
for the proposal’s idea.
Consider:
Organizational capacity
 Societal problems
 Local environment
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Needs Statement
Identifies an undesirable condition
Consequences if not solved
Who has the problem?
 What is the evidence
 Hard/soft data
 National to local
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Needs Assessment
Not need for the funds – need for work
to be done.
Nature of the need – “Is the project
addressing the needs of the client or the
needs of the applicant?
Will the project truly benefit society?
Does it address the problem
Needs Statement
Will the project benefit enough people to
justify the resources spent on it?
Duplication of effort?
How does the decision to work on one
particular problem impact the
organization as a whole?
Questions to help you analyze the need:
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How do you know there is a need for the proposed
idea?
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Survey
Focus groups
Who or what is affected by the need and in what
way?
How urgent is the need in relation to others in the
community?
Is the need one of the top priorities in your
institutions’ strategic plan?
Needs Assessment
 Who
else agrees this is a problem worth
addressing?
 Who else is working on the issue locally,
regionally, or nationally?
 Have other ways of addressing the
problem been tried?
 Why should these particular needs and
this specific problem receive attention at
this time?
Needs Assessment
What is likely to happen if this project is
not implemented now?
Why are you (your organization) best
suited to do this work?
Do you have the capacity to initiate this
effort at this time?
Is the problem solvable?
Needs Assessment
 Will
it make a lasting difference?
 What constraints or difficulties should
be anticipated in meeting the need?
Needs Assessment
Check list
Proof your project is unique
 Why you are best suited to do it
 A compelling statement the project will
address
 A clear description of the population to be
served
 A list of factors that indicate why the idea
should receive priority for funding
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Needs Assessment
•
an understanding of the previous literature,
research, work done
• How has the “landscape” changed –
economic e.g. downturn, upturn
• List of allies willing to support the proposal,
idea with political resources, funding, shared
resources
Literature Review &
Documenting Need
Professional Journals
Census Reports
Newspapers
Surveys
Surgeon General, Healthy People 2010,
Strategic Plans of federal and state
agencies
Problem or Needs Statement
Identifies the problem and its causes
Connections of the problem, causes
and the solution establishes the
rationale for the proposed project
Problem or Needs Statement
Thorough understanding of the problem
the project intends to explore, address
and resolve.
The importance of the problem to the
participants and society as a whole
Critical analysis of the literature and
how the project will fill a gap
Problem or Needs Statement
Innovative nature of the project – at
least locally!
The potential of replication by others.
Why you (your organization cares about
the problem) and capabilities of the
organization (briefly – more later)
How the need you intend to resolve
addresses funder’s goals.
Needs Statement Checklist
Is stated in terms of the clients’ needs
and problems not the applicant?
Is developed with input from
beneficiaries (e.g. students, patients)?
Makes no unsupported assumptions?
Is free of jargon/technical language?
Overall, the needs statement makes a
compelling case?
Application Narrative
Program Design
Action Plan
Work Plan
Links the program’s goals with the
funder’s money
Explains how the money will accomplish
your goals.
Purpose
Purpose Statement should be a onesentence, direct, concise explanation of
what the funds are sought for.
Sample
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The purpose of this request is to seek
grant funding to plan four new exhibits at
the Home Town Zoo and to acquire the
exotic animals needed to complete the
zoo’s expansion.
Goals
The goal statement is a broad
description of the intended
consequences of the project
Does not address specifics
Should coincide with authorizing
legislation if appropriate.
Goal
Senior referral services will meet the
need of Lackawanna County’s elderly
population by linking them with
individuals who have experience and or
training in home health care,
housekeeping, and companion services.
Goals
Is it one sentence?
Is the sentence clear and concise?
Does the reader know who the target
population is?
Did I intentionally NOT include
measurements and timelines?
Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation Goal
Childhood Obesity
Reversing the childhood obesity epidemic
by 2015 by improving access to affordable
healthy foods and increasing opportunities
for physical activity in schools and
communities across the nation.
 Your project goals and objectives should
help the funder meet their goals.
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Goal: The after school program will
help children become better readers.
Objective: The after school remedial
evaluation program will assist 50
children in improving their reading
scores by one grade level as
demonstrated on standard reading
tests administered after participating
in the program for six months.
Format
Goal
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Objective
Objective
Goal
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Objective
Objective
Goal
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Objective
Objective
Objective
Objective
Objectives (benchmarks)
Objectives should be SMART
• Specific
• Measurable
• Action-oriented
• Reasonable
• Time-bound
Objectives
Process objectives (to provide, to
develop to establish)
To establish an advisory committee ….
Outcome objectives (to increase, to
decrease)
Expand the 2007 course offerings and
available classes by 50% …
Outcome
Describes what will change in the lives
of individuals, families, organizations as
a result of the project.
Example
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The reading skills of all children in the
program will increase at least one grade
level and their parents will be using new
skills in coaching, monitoring and
encouraging their children’s education.
Goal: The after school program will help
children become better readers.
Objective: The after school remedial
evaluation program will assist 50 children in
improving their reading scores by grade
level as demonstrated on standard reading
tests administered after participating in the
program for six months.
Outcome: 50 children will have improved
their reading scores by 10 points.
Methods (action steps,
strategies)
Sometimes called “action steps” or
“strategies”
The methods section describes the
specific activities that will take place to
achieve the objectives
Detailed description of what will occur
from the time the project begins until it
is completed.
Should match the objectives.
Methods
How will you recruit participants?
How will skills be measured?
Management plan – who will do what?
Staff/administration plan – flow chart
Time line
Methods
Fifty students will be recruited into the
program through referrals from USA
School District elementary teachers.
Fifty students will be given a pre- and
post-test to evaluate reading level.
Ten volunteers will be recruited,
screened, and trained to provide
instruction.
Budget
1. Identify the total costs of the project
(personnel, consultants, supplies)
2. Arrange items by category
3. Transfer data into the format required
requested by the funder
Direct/Indirect
Direct Costs are expenditures
specifically attributable to the project or
program.
Indirect Costs relate to the infrastructure
necessary to support the project –
facilities, support personnel – but are
difficult to cost out separately.
Matching
In Kind
Space
 % of effort
 Volunteers (assigned a standard $ value)
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Cash
Supplies
 New Staff
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Personnel
Grant funds should not augment pay
Comparable to salary/wages regularly
used by organization
% of time for agency director, project
staff
How much time will it take – ½ day, 10
hours week?
Annual cost of living increase
Faculty Salary
$40,000 9 month contract
To annualize divide by .818
Annual salary = $48,900
Summer Salary $48,900 - $40,000 =
$8,900
Travel
Conferences
Local for staff participants
Required meeting
Lodging
.485/mile
Equipment
Office chairs, desks, computer
hardware (needed for new staff)
Federal government defines as $5000
and above
May differ by organization and with
private funders
Supplies
Paper, postage, duplicating and
reproduction, software
Items under $5,000
Miscellaneous
Contracted Costs
Subcontract to another organization –
their entire budget amount is listed here
and attached
Consultants
Equipment installation
Evaluation
Other
What does not fit in any other category
Tuition
Publication costs for researchers
Space rental
Indirect Costs
% of direct costs
Negotiated Federal Rate with
“cognizant” agency
Defined be funder
Direct costs
8% (indirect) F&A
Total Costs
$125,000
$ 10,000
$135,000