Transcript Carol Smith Davies Cherie Schroeder Information Prepared by, Workshop Presented by

Information Prepared by,
Carol Smith Davies, M.P.A.
Fresno City College
[email protected]
[email protected]
(559) 999-9320
Workshop Presented by
Cherie Schroeder, M.S.
Foster & Kinship Care Education Director/Specialist
Woodland Community College
www.yolofostercare.com
[email protected]
~ Serving Yolo County Foster, Kinship & Adoptive Parents
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Technology and the grantseeking process
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Four C’s of successful grant proposals
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How to write tight
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Recommended Reading
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Approximately 10% of all US foundations
and corporate grantmakers have websites
Online grants application software
developers, web-based platforms
 www.grantrequest.com
 CyberGrants
 Center for Arts Management and Technology EGrant
 Arlington Group Easygrants
 Foundation Source
 Kintera Online Grants
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Rationale behind online grant applications
◦ Reduces administrative burden
◦ Saves trees!
◦ Reducing scanning, printing and data-entry needs &
costs
◦ Eliminates ineligible proposals
◦ Eligibility quizzes
◦ Letter of intent or inquiry
◦ Full-proposals only upon invitation
◦ Enable real time review
◦ Shortens time between applying and receiving award
◦ Enhances communications with potential grantees
◦ Facilitates the review process
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Cons
◦ Takes more time
especially when creating
a proposal for new
project
◦ Can’t say all you want –
limited by # of words
◦ Lose control over
formatting
◦ No spell check
◦ Can’t upload files as
attachments
◦ Too impersonal
◦ Technologically
challenged – not user
friendly
◦ Privacy issues
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Pros
◦ Leaner prose
◦ Can submit last
minute
◦ No more worrying
about number of
copies
◦ Usually
straightforward and
easy to use
◦ Expect quicker
response
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Clear
◦ Active, engaging language makes it easy to read
◦ Short sentences
◦ Small paragraphs
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Comprehensive
◦ Detailed
◦ Anticipates every possible question of grant
reviewer
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Concise
◦ Well-organized
◦ Gets to the point as quickly as possible
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Competitive
◦ Attainable outcomes that will impact the community
◦ Furthers the mission of the grant maker
◦ Persuasive
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Plan Ahead
◦ Visit grant maker website well before the deadline,
if applicable
◦ Complete eligibility questionnaire or register
◦ Create user login and password
◦ Print application form
 If new project or program, prepare your proposal using
a word processing software.
 If existing project or program, use current proposal to
cut and past to create specific sections
 ALWAYS
create proposal
components in a word
processing software then cut
and paste into the grant
application.
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Typical format
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Background of organization
Need of the proposed project
Project or program goal and process objectives
Project or program activities
Measurable outcomes
Evaluation plan
Future funding
Recognition plan for corporate grant makers
Budget in Excel or Word format
Attachments in .doc, .xls and/or .pdf format
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Background of organization
◦ In one paragraph, briefly outline the purpose of the
organization – usually 200-300 characters
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Provide founding date
Describe current operating principles
◦ Example: The Aging Place (TAP) provides different
levels of housing for low-income senior citizens
over the age of 62 throughout the Ellis metropolitan
area. Founded in 1945, TAP opened its first Home
for the Aged in Easter Kansas. Today, the TAP
network includes nine residential facilities.
[239 characters]
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State the mission of the organization
◦ Example: Its mission is to provide the elderly with
quality services, care and housing within secure and
stable environments. TAP helps older adults enjoy
their independence by fostering their physical,
intellectual, social and spiritual well being.
[240 characters]
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List accomplishments to date
State number of persons served
Identify programs by name
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Usually one paragraph provides an overview o the
problem
Focus is on the community – not the need of the
organization!
Introduce the problem to the reader
◦ Briefly describe the target population
◦ Discuss the current situation NOT the solution you
propose
◦ Statistics from your previous programs and local
agencies
◦ Needs assessment of the community
◦ Case studies from state agencies and authorities in the
field
For many older adults, the later years are a time of illness, pain, and
disability. Many suffer from chronic diseases. Research indicates
that this physical decline is a result of the lack of comprehensive
health promotion and disease prevention strategies for the elderly.
Rising healthcare costs reflect the chronic ailments of this
population. Throughout the metropolitan area, there are only a
handful of programs for seniors and non aggressively address health
prevention and wellness. Health and wellness among seniors is
directly proportional to their level of income. Low-income seniors
have less access to healthcare and poorer health outcomes than
their wealthier age-matched counterparts. TAP confirmed these
finds with the September 2007 Senior Needs Assessment conducted
by the Ellis-based East Kansas Human Service Agency, in
conjunction with the Hayes University. Results from this assessment
support two major issues: 1) better coordination of health care for
low-income seniors, and 2) increased education and awareness of
health and wellness among this population.
TAP began a wellness program, entitled Staying Healthy, at its Ellis
facility in 2005; no other program of its type existed in the East
Kansas area for low-income seniors. Within three months of
launching the program, the wellness nurse assigned to the program
by Hayes Hospital saw residents make considerable strides. Two
quit smoking after 40 years. Three lowered their blood pressure.
Others began exercising regularly and maintained or lost weight.
One resident remarked how she could walk without her cane yet
another stated she could now clean her apartment without getting
tired. Still those who were diabetic began checking their feet and
blood sugar twice daily. Achieving some of these goals meant
making life-altering changes. Today, 133 of the 160 residents
participate in Staying Healthy. This program helps older adults, even
the frail elderly, maintain their independence.
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Project/Program Description
◦ State goal – sometimes limited by # of characters
◦ Example: The goal of Staying Healthy is to improve
health outcomes and reduce isolation of seniors
age 62 and older. TAP will increase the number of
seniors participating in Staying Healthy over the
next year by introducing this program in its other
eight facilities in the metropolitan area.
[237 characters]
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Project/Program Description cont.
◦ Provide measurable outcomes – required
 85% of participants will
year
 95% of participants will
group exercise
 90% of participants will
and cholesterol levels
 80% of participants will
once a month
remain in the program for one
become more active through
know their blood pressure rate
visit the wellness nurse at least
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Project/Program Description cont.
◦ Create a short paragraph describing activities –
usually 2,000 characters
◦ Answer the basic questions
# of participants
Type of activities that will yield the goal and outcomes
Where the activities will take place
How often they meet, facilities, and transportation
needs
 Personnel – both supervisory and new hires.
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◦ Possibly discuss components, phases or states of
activities
 Provide timeline – usually start and end dates only
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Evaluation Plan – possibly 1,500 to 2,000
characters
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Identify evaluation team
If using an outside evaluator, describe credentials
Discuss evaluation tools or methods
Identify frequency of reporting
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Future funding
◦ Short paragraph identifying future sources of
funding to keep project in operation
◦ DO NOT state that you will secure additional grants
to support this program – RED FLAG
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Recognition/Publicity Plan – usually 2,000
characters
◦ Required mostly by corporations and large
foundations
◦ State that the grant maker will be a partner in the
project/program
◦ Discuss how your organization will promote the
name of the funder verbally and on printed
materials
◦ Outline any media outlets that will be approached
for press coverage
◦ Seek permission to use corporate logo on all
printed materials
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Standard Attachments to upload
◦ Budget for project or program
 Use your budget format in Word or Excel
 Show both revenues and expenses
◦ Total amount of revenues must equal total amount
of expenses
◦ Provide written justification if required
◦ List of board members with affiliations
◦ Audited financial statement no more than two years
old
◦ Organizational budget for current fiscal year
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Write in compact sentences using simple
words without redundancies
Answer the six basic questions
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Who
What
Where
When
How
Why
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How to Write Tight in a Nutshell by Kathy
Henning
◦ Seattle-based writer and teacher, as well as the
managing editor of Communication Fitness, an
online instructional resource for schools, nonprofits
and businesses. She can be reached at
[email protected]
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Understand that right writing doesn’t just
happen
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Don’t try to write tight on the first draft.
◦ First draft is for organizing what you want to say
and putting it roughly into words. Tightening
comes with subsequent drafts.
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Plan to revise at least three times
Have someone else ready what you’ve written
to point out ambiguity or suggest cuts
Understand that tighter is always better, but
shorter isn’t always better.
Remember that clarity is always more
important than brevity
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Use the imperative
◦ Normally don’t in academic writing
◦ When you do use an imperative sentence, it should
usually contain only a mild command, and thus, end
with a period. Example: Consider the frail elderly.
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No subject, fewer words
Provide a “call to action”
◦ Think in short, firm sentences – even fragmented
sentences
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Just get to the point
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Limit length – start and end a sentence on a
single line
◦ Eliminate redundancy
◦ Don’t overstate the obvious
◦ Use abbreviations wisely
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Spell out acronyms once
This is not TXT SPK – OMG!
◦ Cut every unnecessary word, but never sacrifice
clarity for brevity
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Eliminate adjectives and adverbs, especially
those that carry the same meaning as the
noun or verb
◦ If it’s not necessary, throw it out.
◦ If it’s unnecessary, toss it.
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Focus on nouns and verbs
Replace nouns that end with the suffixes:
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-iality
-ation
-ence
-ization
-ize
-ocentrism
-wise
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Eliminate expletives – a word or phrase
conveying no independent meaning but added to
fill out a sentence
Avoid qualifiers – they suck the blood out of
good prose
 May
 Somewhat
 A few
 Very
 Rather
 Little
 Quite
Avoid possessives
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Write in an active voice, avoid passive
Writing in the past tense or passively can:
◦ Weaken your case for support
◦ Disrupt the reviewer’s focus
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“We will…” vs “we would like to…”
Get rid of would, could and should
Engage reader by replacing “…,which” with “that:
Restructure passive sentences into active ones
Passive voice should be 10% or less of your entire
document
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P: All programs are clinically supervised by a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW).
A: A licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) supervises all programs.
P: This new vision was adopted unanimously by the Board of Directors in October
2004.
A: In October 2004, the Board of Directors adopted the new vision.
P: Substance abuse among teens has always been recognized as a problem area
that leads to other destructive behaviors including violence, contracting STD’s,
and HIV/AIDS.
A: Teen substance abuse can lead to other destructive behaviors including
violence, contracting STD’s, and HIV/AIDS.
P: From this information, changes to the curriculum could be made by the
organization.
A: The curriculum could change from this information.
P: The organization was summoned to appear in court.
A: The court summoned the organization to appear.
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Be conscious of voice
Third-person for narrative
First-person for cover email
DO NOT mix voices
◦ Use short sentences and small paragraphs
First sentence of every paragraph must grab the
attention of the reader
Vary length of paragraphs
◦ Minimum two sentences per paragraph
◦ Provide no more than 10 lines per paragraph
Average sentence should have no more 15 to 17
words
No story-telling – proposals are non-fiction!
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Save space by condensing
One space between period and beginning of
next sentence for online applications
Use standard two spaces between period
and next sentence in paper proposals
Try semicolons instead of bullet points
 Label statements in semicolon format at
1) or a)
 Breaks-up a long sentence and cues reviewer
 Do not use jargon
 Always spell out acronyms
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Obtain a style and grammar book for quick
reference!
◦ The Handbook of Good English, Edward D.
Johnson
◦ The Elements of Style, William Strunk, Jr. and
EB White
◦ The Chicago Manual of Style, University of
Chicago Press
◦ The MLA Style Manual, Walter S. Achtert and
Joseph Gibaldi
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Be aware of character counts
◦ 2,600 characters ~ 500 words
◦ 2,000 characters ~ 300 words
◦ 800 characters ~ 150 words
◦ In Microsoft Word, go to Tools then click on
Wordcount, find Characters with Spaces
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Most importantly – your proposed
project/program must make an impact on
the community you serve!
Successful proposals describe changes that
will be beneficial to the community
Grant makers want to see collaboration
among organizations to work together to
make change
Grant makers are venture philanthropists
who want to invest in your organization to
further their mission
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Write Tight by William Brohaugh. (ISI Books,
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The Elements of Style - 4th Edition by
2002) ISBN 1-882926-88-9
William Strunk, Jr. and EB White. (Allyn &
Bacon, 2000) ISBN-10 0205313426 OR
ISBN-13 987- 0205313426
Carol Smith Davies
Fresno City College
[email protected]
[email protected]
(559) 999-9320