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Key Elements of a Grant Proposal

The following is a quick guide to the preparation of a grant proposal:

Title Page

·         Include organization name and contact information

·         State the project name and amount of money being requested

·         State the name of the funder

·         Date the proposal

Table of Contents

·         Include a table of contents

Executive Summary

·         Summarise the entire proposal

·         Identify the organization

·         Include 1 sentence on the organization’s credibility

·         Include 1 sentence stating the problem

·         Include 1 sentence stating the objectives

·         Include 1 sentence stating how objectives will be met

·         Show the total cost of the project, funds already obtained, and the amount requested in the proposal

Introduction

·         State the organization’s purpose, goals, and values

·         Highlight the organization’s history, governing structure, primary activities, clients, reputation, accomplishments, reasons for success, and its strengths

·         Show what sets it apart – why is the organization the best organization to do what it is doing?

·         Include statistics, quotes, and feedback received

·         Highlight the quality of volunteers and staff and include any influential names

·         State the compelling issues

·         Explain why the organization is qualified to address the issues mentioned

·         Show any connection between funder and the organization

·         Should prepare the reader for the definition of the issue/problem

Issues Definition

·         Also known as a statement of need

·         Outline the problem the organization intends to address

·         Include facts and stats that support the need for the project

·         State how the organization intends to solve the problem

·         Focus on the problem, not the organization

·         Do not describe the project here

·         Give the reader hope

·         Be brief

·         Make a compelling case

Objectives

·         Objectives should be based on the issues statement

·         Objectives should be measurable and be accomplished in a specific time frame

·         Objectives are different from goals.  Objectives typically include keywords such as to improve, to reduce, and to increase

·         State what funding will accomplish – show the expected outcome

·         Give details of how the project will be implemented

·         Concentrate on the problem and not the project activities

Methods

·         Should tell the how, when, why, and where of the project

·         Include project activities and state why they were chosen

·         State how the project will be staffed

·         Identify the clients who will be served and state how they were chosen

·         Include benchmarks – results of evaluations of similar projects done by other organizations

·         Show work plans and critical paths

·         Include cost considerations including cost of delivering the project compared with cost of not delivering

Evaluation

·         Present a plan for evaluating accomplishments

·         Should state how data will be gathered – Will questionnaires be used?  How will feedbacks about client satisfaction be used?

·         Should state how data will be analysed

·         Should address quality improvements, successes and failures

·         Should define criteria for success – Were the objectives met? How effective was the project?

·         Should include strategies for continuous quality improvement

Budget

·         Present two budgets – one for the entire organization and a detailed one for the project

·         All expenses for the project should relate to project activities

·         Break down into income and expense categories

·         Total income must equal to total expenditure

·         Include funds to be raised in the income category

·         Include gifts-in-kind in both the income and expense categories

·         Include the amount that is being requested under income (place last)

·         Expense:

Salaries and Benefits

Contractual Services

Travel and Subsistence

Equipment

·         Income:

Cash

Earned Income (from sales)

Contributed Income – income expected from special events, government, etc.

Recognition/Benefits

·         Especially relevant for corporate funding

·         Let the funder know what form of recognition/benefits will be given

·         Could include mention in annual report and other publications or inclusion on donor recognition wall

Future Funding

·         State how the project will be funded in the future

·         Show how the organization will rely less on future grants

·         Show how the organization will generate its own revenue over time

·         Show how revenue from fundraising will grow

·         List fundraising activities for revenue generation

Appendices

·         Include annual report and financial statements

·         Include news articles about the organization and letters supporting its activities

·         Include a list of board members and their affiliations

For information about this article, please contact Koreen Simon, Fund Development Consultant, Neerok Consulting at neerokconsulting@netzero.com.