Writing an Effective Grant Proposal

Writing an Effective Grant Proposal Nancy L. Withbroe, CFRE

We Will Cover
Writing an Effective Grant Proposal
Ideal flow and structure
Other formats
Putting it together
Basic rules
Where to Learn More
Questions & Answers

The Ideal Flow and Structure Telling your story

The Ideal Flow
State the need
“ This group knows what they are talking about.”
Identify the solution you offer
“ Gee, that could really make a difference.”
Present your plan
“ OK, I see what we need to do”
Back up with details
“ That makes me confident they can really do it”

Proposal Narrative Components
Statement of need
Project plan
Goals and objectives
Activities and timeline
Evaluation plan
Project budget
Background on your organization
Conclusion

State the Need
What problem in the community does your organization/ project address? – not – what problem does your organization have?
Identify the target population.
Use local statistics for local projects.
Tell a story about a person.
Who else is working on this problem, and where are the gaps?
Speak the funder’s language.

Mindset – Think Like the Funder, Not Like Your Organization
What does the funder want? – not – what does your organization want to deliver?
What language does the funder understand and appreciate? – not – are these the terms we are accustomed to using?
Give the reader hope

Identify Your Solution - Project Goal
How will you approach the need?
What is your goal?
General statement regarding how target population will change as result of your project
What difference will you make as a result of this work?

Present Your Plan - Project Activities and Timeline
Put milestone dates in place for each project activity
Divide long tasks into shorter segments with milestones
Check to ensure that long time intervals are well explained and understandable
Don’t promise more than you can deliver

Present Your Plan - Staffing, Partners, Budget
What resources do you need to fulfill your plan?
Staff/volunteers
Partner organizations
Facilities
In-kind donations
Cash

Present Your Plan - Budget
Expenses
Personnel – % time for this project applied to salary and benefits
Direct expenses
If you include indirect expenses (i.e., overhead), break out as many elements as possible
Rent
Utilities
Office supplies
Include items to be donated in-kind

Present Your Plan – Budget
Income
ALWAYS balance with expenses
This proposal “under consideration”
Other grants (under consideration, committed, to be submitted)
Other sources (general operating funds, individual donations, fees for service)
Include in-kind contributions

Present Your Plan – Evaluation and Expected Outcomes
What outcomes – changes in the target population – will result?
How will you know if these outcomes were achieved - what measurement tools will you use?
This becomes your outline for reports if the grant is funded
Donors give to the future, not the past

Introduce Your Organization
Who are you?
Why are you the best organization to address this need in this particular way?
Track record
Proven staff and volunteer leadership
Independent testimonials
Clients
Subject matter experts
Partner organizations

Conclusion
Ask for a specific amount within a specific time frame
Remind the reader of the need and your solution
Mention recognition opportunities, if appropriate
Inspire the reader

Putting it Together Pay attention to your package

First Impressions Are Important
Appear professional, polished, but modest
Pay attention to requirements for margins, binders, number of pages, font size, etc.
Most funders prefer simply packaged, unbound proposals on white, 8 ½” x 11” paper.

Cover Letter
NEVER “To whom it may concern”
Summarize request
Reference conversations you have had with staff or board members about the proposal
Thank funder for past support, if relevant
Offer to set up meeting or call to discuss
Signed by Executive Director and sometimes by Board President

Executive Summary
It’s the most important piece, because…
It’s the only piece everyone reads
It’s the first piece everyone reads
For some, it’s the only piece they read
Write it FIRST and LAST
If the funder requires an application form, use that instead

Attachments
501(c)3 letter
Board list
Key staff resumes or brief bios
1 pg org. budget
1 pg. project budget
Audited financials
Annual report
1-2 current media reports about your organization
1-2 letters of support
Put in same order as RFP/ guidelines
Less is more

Other Formats Telling your story … how the funder wants to hear it

Other Formats
Request for Proposal
Letter Proposal/ Letter of Inquiry
Online Applications

Request for Proposal (“RFP”)
RFP can be formal, semi-formal (guidelines) or totally informal (verbal)
Use the RFP as your guide for what to say and in what order
Use their numbering system, format, and naming conventions
Put additional information in attachments

Answer Everything – No Exceptions
Provide the answers exactly where the reviewer expects to find them
Refer, as needed, to attachments, but it is risky to assume every reviewer has the attachments
If you can’t or don’t want to answer an item, what should you do?
Make your “no answer” the answer
Never leave a blank or “TBD”

Check Your Answers Against Their Evaluation Criteria
Evaluate their criteria
What else might they REALLY want
Plan your answers with the evaluation criteria in mind – Write for a good score
Evaluate every answer against the evaluation criteria as you write

Letter Proposals
Letter of Inquiry/Introduction (“LOI”) may be required first step, or your only chance
Follow their directions, if provided
If not, use short version of ideal flow (need, organization info, project plan, budget)
Request permission to submit full proposal
Focus on essentials
Three pages MAX

Online Applications
Increasingly common
Prepare your answers in a Word document, then cut and paste
Watch word limits
Don’t wait until the last minute

Basic Rules for ANY Proposal Don’t Do Anything Stupid

Meet the Deadline
You absolutely must deliver the proposal on time and as promised
If necessary, send via multiple media
Email
Fax
UPS or Fed Ex
In Person

Don’t Skip Reviews – Style and Content
Assign someone to review for grammar, punctuation and stylistic consistency
Ask subject matter experts to review for content
In tight proposal schedules, you will be tempted to skip these reviews – DON’T
Grammatical and spelling errors are a turn-off
Subject matter errors are absolute killers

Track the Consistency of all Proposal Components
Do the details agree in all the parts of the proposal: Executive summary, narrative, timeline, budget, attachments, cover letter?

Explain Everything – But Don’t Insult Their Intelligence
Avoid jargon, special language uses, acronyms and abbreviations
Do not assume the reader knows or understands what’s most important
Keep it short and simple
Don’t be patronizing or long-winded
Don’t take up proposal space with stuff that is not making your case distinctively

Don’t Reveal the Boilerplate
The major risk of using boilerplate is that you forget to customize it
Leave blanks
Leave another funder’s name
Provide information that is out of date
Customize boilerplate for this funder
Boilerplate is a shortcut to better work, not a means to avoid work

Avoid Ugly
Typefaces, small print, formats, graphics, pictures
Ugly words or metaphors (e.g., “abort,” “retarded,” “Jew-down the budget”)
Hard-to-read tables or charts
Badly copied pages

Develop a Relationship
People give money to people -- organizations do not give money to organizations
Board to board, staff to staff
Build trust over time
It make take 2-3 years to get the grant you want

Where to Learn More Resources

Where to Learn More
Foundation Center ( www.fdncenter.org )
Charity Channel ( www.charitychannel.com )
State and regional associations of nonprofits
Association of Fundraising Professionals ( www.afpnet.org )

Contact Information
Nancy Withbroe, CFRE
Manager of Consulting Services
CDR Fundraising Group
(301) 858-1500, x2202
[email_address]
www.cdrfg.com

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Writing an Effective Grant Proposal

by Ashit Jain on Feb 06, 2009

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