How To Find Grants And Write Winning Proposals By Research Works

Getting Free Money How to Receive Grants: An Introduction Presented 4/1/2010 to Kentucky Networking Group by Mariam Williams Writing & Communications Consultant Research Works

Getting Free Money
Why grants?
Looking for grant opportunities
I found an opportunity. Should I apply?
Writing a winning grant proposal
Fiscal responsibility

Why Grants?
Free money!
Opportunities for businesses, non-profits and individuals

Why Grants?
Grant funds are awarded to support:
Arts, humanities and cultural affairs
Business, commerce and economic development
Community development
Education
Employment

Why Grants?
Energy
Environment
Health
Housing
Law, justice and legal services

Why Grants?
Organizational Improvement
Science and technology
Targeted populations (by gender, race, age, veteran status)
Transportation
And more!

Looking for grant opportunities
Grants.gov
Grantstation.com
Local or state representatives’ websites

Should I apply?
Look at the request for proposals (RFP) or funding opportunities announcement (FOA)
Eligibility - Do you meet eligibility criteria?
Required forms - Do you have all the required forms? Can you get them by the deadline if you don’t?
Does the maximum amount you can request make sense for your budget?
Deadline

Should I apply?
The RFP or FOA:
Federal Example
Please see link in blog post if viewing online.

Should I apply?
The RFP or FOA:
Individual
Example
Please see link in blog post if viewing online.

Writing a Winning Proposal
MEET THE REQUIREMENTS
Follow page setup guidelines
See federal RFP example, page 14
Include all required documents
See individual RFP example, pages 3-4
Don’t ask for more money than the maximum allowed!

Be specific and concise
Page limit = no rambling!
Use charts and graphs if they tell the story better, or in less space, than words
Use exact dollar amounts in your budget instead of rounding

State FACTS
Say it well, but back it up with numbers
Avoid generalizations and assumptions
Assumption: American children eat too much and don’t exercise.
Acceptable: It is well-documented that obesity is at epidemic levels among American children.
Generalization: There’s a liquor store on every corner in West Louisville.
Acceptable: There are 3 liquor stores per square kilometer in the 40210 zip code.

Make your organization stand out:
Color
Include your logo where appropriate
Use your organization’s colors as budget headings
Strong project title
For individuals, use only your best work

Correct all misspellings, grammatical errors and commonly confused words
Make sure the numbers in the budget, budget narrative, abstract/summary/cover letter and proposal narrative MATCH

Review what the narrative MUST include
Found in scoring matrix, priority considerations or guidelines
See pages 11-12 (pages 9-10 printed) of federal RFP

LEAVE TIME TO REVIEW, REVISE AND REWRITE!!!

Writing a Winning Proposal: Should I hire a professional?
Expense
Benefits:
Saves you time
Provides knowledge and expertise you may lack

Research Works offers several levels of consultation:
Evaluation
Is my idea, company or organization strong enough to win this grant?

Levels of consultation:
Research
Where do I find facts that help me avoid generalizations?
I found tons of information. How do I organize it? How do I know what’s important?

Writing
I have the research organized and know what’s important. I need help turning these numbers into a convincing proposal.
I say my ideas well, but they never come out the same way on paper.

Idea/Program/Curriculum Development
I meet all the requirements for the grant, but my idea is vague. I need someone to develop the guidelines and/or specifications for a program that would fit this proposal.
BEWARE OF UNDERESTIMATING PROGRAM COSTS!

Reviewing, Editing, Revising, Rewriting & Proofreading
I’m so proud of myself for writing the proposal on my own! Now I need someone to:
Review the document against a scoring matrix
Make sure I matched all the RFP’s requirements

Reviewing, Editing, Revising, Rewriting & Proofreading
Tell me where the wording just doesn’t make any sense (and/or rewrite those passages)
Correct misspellings, improper punctuation, commonly confused words and grammatical errors

Fiscal Responsibility (after you receive funding)
Don’t lose your money or cheat yourself out of future funding opportunities!
Accountants are friends
Accurate record-keeping
Plan for achieving non-monetary goals
Be able to show direct results of funding

Thank you for your attention!
www.LetResearchWork4You.net

http://www.letresearchwork4you.com	11
http://letresearchwork4you.net	3
http://www.slideshare.net	3

How To Find Grants And Write Winning Proposals By Research Works

by Research Works on Apr 02, 2010

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

3 Embeds 17

Statistics

How To Find Grants And Write Winning Proposals By Research Works — Presentation Transcript