The document provides a comprehensive overview of winning grants, detailing the definition of a grant and what funders seek in proposals, including measurable outcomes, best practices, and strong agency capabilities. It outlines the critical components of successful grant proposals, such as the needs statement, collaborations, outcomes, and budget requirements, while also offering sample sections and objectives for reference. Additionally, the document includes promotional offers for grant readiness assessments and training courses.

1. KEYS TO WINNING GRANTS
Jule’ Colvin, President & CEO

2. DEFINITION OF A GRANT
A grant is…..
A gift of money from an organization, usually a foundation (family, individual, community, corporation) or government entity, not an individual donor, that does not have to be repaid.
Grants are given to non-profits for such costs as: administrative, programs, capital purchases, equipment, capacity building, training, building, rehab.

3. WHAT FUNDERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
Is your agency capable of doing what you say?
Will you handle their money well?
Will you have social ROI?
Bottom Line - Funders Are Social Investors. They Want To Know:

4. WHAT FUNDERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
A Sound Program That Incorporates :
Measurable Outcomes
Best Practices
Good Use of Resources – In Kind, Volunteers, Collaboration
Qualified Staff
Success Rates & Stories
Evaluation/Follow-Up
Innovative Piece

5. WHAT FUNDERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
A Sound Agency That Shows:
A Board That Gives & Is Active
Solid Financials
Sufficient/Balanced Budget
Past Funding
Variety of Funding Sources
Administrative vs Program Spending
Sound Record Keeping

6. WHAT FUNDERS ARE LOOKING FOR:
A Well Written Proposal
Clear & Succinct
Follows Directions to the Letter
Heart & Head Focus
Stories Included
Shows You Want to Help the Funder Achieve Their Goals

7. HOW TO PREPARE YOUR AGENCY FOR WINNING GRANTS
Board List/Involvement 501 (c) (3) Letter
Two Years of Financials Staff Resumes
Job Descriptions Other Funding Sources
Agency /Program Budget Past Successes
Support Letters/Collaborations Written Plans
Basic Tool Box:

8. KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL GRANT PROPOSAL
State the Need/Problem
Target Population
Collaborations
Program Description
Agency Capabilities & History

9. Unique & Innovative Answers
Budget/In-Kind
The Proposal in Numbers
Volunteers
Measureable Outcomes
Evaluation
KEY ELEMENTS OF A SUCCESSFUL GRANT PROPOSAL

10. CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF NEEDS SECTION
•Use statistics that make sense
•Use local and up to date statistics
•Intertwine story/testimony if possible
•Address every area funder requests
•Tell how the need is going unmet
•Make the need critical

11. SAMPLE NEEDS SECTION
There is a critical need for Citizenship Instruction in Pinellas and Manatee counties in Florida, a state ranked 4th in
the nation by the Department of Homeland Security for its number of LPRs. These two counties are home to a large
and growing number of immigrants from multiple countries as is evidenced by the following statistics:
•The Hispanic/Latino population increased by 71.3% from 2000 to 2010 in Pinellas County, for a total population of 73,241. Clearwater, the 6th largest city in Florida and located in Pinellas County, saw a 93% increase in Northern Hawaii/Other Pacific immigrants and a 30% increase in Asian immigrants from 2000 to 2010 (2010 Census)
•A language other than English is spoken at home by 38,739 (12%) Manatee County residents and 109,081 (12%) Pinellas County residents. Forty-four percent of these residents in Manatee County reported speaking English less than very well. (2008 Census Data)
•According to a recent Center for Immigration Study, the foreign language-speaking countries that supplied the largest number of new immigrants to Pinellas and Manatee Counties were Vietnam, Philippines, Jamaica, Poland, Soviet Union, India, Germany, Mexico, Haiti, Honduras and China. UMCM serves immigrants from all countries.
Unfortunately, for the growing number of LPRs in these two counties, the options for comprehensive, student-
focused Citizenship Instruction are limited. In Pinellas County, aside from UMCM’s current ESOL EL Civics
instruction, two organizations, the Asian Neighborhood Family Center and the Literacy Council of Upper Pinellas
provide limited Citizenship Instruction services to less than 100 clients annually. The Pinellas County School System
offered instruction in the past but, due to budget cuts, they are reducing their classes to serve only 46 LPRs per year.
In Manatee County, adult education classes including EL Civics, Social Studies, and Citizenship are offered at the
Manatee Technical Institute, the Catholic Charities of Manatee and the Literacy Council of Manatee County, serving
approximately 250 total people annually. As in Pinellas County, these organizations simply provide classes for LPRs,
rather than the student-focused comprehensive Citizenship Instruction services proposed by UMCM in this
proposal.

12. CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF COLLABORATION SECTION
•Provide details of who you collaborate with
•Be as descriptive as possible about the specifics of the relationship
•Describe agreements you have (MOU)
•Describe referral sources
•Explain how your agency is unique in its contributions to the collaborations

13. SAMPLE COLLABORATION SECTION
Alpha House of Pinellas County works in collaboration with numerous
agencies and entities throughout the area to assist in service provision.
Alpha House has a collaborative agreement with Family Resources, who
provides the residential program with an additional Case Manager and
Master’s level Counselor, through a five year Federal DHHS grant. Alpha House
also has other collaborations with Lighthouse Credit Counseling and USA 100,
both providing residents with valuable life skills classes geared toward self
sufficiency and self esteem building. The agency also has a collaborative
agreement with Operation PAR, Inc. to provide information technology support
to the agency, including the resident computer lab, ensuring that residents are
able to access different educational sites for school work, do child birth
research, job searches, and other important tasks. In addition, Alpha works
closely with the following agencies: Worknet Pinellas, Lighthouse Credit, Life
Skills Center, Harris Tips, Family Service Centers and the YWCA.

14. CRITICAL COMPONENTS OF OUTCOMES SECTION
•Be sure your outcomes are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable, Timely)
•Be certain your team believes they can achieve these outcomes
•Be logical in your description
•Use numbers and percentages
•Be certain the outcomes are a good match with the funder’s goals

15. SAMPLE OUTCOMES
Goal 1: At least 85% of enrolled children will exhibit an increase in school readiness skills each year. Each child is assessed for Kindergarten readiness at key touch points throughout the year, and ABC will continue to successfully transition at least 85% of the children in our care successfully onto Kindergarten.
Goal 2: At least 75% of the enrolled children will show an increase in technology awareness-successfully manipulating the pads and Smartboard in the classroom.

16. SAMPLE OUTCOMES
40 students will attend the BEST program
Of the youth who attend the BEST program, 90% will successfully complete the entire curriculum
Of the youth who complete the entire curriculum, over 85% will demonstrate an increased knowledge and understanding in science and health disciplines as measured by pre and post test scores

17. SAMPLE PROGRAM OUTCOME OBJECTIVES MATRIX
Objectives
Qualitative and/or quantitative, please show #’s & %
Outcome Measurements
How will we know when the objectives are achieved? What tools are you using?
Year End Outcome Status
Did we meet our objectives? What were the final results?
Outcome Objectives:
Provide 3,600 St. Petersburg residents (1300 families)with monthly food through food pantries per SAF program year
Provide 300 unduplicated St. Petersburg residents with nightly meal per SAF program year
Provide rent/utility assistance to 150 St. Petersburg residents per SAF program year
Provide 1700 St. Petersburg residents with Ditty Bags per SAF program year
As per monthly program records indicating the number of persons assisted
As per program records indicating the number of meals served throughout the year
As per program and TBIN records
As per program records indicating numbers of bags produced and distributed in St. Petersburg
3,118 people (1300 families) received food and/or gift cards (33% children)
205 unduplicated people received hot meals, (to date)
44 people received rent and/or utility assistance to date(annual goal will be quickly reached when EFSP funds are received)
585 bags were produced and distributed in St. Petersburg.

18. SAMPLE PROGRAM OUTCOME OBJECTIVES MATRIX (CONT)
Objectives Qualitative and/or quantitative, please show #’s & %
Outcome Measurements
How will we know when the objectives are achieved? What tools are you using?
Year End Outcome Status
Did we meet our objectives? What were the final results?
Process Objectives
A minimum of 50% of St. Petersburg residents receiving rent/utility assistance per SAF program year will remain stably housed after 6 months of receiving assistance from UMCM
A minimum of 500 additional homeless citizens will be counted by the Homeless Coalition due to the incentive of receiving Ditty Bags.
As per program and TBIN records; UMCM staff conducts follow-up of recipients;
As per program records indicating numbers of bags produced and distributed in St. Petersburg; number of bags distributed to the Homeless Coailtion.
44 people received rent and/or utility assistance, with 50% or more stably housed after 6 months (to date; number will increase when EFSP funds received)
500 or more Ditty Bags distributed resulted in an additional 500 homeless citizens being counted by the Homeless Coalition due to their use as incentives.

19. SAMPLE OUTCOMES NOT IN TABLE FORM
UMCM will accomplish the following Citizenship Instruction
Outcomes in two years as a result of the expanded
services provided by this grant:
•200 LPRs will receive individualized Citizenship Instruction
•160 LPRs will demonstrate improved El-Civics ESOL and/or U.S. History and Government knowledge as per standardized pre and post test scores
•100 LPRs will make application for citizenship
•50 LPRs will pass the citizenship test
•48 LPRs will become naturalized citizens

20. IMPORTANT COMPONENTS FOR BUDGET SECTION
•Follow directions very carefully
•Be sure budget shows a need for the grant
•Be sure budget is balanced
•Show in-kind as you are able
•Be sure it follows the program description
•Make sure all costs are allowable

21. KEY ACTIONS
Double/triple check your numbers
Get outside reviewer if you can

22. REVIEW SAMPLE BUDGETS
Sample Project/Request Budget
Sample Full Project Budget
Sample Agency Budget
Sample Narrative

23. QUESTIONS

24. SPECIAL OFFER FOR TODAY’S ATTENDEES
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25. SPECIAL OFFERS FOR TODAY’S ATTENDEES
$125 off our exclusive on-line 8 hour (4 two hour sessions) grant writer training course starting in January. In the trenches teaching and experience with our team of six writers. On-line sessions diving deeper into building a successful proposal. Writing assignments with reviews by our staff. View sample of grants on which we are currently working. One of a kind experience! Only 10 participants accepted.
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