Grant Proposal Writing

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Agenda• Introductions• Internal Assessment & Research • Writing Style• Inquiry Letter• Components of a Grant Proposal• Organization & Presentation• Kennedy School Guidelines• Q&A

Internal Assessment Internal Assessment of your Organization

• Clearly define your goals & objectives

• Identify the internal resources that your organization can contribute, including who will serve as the Principal Investigator (PI)

• Develop a realistic timeline & budget for your project

• State the anticipated outcomes. Can these outcomes be measured? Can your organization sustain these outcomes after an initial award?

Research

Identify foundations who support your program or project. How do your goals fulfill each foundation’s mission?

Resources:KSG Research Central

http://www.ksg.harvard.edu/research/fndtns_new.htm

Foundation Center http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/

Professional Network:

Advisory Board Members

Similar Projects within your field

Writing Style

• Clear and concise language. Pay careful attention to grammar and overuse of acronyms.

• Maintain a consistent tone and voice across the various sections of the proposal.

• Be consistent throughout the proposal when referring to staff titles and program initiatives.

• Proofread

Inquiry LetterLetter to a foundation that provides the following information:

Paragraph 1:

Brief description of your organization and project. The amount you will request and the time needed to accomplish your goals.

Paragraph 2:

Explain how your project is a good match with the foundation’s interests. Describe the problem your project can address.

Paragraph 3:

Discuss the potential outcomes/benefits of your project. Provide your organization’s contact information

Components of a Grant Proposal• Executive Summary (Title Page, Abstract, & Purpose)

Snapshot of your project, organization, contact information, and the amount requested.

• Statement of Need Present facts and evidence of the “problem” your organization will address—draw upon statistics, published research, etc. Explain how your project provides an innovative solution. Be persuasive.

• Project Description (Procedures, Evaluation, & Dissemination)Concise “plan of action” that describes how your goals and objectives will be accomplished. Provide details of the timeline, methodology, participants, data collection, analysis, how the project’s outcome will be reported to all stakeholders, and the long-term sustainability of the project.

• Budget and Budget NarrativePersonnel and nonpersonnel items associated with the operation of the project.

• Organization Information (Qualifications) Demonstrates the ability of your organization to execute the project and accomplish your goals.

• Conclusion• Appendices

Organization and Presentation

Organization:• Maintain copies of all submitted paperwork, proposals, and general

correspondence with the foundation.

• Create a calendar and strive to meet all deadlines.

Presentation:• Table of Contents

• Visual Presentation: White Space, Margins, and Headings

Kennedy School Guidelines

• Role of the Kennedy School’s Research Administration Office (RAO)

• Role of Harvard University’s Office for Sponsored Programs (OSP)

• Who can serve as a PI?

• Who is authorized to sign documents?

• Policy on the use of the Harvard and Kennedy School names

• Use of Human Subjects