Grant Writing 102 Writing Effective Proposals

8/2/2019 Grant Writing 102 Writing Effective Proposals

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Grant Writing II: WritingEffective Proposals

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Common Mistakes

A well-writtenproposal for a poorlydesigned project

Common Mistakes

Emotional appeals


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Common Mistakes

Pleading poverty

Common Mistakes

Describing the tree

Common Mistakes

Lets develop a

Then lets gomarket it to peoplewho will use it!


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Common Mistakes

The sho in list

Its All About You, Isnt It?

Focusing on what youare going to provide,instead of what yourclients or audienceneed

Common Mistakes

Ferraris and Jalopies


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Common Mistakes

Trinkets and Trash

Common Mistakes

Putting all the grantmakers buzz words inthe first paragraphand nowhere else

Common Mistakes

Alphabet Soup: TheOFSWCD has worked

closely for eight yearswith ODNR-DSWC, -DOW and DNAP,using the NAAEEguidelines, to presentWET, WILD, PLT,and FLP


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Common Mistakes

Edspeak: This projectfeatures hands-on, minds-on activities that draw uponthe multiple intelligences oflearners, evaluated throughauthentic and diverseassessment

Common Mistakes

If we offer it, they will come

Common Mistakes

Drive-by workshops with no follow-up


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Common Mistakes

The $50 hotel room

Common Mistakes

The Edge to EdgePizza Proposal(words cover thepage from edge toedge)

Common Mistakes

Lost-without-a-roadmap


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Common Mistakes

for only $25,000!

Common Mistakes

Benchmarking, yes!Plagiarizing, no.

Common Mistakes

Ill have my schoolprincipal/state

le islator/motherwrite a letter ofsupport about whata great idea thisis!


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Common Mistakes

Wet Ink Specials Not finishing a draftproposal earlyenough for your grantwriting buddy or thegrant maker toprovide youcomments andsuggestions

Circular Reasoning

Avoid presenting theabsence of yoursolution as the actual

Example: Theproblem is that wehave no pool in ourcommunity. Buildinga pool would solve

the problem.

Parts of a Proposal

Need or Problem Statement

Goal/Objectives

Activities Timetable

Personnel or Organization Qualifications

Outcome Measurements

Continuation Plan

Budget Spreadsheet and Narrative


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Example of a Need Statement In a 2010 survey of

Ohio dry cleaners, 65%admitted havingdifficulty understanding

regulations apply tothem. 50% said theywould not becomfortable calling aregulatory agency toask that question.

Objective: Where do we want to bewhen were finished?

Example: Our after-

help children readbetter.

Better example:

Our after school remedial education programwill assist 50 children in improving their reading

scores by one grade level. Progress will bedemonstrated on standardized reading testsadministered after participating in the programfor six months.


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Objectives

Specific

Measurable

Realistic

Time-bound

Objectives vs. Activities

OBJECTIVES explain what the project willachieve (where we want to be when werefinished.)

ACTIVITIES are the specific steps that willachieve the objectives. How do we get there(the objective) from here (the current need)

Activities: How do we get therefrom here?

Who, What, Where, When, and How

duration of the project

Explain the sequence and timing

Specific activities make it possible todevelop the project budget


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Sample Objective

The students willcreate and maintainan environmentalhome page in ourcomputer lab

- Activity One:

- Activity Two:

Better: If the Objective is toimprove 150 students computerand analytical skills

Activity one: Analyze the content of a Web

Activity two: Compare two Web pages onthe same environmental topic

Activity three: Create a home page aboutthis classs environmental projects

Personnel/OrganizationQualifications

Why are you the one for thejob?

Brief biographical sketches

yet)

Evidence ofaccomplishments

Endorsements from others

Stick to whats relevant forthe project


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Project Evaluation:Things to Think About

Correlation is not causation:There may be multipleexplanations for your goodresults

Cost of evaluation relative tooverall project

Must be designed in early

Include both quantitative andqualitative indicators

Project Evaluation:Things to think about

Lessons learned from

projects

Purpose of yourevaluation

Summative Evaluation(e.g., for reports to the grantmaker)

Did the program work?

a a n s goa s

Were the desired outcomes forparticipants achieved, and were they worththe cost?

Should the program be continued?


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Formative Evaluation(to make an ongoing program better)

What are the programs strengths andweaknesses?

Are participants progressing toward desiredoutcomes?

Which participants do better than others andwhy?

Can we operate the program more efficientlywithout compromising quality?

Program Evaluation Resources

WK Kellogg FoundationsEvaluation Handbookhttp://www.wkkf.org/under knowledge centerand resources

More Evaluation Resources

Centers for Disease Control Framework forProgram Evaluation for health programshttp://www.cdc.gov/eval/framework.htm


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Detailing a Budget(Itemize, Itemize, Itemize)

Personnel

Non-Personnel

Contractual

Personnel

Salary/wages: number of hours timeshourly rate for each position, or % of time@ what salary

Benefits and how calculated

Rule of thumb: benefits roughly 1/3 ofsalary

Job description if not hired yet

Non-personnel

Supplies (consumables): itemized, unit price,totaled

Equipment: itemized, unit price, totaled ,

totaled Travel: miles at specified reimbursement rate, or

per diem per traveler Allow for breakage Remember the Buick!


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Contractual

Describe the service being provided Name or organization or individual

Number of hours times hourly rate

Grant makers scrutinize closely forcontractors padded indirect costs

Dont hide extra salary in contractual

Meeting the Match

Grant application should tell you how muchcash or in-kind match is required

Always offer at least the estimated value ofyour organizations staff time and suppliesthat are not being covered with grant funds

Include volunteer hours in your match.http://independentsector.org/volunteer_time

includes current estimated rates by state

Letters of Support

This is a much-needed project, and

this organization isterrific, just the one todo it right.

Thats nice.


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Letters of Collaboration

If someones

participation/permission iscrucial to make theproject happen, havet em wr te spec ca ywhat they will do orprovide

Coach them, or they willwrite a generic supportletter

Allow enough time toassemble these letters

A word about innovation

Innovative, creative projectsmake funders eyes light up

Administrators (your boss?)want tried-and-true, soundmethodologies with a trackrecord of success under similarconditions

Whats a grant applicant to do?

Quick Tips

Re-read the RFP or grant guidelines afteryouve finished the draft

proposal, and tailor your jargon level totheir understanding

Be sure your proposal can pass theSpouse Test


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Dew knot trussed yore

awl yore mist aches.

Still More Quick Tips

Check your math on thebudget

Check your timeline againstthe funders calendar

Check to be sure you havecompleted all sections

Round up needed signaturesand collaboration letters

Happy Hunting!

Documents

Grant Writing 102 Writing Effective Proposals