Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
NINE KEYS TO WRITING AWINNING GRANT
PROPOSAL
Clara Tolbert, [email protected]
Louise Chapman [email protected]
Doris Teague [email protected]
T3 International ConferencePower Session
March 9, 2014 ~ Las Vegas, NV
Power Session Objectives• Review Nine Keys to Writing a Winning
Grant Proposal
• Incorporate the use of a logic model to visualize and understand how to achieve intended program goals
• Review and discuss sections of a proposal
• Explore funding sources
1. Vision/Need
2. Goals/Objectives
3. Current Research & Use of Data
4. Project Design
5. Management Plan
6. Budget
7.Evaluation8.Sustainability9.Well Written and Designed
Nine Keys to Writing a Winning Grant Proposal
Estimated Time Required to Write
ProposalType of Project
ProposalSize of Proposal Hours to Prepare
Preliminary (small) Under $10,000 5 to 10 hours, plus a lot of careful thought
Preliminary (large) $100,000 and up 10 to 20 hours of writing, medium amount of contact time with funding agency
Modest-sized proposal to a private foundation
$10,000 per year for 3 years 30 to 50 hours
Modest-sized proposal to DOE or NSF
$50,000 per year for 3 years 120 to 150 hours
Large-scale proposal $1 million to $5 million or more 500 person hours of writing and lots of personal contact time with funding agency
1. Statement of Need
• Who is affected by the problem?
• What factors contribute to the existence of the problem?
• What can be done to ameliorate the problem based on known factors?
• What your institution is currently doing to address the problem and what remains to be done?
1. Statement of Need
• Who is affected by the problem?
• What factors contribute to the existence of the problem?
• What can be done to ameliorate the problem based on known factors?
• What your institution is currently doing to address the problem and what remains to be done?
• Align need with the particular grant opportunity and funder’s vision
• Use data to support and illustrate your needs statement
• Identify the factors contributing to the problem
• Discuss methods for solving these causal factors
• Assess how other groups are addressing the problem
• Why your organization merits the award
Statement of Need
• Discuss needs in context of past,
present, and future efforts of your institution
• Double-check to be sure your data is: Reliable Accurate Current Specific Compelling
A good grant will:• Succinctly describe how it is specifically
addressing what may be a national, state, city or institutional problem.
• Enable the reader to learn more about the issues.
• Present the facts and evidence that support the
need for the project and establish that your institution understands the problems and can reasonably address them.
GOALS
• A goal may be defined as a general, overarching statement involving a desired long-term outcome.
OBJECTIVES
• An objective is generally defined in specific, measurable terms; and is related to the goal.
2. Goals and Objectives
Goals and Objectives
With competition for dollars so great, well articulated objectives are increasingly critical
Four Types of Objectives
1. Behavioral – A human action is anticipated
2. Performance – A specific timeframe within which a behavior will occur, at an expected proficiency level, is expected
3. Process – The manner in which something occurs is an end in itself
4. Product – A tangible item results
Goals and Objectives
Objectives answer these questions:
– (Who) – Identify the target group involved
– (What) – Describe the product to be produced or the effect to be achieved, or define the service or program to be implemented
– (When) – State the timeframe for completion
– (Under What Conditions) – Outline the means by which the objective will be achieved
– (How Measured) – Explain means of assessing achievement
Goals and Objectives
Well-written objectives:
– Align with focus, needs, goals, scoring rubric, and guidelines used to evaluate the proposal
– Use active verbs and parallel structure
– Are reasonable and appropriate
– Can be achieved in a limited amount of time
– Can be measured
– Are specific, detailing the amount of frequency
– Are emphasized visually within the text
Incorporate research into your proposal in three main ways:
1. To frame the need you are addressing in your proposed project
2. To support your intervention’s quality
3. To measure your intervention’s effectiveness
3. Current Research / Use of Data
• Use of achievement data
• Use of demographic data
• Gather the most accurate information available
• Verify that you are analyzing the data correctly
• Avoid statistics that do not support your claim
Demonstrating Need
3. Current Research / Use of Data
• Gather information on past effectiveness of similar interventions
• Summarize your record of successful implementations
• Cite research and honors
• Obtain data from districts
• Include published studies
Supporting Quality3. Current Research / Use of Data
4. Project Design and Use of Logic Model
• Theoretic considerations or a conceptual base
• Use of current research knowledge
• Explanations of how activities contribute to success
• Personnel deployment plan to achieve objectives
Project Design and Use of Logic Model
• Management plan to organize and operate
project in an efficient and effective manner
• Plan to guide formative and summative process and evaluation
• Clear picture for disseminating project results
Project Design and Use of Logic Model
1. How – What will occur from beginning to end? Methods should match objectives.
• Logical sequence to relevant method• Match magnitude• Appear do-able
Project Design and Use of Logic Model
2. When – Shows the order and timing for various tasks. Includes a time table or time line.
3. Why – Defend your chosen methods• Examples of other projects that work• Expert research and testimony
What does a Logic Model look like?
Evaluation
Feedback LoopInputs
ActivitiesOutputs
Short-term Outcomes
Intermediate Outcomes
Long-term Outcomes
---------------- -------------------------
Contextual Conditions
• Resources/Inputs – human, community, and organizational considerations
• Project Activities – interventions designed to bring
about defined changes
• Outputs – direct products of project activities
• Outcomes – specific changes in participants knowledge, skills, and other elements which occur as a result of your project
• Impact – basic changes that occur as a result of the project
Logic Model
Outputs OutcomesActivities or Services
Resources or Inputs
Resources available to run your program & particular needs to be addressed
IF you have access to them, THEN you can accomplish your activities
IF you have accomplished your activities,THEN you will have delivered the services as planned
Impact
IF you have achievedthe outcomes, THEN these basic changes will occur
IF you have delivered the services as planned, THEN there will be benefits to your school/ district
The Logic Model: A Series of “If-Then” Statements
5. Management Plan
• Define your management plan
• Identify key personnel - Include volunteers, consultants, and paid staff
• Outline qualifications and responsibilities
• Align with district structure and operational procedures
6. Evaluation
• Measure progress toward achievement of objectives
• Improve program implementation
• Provide accountability information to stakeholders
• Increase community / institutional support
• Inform policy decisions
Evaluation
• Provides information throughout the project
• Integral part of actual implementation
• Surveys, observations, portfolios, journals, discussions, recordings
• Designed to improve not prove performance
Formative Process Summative Process• Concentrates on
program improvement
• Accomplishment of the goals, needs, objectives
• Raised standards
• Can use data from all other measurements
• Takes place at end of cycle
7. SUSTAINABILITY
• References to goals, objectives, and activities that may be dropped or retained and why
• How staffing and management will change
• Integration into standard operations
SUSTAINABILITY
• Lists of current and prospective funders
• Contribute to future self-sufficiency
• Expand services that might be revenue generating
• Make institution attractive to other funding sources in the future
SUSTAINABILITY
• If funds are used to:
Train staff to provide turn-around training
Produce instructional materials
Test new strategies and services
Train staff to do jobs differently
Then …..
Continue to use skills beyond funding period
Use new materials within regular program
Model new strategies at a visitation site Continue process without the need for
additional funding
8. Budget• Salaries• Employee
benefits• Travel• Equipment
(Capital outlay)• Materials and
Supplies
• Consultants• Subcontractors• Other funding
sources• In-kind contributions• Administrative costs
(Indirect costs)
Budget
• Make sure budget is consistent with proposed activities
• Identify the percentage of time each individual will spend on project and prorate costs
• Include inflation and salary increases in multi-year budgets
• Keep costs reasonable for the market
• Keep a record of how you calculate the projected figures
• Triple check all figures
Budget
BudgetBudget Narrative
• Not always required by funders
• Footnotes to explain major costs and unusual items
• Variations in multiyear budgets
Restrictions
• Activities the grant will not fund
• Fundable expenditures
• Individual grantees
are commonly
excluded
9. Well Written and Designed
Clear
Concise
Cogent
Compelling
Correct
The Grant Development Process
Recruit a team to support your idea
Build a plan to meet the goal
RESEARCHWrite the proposal
Review the proposal
Rewrite the proposal
Submit the proposal
Identify potential grant
sources
Identify your desired goal/change
Well Written and Designed
1. Writing is not succinct or intelligible
2. Estimated costs are inaccurate, incorrect, or inflated
3. Contains typographical and grammatical errors
4. Budget does not match the narrative
5. Objectives are vague and open to interpretation
Grant Writing Mistakes
Well Written and DesignedGrant Writing Mistakes
6. Proposal was hastily assembled
7. Proposal failed to examine current research and reform efforts
8. Proposal is filled with jargon and acronyms
9. Writers ignored instructions
10.Proposal does not match the priorities of the funding source
FUNDING RESOURCES
AVAILABLE FROMTEXAS INSTRUMENTS
education.ti.com/grants
• US Funding Opportunities• Funds available in Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia
• Guide to Winning Small Grants from Community Sources
• Grant Writing Guide for Large Scale Grants• Grant Writing Resources – Links to websites and
books with advice
EXAMPLES OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
Toshiba America Foundation accepts Grade 6–12 applications for $5,000 or less on a rolling basis and
requests for more than $5,000 on 2/01 and 8/01.
www.toshiba.com/taf/
• The Wells Fargo Foundation supports programs that promote academic achievement for low and moderate-
income students and/or eliminate the achievement gap in public education through curriculum-based or school-
sponsored programs
www.wellsfargo.com/donations
EXAMPLES OF GRANT FUNDING RESOURCES
NEA Foundation Sponsored GrantsLearning & Leadership Grants
www.nfie.org
Grants offered to groups to fund collegial study, including study groups, action research, lesson study, or mentoring experiences for faculty or staff new to an assignment.
All professional development must improve practice, curriculum, and student achievement.
Decisions regarding the content of the professional growth activities must be based upon an assessment of student work undertaken with colleagues, and must be integrated into the institutional planning process.
Grant funds may be used for fees, travel expenses, books, or other materials that enable applicants to learn subject matter, instructional approaches, and skills.
Recipients are expected to exercise professional leadership by sharing their new learning with their colleagues.
Amount: The grant amount is $5,000
Applications may be submitted at any time.
Applications are reviewed three times per year, every year.
Application Date:RECEIVED by Feb 1 NOTIFICATION by Apr 15 RECEIVED by June 1 NOTIFICATION by Sept 15RECEIVED by Oct 15 NOTIFICATION by Jan 15
Major Steps in the Grant Writing Process
• Identify a problem• Conduct a needs
assessment• Establish outcomes• Conduct research• Write a concept paper• Identify partners• Get organization
approval• Identify funding sources
• Carefully read the RFP• Research the grantor• Align project to RFP• Attend technical
meetings• Write the proposal• Get letters of
commitment• Internal reviews of
proposal• Final approval of
organization
Submit your proposal
QUESTIONS….
T
THANK YOU !!!
CLARA TOLBERT [email protected]
LOUISE CHAPMAN [email protected]
DORIS TEAGUE [email protected]
