Acquiring Public Grants
Planning
Your Proposal | Review,
Package and Mail
Writing the Proposal
What Grant Reviewers
Seek
Before you start writing, consider what Federal grant reviewers are instructed to look for regarding successful proposals. Reviewers read applications primarily to determine how closely the applicant’s proposed program conforms to the specified evaluation criteria including program objectives, whether or not a case is made to demonstrate the community needs, the expected results or benefits, the approach, staff background and organizational experience, and budget appropriateness. In short, reviewers are comparing your application to the RFP or RFA requirements. Organizing your application to match the order of the requirements as they are listed in the RFP or RFA makes it easier for the reviewers to understand your proposal.
These are some of the questions grant reviewers ask:3
- Does the application provide complete responses to the criteria specifically listed in the RFP?
- Are the applicant’s intentions clear and specific rather than obscured by meaningless jargon?
- Do the presented ideas flow logically?
- Are the activities outlined in different sections of the application consistent with each other? For example, does the budget match the program’s approach?
- Are the described activities consistent with current, accepted knowledge and ideas in the field?
- To what extent does the application explain the selected population’s need for assistance? Are the numbers of participants to be served identified?
- Are the project’s objectives measurable? If they are, how will success (or failure) be evaluated?
- How will the skills, experience and education levels of the key staff help to achieve the program’s objectives?
- To what extent does the applicant demonstrate a solid understanding of the costs of the project?
- Are the activities and corresponding budget reasonable, and are sufficient details provided to make that judgment?
- Is a persuasive, realistic case made to approve the proposal?
Neatness and presentation are important. Make sure the body of your proposal is well-organized and easy to follow from one section to the next. Use consistent formatting and section numbering throughout your application. This will make creating your table of contents easier and enhance the readability of your proposal. Follow the guidelines in the RFP or RFA for font size, margins, section numbering and number of pages. Reviewers pay attention to all of these details.
The Program Narrative
Most funders, public or private, look for the same basic elements in proposals: (1) the executive summary; (2) introduction of organization or organization background; (3) the needs assessment (4) project goals and objectives; (5) project methods or program design; (6) project management, (7) project evaluation; (8) future funding; and (9) the budget. However, each RFP will have its own specific instructions for proposals.
Executive Summary: This may be the most important part of the proposal since it is the first page that reviewers see. It is a snapshot of what is to follow. Specifically, it summarizes all of the key information contained in the proposal—the problem you plan to address, the solution you propose and the amount of funding you are seeking. It should be concise, descriptive and persuasive (one to three pages) and should convince the reader to further consider the proposal.
Introduction of the Organization: This section provides the opportunity to establish the credibility of your organization. It should describe your mission, history, track record and successes and establish that your organization’s goals and capacity are consistent with the goals the funding agency is seeking to meet.
Needs Assessment: This section should describe the needs you plan to address from the point of view of your community. It should describe the needs of your target population—not your agency. Needs must be documented with statistical and other evidence and linked to the program strategies you propose and relate to the state or national priorities of the grant program. Remember, Federal agencies are concerned with issues of national importance. Your needs statement should be persuasive and offer a credible argument in support of your program and approach.
Goals and Objectives: Goals are statements that express the change you will produce through your program. Objectives are statements that define how many, who, how much or by what measure and over what period of time the change will take place. Both must be stated in clear and measurable terms and focused on results. Goals and objectives should be clearly related to the goals, objectives and priorities of the Federal program.
Program Design and Methods: The methods section describes the specific activities that will take place to achieve the objectives and enables the reader to visualize the implementation of the project. It should convince the reader your agency knows what it is doing, thereby further establishing its credibility. This section should also describe the activities you plan, your rationale for choosing those activities and why they will work. It may be helpful to research other program models that have been successful with your target population. Cite current literature and best practices to support your program design.
Project Management: Describe your organization’s ability to conduct the program and manage it administratively as well as any information about your experience with similar projects. Cite the qualifications and experience of key staff and consultants and the level of effort to be devoted to the grant (attach job descriptions and resumes of key staff). If you are using consultants, include their scope of work and their resumes. Include timelines and milestones to illustrate how your program will work and what will be accomplished when. Charts and diagrams may be helpful in illustrating your project administration and management plan.
Evaluation: Review the RFP requirements carefully and design your evaluation plan based on them. There are two types of formal evaluation: one measures program outcomes, and the other analyzes the process (either or both might be required for your project). The approach you choose will depend on the nature of your project and its objectives. You will need to describe how data about the program and participants will be collected and explain why those methods are important and good measures of program effectiveness. You will also need to explain who will collect the data and when and how it will be collected. Finally, explain how the evaluation information will be analyzed and reported.
Future Funding: Sometimes called "sustainability," this part of the proposal focuses on what will happen to the program after funding ends. Explain what parts of the program will end and those you will sustain with other funding. Identify other sources of potential support or ways to generate revenue to support the activities. If the program will end when the funding period expires, explain why it will no longer be needed.
The Budget
and Budget Narrative
The budget consists of two parts—the line item budget and the budget narrative. The proposal must demonstrate a clear and strong relationship between the stated objectives, project activities and the budget. The RFP or RFA will describe allowable cost categories for the program budget.
|
|
The line item budget describes the specific categories of program funding (including matching funds) and expenses and their amounts. It also requires both public and non-public sources to be delineated. You will need to complete Standard Form (SF) 424A-Budget Information (available online at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_forms.html. This is the standard, two-page Federal budget form for non-construction projects (a different form is required for construction projects). Its purpose is to summarize and describe the requested financial assistance. Other forms may be required by the agency and by government-wide rules. In contrast, the budget narrative is an explanation and justification of those line items and amounts. The narrative explains what you are going to spend the grant funds on, how you arrived at the amounts for each line item and the purpose of each line item. The budget narrative must be consistent with the line item budget and be arranged in the same order. | ||||||||||||||||||
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-122 addresses issues of costs and budgeting for Federal grants to nonprofit organizations and is available at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants/grants_circulars.html. Understanding the cost principals and allowable costs for grant programs is critical to creating a budget that can be approved. Finally, be sure the requested budget amount is within the allowable range of the grant amounts described in the RFP.
Planning
Your Proposal | Review,
Package and Mail