10 Grant Writing Tips

COMPONENTS OF A PROPOSAL

Most grantors expect to see the following eight components in grant proposals:

Summary:  Very briefly summarize the project for which you are requesting funding.  You should be able to describe your project in just 3-4 sentences.

Introduction:  Use this section to tell a little about your organization - what qualifications do you have to administer the program/funds for which you are asking?

Statement of Need:  Use facts to describe the needs your organization has that the proposed project will address.

Objectives:  Describe the major ways the project is expected to impact your goals and the organization's needs.  Objectives should be stated in measurable terms.

Methods:  How are you going to accomplish the objectives of the program?

Evaluation:  What quantifiable methods will you have in place to monitor the success of your program?  [On-going monitoring of the program is required to determine that objectives are being achieved. Frequent self-evaluations enable timely corrections and adjustments if parts of the program are proving to be ineffective.]

Future Funding:  How will your organization continue this program when the grant ends?

Budget:  Clearly delineate costs borne by the grant.  Be as accurate as possible.

WRITING LETTERS OF INQUIRY 

Many foundations require a letter of inquiry before accepting full proposals from applicants.  This allows foundations to easily choose projects about which that they wish to learn more.  It saves schools the time it takes to complete a full proposal that no one reads.  But, what should you include in a letter of inquiry?

Before submitting a letter of inquiry (or, certainly, a full proposal), be sure your project meets the foundation's guidelines and initiatives.  If the foundation does not provide specific instructions for a letter of inquiry, the following format has been recommended:

• Name and address of the legal grant recipient organization;
• Contact person(s) and title(s).  Include telephone and fax numbers, as well as e-mail address!;
• A summary of your organization's mission;
• The size of this year's operating budget;
• A description of your proposed project.  Make sure this is closely related to the foundation's giving initiatives!!;
• A summary of your project goals, objectives, and measurable outcomes. Again, these should be closely tied to the foundation's guidelines!;
• A list of the key individuals responsible for the project;
• If applicable, a list and brief description of project partners;
• The time frame for the proposed project;
• A brief description of funds requested and a description of how they'll be used; and
• A statement regarding any prior funding you've received from the foundation.

All of the above should be included in a letter to the foundation that does not exceed 3 pages, plus any required attachments.  Required attachments typically include a project budget, a year-to-date financial statement, and a copy of your IRS tax-exemption letter.

Ken Ristine's Hints for Letters of Inquiry

As a funder who asks for letters such as you cite, here is what we want regarding a budget.

First, remember that the goal of the letter is to sell the foundation on taking your project to the next step in their funding process.  The focus of your letter is to talk about what you are trying to accomplish and why.  The reason we ask for a letter rather than some sort of application form or a
full proposal is that 1) application forms are very poor media for telling your story to educate and convince people of the importance of the needs/situation you want to address and for your project in particular, and 2) your letter, ideally, summarizes a full proposal that you have written and that is available for you to use as reference if the letter prompts us to go to the next step in our process.

Second, if your letter is telling a compelling story, then as we come to the end of your letter, we (funders) are asking ourselves: "How much is this going to cost?" Answering that question is the entire purpose of your budget.

Again, since the letter is a summary of a full proposal, we are not looking for details.  I specifically look for 1) the total amount/cost, 2) the broad brush look at where you plan to raise the money (i.e., foundations, individual giving, government, investment of organization reserves), and 3) how much are you asking of this foundation? All of these are subject, of course, to a general review of common sense.

Third, depending upon the kind of project you are working with you may also need to anticipate a foundation asking you, "How are you going to support this effort in the long term?"  For a capital project this might mean defending how you will support the operating costs of a new facility...especially if it is a larger facility.  Sometimes, the long term operating costs may be less that your current costs, say if you are currently renting a lot of space that you can consolidate into your new facility.

If you are starting a new program, funders always want to know how you plan to support the project after the term of their grant.  Given all the opportunities we have, we tend to favor projects that tie into some identifiable funding stream. So often your need for grant money is not only to cover the costs of direct services during a startup...but also for those things that may be needed to develop an ongoing funding base. This is critical to your budget planning.  If you claim you will support a new program through an expanded donor base that you will develop over the two or three year startup...then you budget ought to have some specific expenditures for building that donor base.

(Thanks, Ken, for permission to use your posted response to a query on the GRANTS listserv!  Your knowledge and sharing are much appreciated!)

Plain Language Writing Skills

When applying for funds, it is important to remember that the readers of your proposal may not be educators. This is especially true for applications sent to corporations and many foundations. What does this mean? It means you must use clear, precise language that does not rely on "edu-talk". Acronyms should not be used unless they have defined. Terms specific to education must be explained. Specific programs with which those in education may be very familiar may, and probably will, mean nothing to those outside the education arena. Using terms that are unfamiliar to those offering funds will likely get your proposal tossed out because they will not understand your need for funds.

PlainTrain offers a free Plain Language Online Training Program that provides helpful tips and techniques for improving your communication skills with the use of plain language. In short, "Plain language matches the needs of the reader with your needs as a writer, resulting in effective and efficient communication. It is effective because the reader can understand the message. It is efficient because the reader can read and understand the message the first time." It is not difficult to see how effective and efficient proposals are more likely to be successful. 

Before submitting your application to any grantor, have a colleague read it. The less knowledgeable the reader is about your subject, the better. There are several advantages to this approach. First, if, after having read your proposal, your reader understands what your project entails, the grantor is likely to also comprehend the value of your proposed program. A second advantage is that spelling and grammar errors are more likely to be caught by an independent reader. You know what you've written so when you proofread, you may read what you think you wrote rather than what you actually wrote!

GRANT AND PROGRAM PLANNING
©  Sylvie McGee/All For A Good Cause - 1995

Program planning and grant planning are intimately linked. Ideally, grant planning should be only one phase in the whole program development, program implementation, and evaluation cycle. Too often, it is treated as something separate and foreign. The best results in fund development will come when your grant and solicitation strategies are closely intertwined with your goals and program strategies. Build partners - not donors!

Having said that, if you can answer the following questions, you will be well on your way to both solid program development and successful fund development.

• What's the problem we are addressing?  Remember - the problem is not your need - it's the community's need!  Who else is addressing, and what are the gaps in how it is being addressed?

• Gaps can be programmatic, population, time/seasonal, or material. Gaps are the reason that you have a need!  How are we proposing to address the problem?

• Paint a clear and specific picture of your program! Can your prospect see it in action in their mind?  How will things be different/will the problem be solved or improved, when you are done?

• How will you know that you are succeeding? What will you measure in order to understand how you are doing and what needs to change or be adjusted?  What do you need in order to try to solve the problem?

• This must tie to the approach you have described above. It's an opportunity to once again paint a picture of what you will be doing!  What resources do you already have? From whom?

• Don't forget volunteers, donations and in kind services. Show the community participation in your project. Project the image that the funder is joining a winning team, not boarding a sinking boat!  What are the qualifications and experience that make your program the right one to  take on this work?

• History, key accomplishments, qualifications of staff and volunteers, relationships in the community....as they relate to this project. Are there problems or barriers that you can foresee? How will you overcome them?

• We all run into roadblocks when we try something new. Think through what you are going to do carefully. What's likely to trip you up? How can you anticipate these problems? Who will you turn to for help? Recognizing the possibility of problems is the sign of a sophisticated and professional program.

©  Sylvie McGee/All For A Good Cause - 1995
Sylvie works from her home as a grant-writer, program planner and community assessment consultant. Her practice is focused on human services that are trying to build healthy and caring communities for all people. Most of her work has focused on homelessness, HIV/AIDS services, youth and family services, and substance abuse prevention.
Please visit Sylvie's site at http://www.seanet.com/~sylvie/grants.htm  We thank her for her generosity in allowing the use of information posted on her Web site!

NINE SECRETS OF SUCCESSFUL PROPOSALS

The March/April 2000 edition of Foundation News and Commentary features The Inner Secrets of Successful Proposals, an article written by Linda A. Long, a freelance writer. The article gives tips on writing a successful proposal based on information Ms Long gained through conversations with the funders themselves. Read her article by going to http://www.cof.org/foundationnews/0300/secrets.htm. 

Following are some tips to keep in mind during the grant-writing process:

1. Research before beginning! Do not submit a proposal to any foundation or funding agent without first verifying that your project fits within the funder's guidelines. 

2. Read the grant guidelines! Many foundations have detailed guidelines available to grant-writers. These guidelines are made available so that proposals submitted to them will meet their funding initiatives. Applications that carefully follow the published guidelines allow them to easily determine if your project is one that matches their interests.

3. Be concise! Put yourself in the place of the foundation's proposal reader. They receive and must review hundreds of proposals. The more easily and quickly they can determine if your project meets their objectives, the happier they are going to be.

4. Clarity is important! Keep in mind that acronyms and terms specific to your profession may mean nothing - or may mean something different - to the foundation. Write your proposal as if you are communicating with someone who is not an educator and knows nothing about the field.

5. Proofreading is imperative! Have someone who was not involved in the writing process proofread your proposal before it is submitted. Typos, poor grammar, and other errors that are easy for a separate set of eyes to recognize are easy to overlook in your own work. Submitting a proposal with such errors, however, gives the impression that you either don't know better or are willing to submit shoddy work. 

6. Collaboration is vital! Foundations often prefer to fund projects that have the greatest impact for the community and that are non-duplicative in nature.

7. Realistic budgets are a must! Research your budget needs carefully before submitting your proposal. Do not ask for more - or less - than you feasibly need to ensure your project's success.

8. Don't forget the evaluation component! Your proposal should include methods for evaluating the effectiveness of your project. Evaluation is a necessary component of all projects - without it you will not know if your project is progressing as it should.

9. Address project sustainability! Foundations and governmental agencies want to know that, if your project is successful, it will be continued even after their financial support has ended.

MISCELLANEOUS GRANT-WRITING TIPS

Many grantwriters do not thoroughly research the priorities of the grant-making agency prior to writing their applications. This is a formula for almost certain failure.  Applications should be specifically tailored to the foundation and requested projects should fall well within its initiatives, priorities, and guidelines.  Applying for funds from an agency that does not support either your area of interest or your geographical area is a waste of your time and the program officer's time.

Do not overlook small corporations and businesses in your area when seeking grant support.  These companies often have an interest in funding projects that support the community where their employees live.  Always keep the funder informed of your project's progress and impact.

Remember that proposal review is a subjective process.  You should always provide as much information in as clear and concise manner as possible to help the reader understand your agency and your program.  Refrain from using acronyms common to your area of expertise.  Many readers are not going to be familiar with their meaning.

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