Diana Bowman National Center for Homeless Education DEVELOPING STRONG GRANT PROPOSALS AN OVERVIEW FOR BEGINNERS NAEHCY 2013
Dec 15, 2015
Diana BowmanNational Center for Homeless
Education
DEVELOPING STRONG GRANT PROPOSALSAN OVERVIEW FOR
BEGINNERS
NAEHCY 2013
Slide 2
QUESTIONS WE’LL ADDRESS
1. What is a grant?
2. How do you select a grant to apply for?
3. How do you review a request for proposals?
4. How do you develop a strong proposal?
5. How do you become an successful grant writer?
Slide 3
WHAT IS A GRANT?
Funder
Funder’s idea or priorities: Purpose or vision for how the funder wants the money spent
Entities eligible to apply
Requirements the recipient must meet (contractual relationship)
The funder calls the shots!
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WHAT IS A GRANT? (CONT.)
Requirements
Application
Timeline
Allowable expenses
Reporting and evaluation
Usually competitive
WHAT IS A GRANT? (CONT.)
Grant You write to the funder’s idea
The proposal is what sells
Not as much relationship building
You follow the funder’s requirements
Your job is to convince the funder that
you will bring his/her vision to reality
you will be a good steward of the money
your idea is the best idea among other applications
Philanthropy You have an idea (need)
that you want a funder to support
More awareness needed
Relationship sells
Personal approach
More face-to-face
Funds often have fewer requirements
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HOW DO YOU FIND GRANT
OPPORTUNITIES?
Online – research education grants from chains (Target, Wal-Mart, Office Depot) and from local businesses and foundations
Read the local newspaper for where organizations are getting funding
Look for “sponsor” information for events
Slide 7
HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU SHOULD
APPLY? What is the purpose of the grant?
Will the grant meet a need of my program?
Are you (your organization) eligible to apply?
How many grants do they award?
What have they funded in the past?
Do I have time and support to complete the application?
Slide 8
HOW TO DETERMINE IF YOU SHOULD
APPLY?
Consider cost-benefit analysis: what are the chances of winning if I put in the time and effort on an application?
Consider: is there a good intersection between the funder’s idea and my program’s need?
Don’t force fit your need into the grant purpose (mission creep)
Slide 9
UNDERSTANDING THE APPLICATION
What are the requirements?
Deadline for submission
Page/word limit, spacing
Allowable expenses (salaries, indirect, equipment, office support, transportation)
If in doubt, ask
Slide 11
REVIEWERS
Their job is to get through a lot of applications is a short amount of time
Initial screening for one missed instruction usually means that your proposal will be rejected
Tip: Make a checklist of allrequirements; provide to yourinternal reviewers.
Slide 12
DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL
Clear, EROR-FREE, succinct writing Make it readable, don’t try to save space with a smaller font or dense text.
Provide all the information requested
Don’t make reviewers dig for information
Logical order (reflected in the rfp)
Section headers
No unexplained abbreviations or jargon
Slide 13
DEVELOPING THE PROPOSAL
Use good judgment for what you need to create awareness and keeping the application tight
Use data
Use charts, graphs, flow charts, and visuals that communicate a lot of information quickly
Slide 14
SIZZLE AND SPARK
It’s all about persuasion:
You bring energy and creativity that will make the funder look good.
Your outcomes are the funder’s outcomes; your agency is committed and excited about achieving them.
Your program is well-conceived, doable, and will achieve the expected results.
Your staff has excellent qualifications and
will get the job done efficiently and effectively. The funds will be managed carefully and used
wisely.
Slide 15
RED FLAG PHRASES
“We will make every effort to …”
“Research has proven that …”
“We will collaborate with …”
“We hope that …”
“TBD”
Slide 16
LOGIC AND ALIGNMENT OF IDEAS
Your proposal must be logical and explicit.
“I think you should be more explicit here in step two.”
ALIGNMENT OF ALL PARTS
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Funder Priorities Need
Goals/Objectives
Activities
Results Budget
Logic Model Thinking
Homeless parents don't Mjhave books, supplies, and Mj
resources to help their Mjchildren Mj
100% of homeless parents Mjwill have an understanding of Mj
what their child is studying Mjand how to help with school Mj
work Mj
Develop a educational Mjsupply needs Mj
assessment form for Mjhomeless parents Mj
100% of homeless parents Mjhave access to general Mj
educational supplies and Mjresources for their children Mj
100% of homeless students Mjwho have special educational Mjprojects to work on outside of Mj
school will have sufficient Mjmaterials to complete them Mj
Create a educational Mjsupply closet for Mj
homeless and needy Mjfamilies Mj
Conduct a school Mjsupply drive with local Mj
churches and civic Mjorganizations Mj
Develop abbreviated Mjcurriculum guides for Mj
each grade with tips for Mjparents Mj
Inform teachers of Mjavailable resources for Mj
special projects for Mjhomeless and needy Mj
students Mj
Hire a part time tutor to Mjprovide after school Mjhomework help for Mjhomeless students Mj
Need Mj Objectives Mj Activities Mj
For information on logic models, download the Logic Model Development Guide from W.K. Kellogg Foundation, www.wkkf.org
Apply “if-then” test to all components of the proposal
Slide 19
ARTICULATING THE NEED
Problem statement that relates to funder priorities Based on data, not rhetoric – focus on local data Visual and understandable (tables, graphs, charts) Include only what’s most important; avoid “data
overload” Show the gap between “what is” & “what should be” Provide context Describe challenges, but be positive about potential Only discuss needs that your project will actually do
something to address
Slide 20
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
Results that beneficiaries will exhibit, not activities that the project will carry out
Clearly connected to the needs – by meeting its objectives, the project will reduce the gap described between “what is” and “what should be”
Concrete, realistic, achievable
Can be measured credibly and reliably
Slide 21
IDENTIFY THE APPROPRIATE
OBJECTIVE STATEMENT(S)
Objective 1: Set up three computers with reading and math tutoring software at the Pathways Shelter for middle school students.
Objective 2: Ninety percent of the middle school students who participate will demon-strate at least a five-point increase in reading and mathematics achievement.
Objective 3: Get reluctant learners excited about mathematics.
Slide 22
PROJECT ACTIVITIES
Focus on obtaining the results stated in the project objectives
Specific plan – who, what, when, where. Can the funder tell how the money will be used?
Project management, personnel, and partners. Does the project have the capacity (experience, expertise, time commitment) to execute its plan?
Slide 23
BUDGET
Itemized, detailed budget (including explana-tion of how calculated figures were obtained)
All budget items are explicitly connected to project activities
All expenses are allowable in the funding guidelines
Costs are reasonable; no “padding”
Include and explain any other support for the project (in-kind or matching funds)
Slide 24
PROJECT EVALUATION
How will you know if your activities are having the desired results?
Directly linked to project objectives – evaluation is the measurement of the results listed in the objectives.
Describe what data will be collected, when, and who will do it.
What data will be used to keep the project on-track (formative evaluation)?
Slide 25
HOW TO BECOME AN EFFECTIVE GRANT
WRITER Write proposals – work with experienced
grant writers when possible
Take a grantwriting workshop (look into free offerings); explore online resources
When not accepted, ask to see reviewer comments
Volunteer to review proposals
Cultivate your “cranky reviewer” alter ego to review your own proposals
Slide 26
YOUR PROPOSAL’S JOB IS TO ASSURE THE FUNDER THAT:
You understand their interests and priorities
Their money will meet a real need related to their interests and priorities
You are experienced, credible, and can do what you say you’ll do
You have a clear focus on results; they will get “bang for their bucks”
You are fiscally responsible; their money will be spent well
Slide 27
PRESENTER INFO
Diana Bowman, Director
National Center for Homeless Education
336-315-7453
www.serve.org/nche