Tina M. Farrenkopf GRANT WRITING WORKSHOP Copyright 2011 – All rights reserved by author.

Tina M. Farrenkopf

GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPGRANT WRITING WORKSHOP

Copyright 2011 – All rights reserved by author.

Overview

GRANT WRITING ESSENTIALS

To gain an understanding of the grant writing process.

To learn how to evaluate a grant notice (Request for Proposal).

To become familiar with the essential elements of a proposal.

To recognize common pitfalls in grant writing.

Grants – Who Can Apply?

Generally organizations, rarely individuals

Institutions of higher educationTribal governments7871’sNon-profitsFaith-based organizationsSchools

Federal Grants vs. Private SourcesAdvantages

Purpose set by legislation Tend to be larger awards Likely to pay all project

costs Set formats for proposals Usually offer some

technical assistance Funds available to a

wider range of organizations

Disadvantages

More bureaucratic Complex proposal

requirements Complex compliance

requirements Difficult to sell new ideas

or high risk approaches Affected by political

trends

Federal Grants: Speaking of Bureaucracy… RegistrationOrganizations must be registered to apply for

federal grants.

Must obtain a DUNS Number – same day. Many organizations already have one, double check first.

Register with Central Contractor Registration (CCR). Can take 1 day to two weeks, depending on whether you have EIN or TIN.

Federal Grants: Speaking of Bureaucracy… Registration

For detailed assistance, go to:

http://grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp

The registration process can take between three to five business ays or as long as four weeks if all steps are not completed in a timely manner.

Start now!

There’s more to it than you think…

1. Initial Preparation2. Searching for Opportunities3. Deciding to Proceed4. Writing the Grant5. Submission and Review6. After the Award

Initial Preparation

You must know who YOU are first!

Who do you serve? What is your mission? How are you organized? What is your experience? Where is your capacity? What is your plan? What are your needs?

Needs AssessmentAssess your organization’s strengths

and talents.

What do you do well? What resources can you tap? What do you want to accomplish? What are your goals, long-term and

short-term, for addressing your community’s needs?

Needs AssessmentCan you/should you partner with another

organization or department?

Have you involved all the important players?

Is the community supportive? Involved?

Memorandum of Agreement/Understanding?

Don’t take on more than you can realistically handle!

Searching for Federal Grant Opportunities

CFDA.gov This online catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance lists all of the funding opportunities available for the public.

https://www.cfda.gov/downloads/CFDA_2012.pdf

CFDA - example

Searching for Federal Grant OpportunitiesGrants.gov A single access point over 1,000

grants programs offered by 26 federal agencies, as well as some state and local governments.

http//:www.grants.gov

Grants.gov

Grants.gov

Subscribe and get notices emailed to you!

Grant Opportunities: Other SourcesFederal Register: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/

National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women http://new.vawnet.org/grants-funding/

Dept. of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/ovwgrantprograms.htm

Many more out there, check agency websites!

Searching for Private Funders – ExamplesWebsites:http://foundationcenter.org/findfunders/

$ubscription $ervices:http://www.grantstation.com/

Foundations:Avon: http://www.avoncompany.com/women/speakout/index.htmlAllstate: http://www.clicktoempower.org/grants-and-services.aspx

Non-profits:http://www.firstnations.org

Deciding to Proceed

Notice of Funding Availability

Agency publishes funding notice in Federal Register

Accessible via the Web (www.grants.gov) Grant Application Notice contains ALL vital

information Establishes funding priorities and focus

Deciding to Proceed

What issues/problems are you addressing? Are they a match with the Grant Notice? What are the current needs of your community? Would this project stay within your mission or vision? Does your organization have the expertise and

skills to implement the project? Do you have the organizational capacity/experience to implement the project?

Writing the Grant ProposalTip: Before you start, compile a checklist of requirements and other items. A checklist is sometimes provided.

Length/format restrictions Deadlines for submission (postmark date or received date) Proposal requirements:

Required forms, assurances Authorizations/resolutions

Job Descriptions/Resumes

Organizational Charts

Logic Models

Writing the Grant Proposal Letters of Support/Commitment

MOUs

IDC Rate Agreements/Audit Reports

IRS Status Documentation Register if you haven’t with CCR or locate login info Required conference calls or TA meetings, if any Your proposal writing timeline Submission requirements

How many copies required or is it submitted online? What electronic formats? How are attachments submitted?

Writing the Grant Proposal

Common Proposal Elements

1. Statement of the Problem/Needs Statement

2. Work Plan/Implementation and Design

3. Evaluation/Outcomes and Impact

4. Capacity/Capability

5. Budget and Budget Justification

6. Attachments

Writing the Grant ProposalOften the grant elements (selection criteria) are weighted. Use the weights to determine where to focus your efforts.

Statement of the Problem (20 points)Implementation and Design (30 points)Outcomes and Impact (25 points)Capacity/Capability (15 points)Budget and Budget Justification (10 points)

E.g. For a 20 page program narrative, statement of the problem should be roughly 4 pages (20 pages X 20%) If the budget is not included in the narrative page count, adjust accordingly.

Writing the Grant Proposal

Use the Selection Criteria as your Narrative Outline. Follow the same order.

Address every sentence in the order provided.

If not applicable to your tribe or organization, explain why.

Statement of the Problem/Needs Statement

Bureau of Justice Statistics: http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/index.cfmVAWnet: http://new.vawnet.org/category/index_pages.php?category_id=476

Represents the reason behind the proposal:

Why does the community or organization need the funds?

Statements should be problem focused! What specific conditions would you like to

change? Provides data to support problem or need.

EXERCISE: Statement of Need

Answer the following for YOUR project:

Who is affected by the problem? Describe the “target population” and circumstances.

What problem(s)are you going to address? What specific conditions would you like to change? How will making those changes make things better?

(Rationale) Provide data to support problem or need. Where

will you get the data? What kinds of data can you get to support your “need/problem”?

Workplan/Implementation and DesignThe roadmap of your project.

Describes your Program, identifies overall goals and objectives. May include rationale for selecting the approach taken. Tie your goals and objectives directly to your need statement.

How you plan to reach your objectives.What activities you plan to do

Who will be doing the activities

How you will document and measure

the impact of your activities

When the activities will be completed.

What is a Goal?

The ultimate, overall purpose(s) of the project. Can be ambitious, but must be realistic.

Unrealistic Goal: To end domestic violence.

Realistic Goal: To assist women leaving domestic violence situations.

Realistic Goal: To educate young women about domestic violence.Realistic Goal: To financially empower DV survivors.

Usually just a few goals. People often confuse goals and objectives… Goals are

desired outcomes not actual outcomes.

EXERCISE: What is YOUR Goal?

5 minutes

Be realistic!

What is an Objective?Three types:

1. Process – short-term, what you will do to implement the program. By 07/31/2010, staff from our organization will train two community members to become certified financial educators.

2. Impact – short-term, stated in terms of change in the target population (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, or behaviors). By 07/31/2010, 75% of participants of the financial literacy classes will have increased their personal savings by 30%.

3. Outcome – Longer term, refers to overall outcome of the program (what will change). By 12/31/2012, foreclosures among tribal homeowners in our tri-county service area will be reduced to less than 10%.

What is an Objective?

Objectives are SMART!

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Timely

Keep it simple: By (when), (who), (where), will do (what) by (how much).

EXERCISE: 3 Objectives for Each GoalImpact, process and outcome.

Keep them simple:

By (when), (who), (where), will do (what) by (how much).

Activities (tasks)

Implementation of the projectDetailed, logical and concise Describes how each objective will be

achieved.

The Activities description is a key part of the grant proposal. For each objective, the activity will describe who, what, when, why, how, and/or how many. Each should be reflected later in the budget.

EXERCISE: Activities

List 2-3 Activities for Each Objective

For each objective, the activity will describe who, what, when, why, how, and/or how many. Each should be reflected later in the budget.

Timelines

Timelines are often required elements of Federal grant applications.

A summary of the project/program with goals, objectives and related activities, that

identify who is responsible for each, and indicate start and end dates.

They can be in a table format or in text format.

They provide a means to measure implementation progress.

Timelines

Timelines

Winter 2011*Continue organizing and host Agricultural Education Conference.*Offer Spring semester of ASAP to tribal high school students.*Continue Plant-a-Seed fieldtrip for tribal elementary and middle school students.*Analyze Food Security Assessment with CFSCJC and the Community Food Advisory Committee. * Plan strategy for reducing food insecurity on the reservation.

Summer 2011*Offer Summer ASAP course to tribal high school students*Continue Plant-a-Seed collaboration with the Boys and Girls Club summer program.*Hire and implement 2nd year of ‘Youth Entrepreneurial Business.’*Offer community garden plots to tribal low-income residents.*Again offer a sliding-scale CSA to 50 residents

EXERCISE: TimelinesGoal #/Objective # Responsible

Party(ies)1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

Evaluation/Outcomes and Impact

Planning for evaluation is an important part of any program/project. Evaluation planning should be done before the program/project begins.

The process used for evaluation should be determined largely by the program/project objectives and the intended outcomes.

Sometimes the Feds require a third party evaluation. Budget for it, if so.

Evaluation/Outcomes and ImpactWhat is evaluation?

It’s the process of reviewing organizational programs to determine the outcome of a service, product, or group of services provided to a target group, community, or client.

Evaluation is also a tool to be used to gauge progress and provide insight into needed change and revision.

Evaluation/Outcomes and ImpactWhy evaluate?

1. Enables us to look back at the goals of our organization to ensure we are on track with our mission and objectives.

1. Enables us to learn, confirm, and improve on the services and products we provide to our participants, community, and customers.

1. Helps us improve on program processes - how we interact with participants, deliver services, process information, etc. in a manner that is cost efficient and effective.

Evaluation/Outcomes and Impact3 Types of Evaluation

1. Process – provides documentation during program implementation to make adjustments for improvement of the program.

2. Impact – immediate observable effects of a program. Measures awareness, knowledge, attitudes, skills, behaviors.

3. Outcome – Determines whether the program met the stated goals and objectives. Did the program make a change in your targeted population?

Objectives and evaluation should match!

Evaluation/Outcomes and ImpactData Collection Methods

Surveys (of participants, staff, community, etc.)

Personal interviews (with participants, staff, community, etc.)

Skills testing/skills demonstration (pre and post)

Comparison of program participants to similar group that did not complete program (control).

Evaluation/Outcomes and ImpactProvide a description of your evaluation

plan:

What type of data will be collected? Who will collect data? How will it be analyzed? How often will data be collected and analyzed? How will the analyzed data be used and by whom? Who will prepare and submit required reports?

EXERCISE: Evaluation/Outcomes and ImpactFor each objective you wrote earlier:

What type of data will be collected? Who will collect data? How will it be analyzed? How often will data be collected and analyzed?Then tell the reader:How will the analyzed data be used and by whom? Who will prepare and submit required reports?

Capacity/Capability Not just a matter of attaching resumes and job

descriptions! You must describe your organization’s management structure, staffing, and in-house or contracted capacity to complete each of the proposed tasks/projects.

Describe the roles and responsibilities and qualifications of co-applicants and partners, if applicable. Give examples, illustrate experience.

Demonstrate fiscal competence.

e.g. policies in place, GAAP

Provide examples of your expertise and experience with similar projects!

Sustainability

Be prepared to address this issue in some part of the narrative. Often in the Implementation Section.

How will the project activities be continued and supported after the grant period ends?

Grant Writing Efforts Fund-raising Income (entrepreneurial programs) Support by the grantee or partner(s)

Budget and Budget Justification

The Feds are very picky about budgets.

Budget and justification (budget narrative) must be complete, allowable, and cost effective in relation to the proposed activities.

Breakdown all costs. Costs must be related to grant activities. No surprises!

Provide a narrative that links costs to grant activities. NO surprises!

Budget and Budget JustificationProvide a budget summary that matches the

line items on the Federal SF-424 budget attachment.

The budget justification or narrative breaks down those line items in detail and explains what they are for and how related to grant activities.

BreakdownsBad

1. Consultant Costs

A consultant will be contracted with to provide financial education training.

Cost: $2400.00

2. Printing

Training Manuals for Workshops.

Cost: $300.00

Good1. Consultant Costs

A consultant will be contracted with to provide financial education training at each of the three 2- day DV financial empowerment workshops.

Cost: 3 workshops x 2 days x $400 daily consultant = $2400.00

2. Printing Costs

Training manuals will be printed and provided to participants at each of the 3 DV financial empowerment workshops.

Cost: 10 participants x 3 workshops x $10 per manual = $300.00

Common$ense for Spending Grant Dollars

Spending Plan Shop Well Supplement, not supplant

EXERCISE: Budget

Provide an example for each of these common line items for your grant and write out a justification.

Salary and FringeConsultantsTravelSuppliesOther

Attachments

Submit all required attachments and forms.

Review your checklist to make sure you have them all.

Plan enough time to get them completed, especially if outside parties are involved.

e.g. letters of support, resolutions.

Submission and Review

Submit grant on time and in correct format.

Understand that “people” read these.

Non-compliant grant proposals lose points.

Reviewers don’t always look for required information, so follow format as suggested for selection criteria. Scoring follows criteria closely.

Common Pitfalls

1. Waiting until the last minute to write the grant.

2. Failing to register.

3. Not following page (weighting) recommendations.

4. No community involvement or buy-in demonstrated.

5. Projects scope is too narrow.

6. Waiting until the last minute to submit the grant on GMS or to mail it.

After the Award

If awarded, you will receive a grant award notice and a letter telling you how to accept your award.

Follow all requirements.

Keep copies and originals of all award correspondence. If finance keeps originals, get copies!

Conclusion

Questions?

Thank you!