Basics Of Writing A Grant Proposal

Class #1: The Basics of Grant Writing

Before you start writing your proposal, there are several things that you should consider. The first,
obviously, is the type of assistance that you’re applying for, and the agency to which you intend to
apply. Since those topics are covered in the “How to apply” section, we’ll assume that you’re already
familiar with how to chose a grant and locate a donor agency. Remember, you MUST do the
necessary research and planning before attempting to write your proposal, or in all likelihood your
proposal will be rejected.

You should also keep in mind that there are different kinds of grant requests, so your technique will
vary depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. For our purposes, we’ll break grant requests
down in to the following categories:

Business Loans Example: You want to start a coffee shop. Scholarships Example: You need money
to get a degree. Community Improvement Example: You want to start a shelter for battered women.
Personal Assistance. Example: You need job retraining, or want money to write a book.

While the basics of grant writing remain the same for each of these areas, there are small differences
that we’ll explain to you as we continue on through these classes. For now, it’s only important that
you know what kind of grant you want, and where you intend to get it.

So, assuming that you’ve done your Due Diligence, let’s look at the basic sections of a Grant
Proposal. (Please keep in mind that these are general overviews- it may be that the specific
organization that you’re contacting will require different information.)

Section Two: Summary

Every proposal should begin with a summary briefly outlining the proposal. This instantly allows the
Grant Officer to understand what you’re trying to accomplish. This is by far the most important
section of your proposal. You do not want the Grant Officer to be confused as to your aims and goals,
and you don’t want them trying to figure out the point of your request when they’re reading the inner
material. The Summary tells them what you’re trying to do; the rest of the proposal tells them why
they should help you do it.

IMPORTANT: Most rejected grants fail because of mistakes made on THIS PAGE! If your summary
isn't compelling and convincing, none of the rest of your proposal matters.

• Be brief.
• Be concise.
• Get directly to the point.
• Keep the summary to around 4-5 sentences at most.
• Include a contact name and phone number.

Example:
Education Outreach requests $20,000 for an ongoing Adult Literacy program for illiterate
adults in the New Jersey area. Classes will be presented at ten local libraries, and will
include basic reading and writing skills, along with a support group.
 John Smith
Address
Phone Number/Fax

NOTE:
You may decide to do a Cover Page and/or Title Page for your proposal. These aren’t necessary, but
tend to make your proposal look more professional.

Cover Letter:
Optional. Cover letters are usually very brief, contain little more than a greeting and the same
information covered in the Summary, and should be signed by the highest ranking member of your
organization, if the proposal is being submitted by a group. It should also contain contact information.

Title Page:
Optional. If you include one, limit it to the title of your proposal, your organization’s name and
address, the date you submitted it, and the agency and program to which you are applying.

NOTE:
Be sure to know exactly what type of assistance you’re asking for, be it a scholarship, venture capital,
a research grant, technical assistance, capital improvement, etc. You’re more likely to be approved if
the Grant Officer feels that you know what you’re asking for.

Organization/Personal Information

This is the section of your proposal where you introduce yourself to the donor agency, and try to
convince them that you’re worthy of their time, effort, and money. This section is where you sell
yourself, not your grant request. You should provide a few paragraphs describing yourself or your
group. Keep it brief, direct, and honest.

If you are an individual, tell them who you are, your location, give a bit of background information,
and try to convince them that you’re the type of individual that deserves their aid.

If you’re preparing the grant proposal for an organization, briefly outline the history, goals, and
accomplishments of your group. Outline the activities in which your group engages, outline your
budget and financial history, list your corporate officers and any prominent board members, and
describe your ties to the community.

NOTE: For an organization, list:

• History
• General Purpose
• Goals and objectives as they relate to your grant proposal.
• Accomplishments, especially as they relate to the grant proposal.
• Service areas and population served.

Remember that you’re trying to establish credibility with your potential benefactors. Don’t lie or
exaggerate, as they WILL find out, and then your chances of receiving aid are zero.
It’s good to remember that you may be in competition for other groups/individuals for the same
money. For instance, you might be competing with dozens of other students for a particular
scholarship, or you might be trying to start a youth center in an area where another center is already
receiving funding. Try to establish your personal identity, and why you deserve the grant more than
anyone else. If you work in conjunction with similar organizations to your own, explain the synergy
between your groups.

Proposal Description

We’re finally here: This is where you actually ask for money or assistance. This is the meat and
potatoes of your proposal. If you’re asking for a business loan or a scholarship, it’s where you
describe your needs and convince the donor that you’re worthy of their assistance. If you’re a non-
profit organization, it’s where you convince them that you’re addressing a valid community need.

There’s no real ‘right’ way to construct your proposal, but if you follow these guidelines, your
chances of success will increase dramatically.

Explain why you’re asking for assistance.

If you’re a student, explain why you have special needs, or why you deserve a scholarship. If you’re
an Organization, tell them what you’re trying to do- maybe you’re caring for cancer victims, or
providing wheelchairs for the elderly. Let them know what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it.

Spell everything out.

Don’t assume that the Grant Officer knows what you’re talking about. Grant Officers deal with the big
picture- they may provide research grants, but they probably don’t know why your particular branch
of research is important.

Appeal to their emotions.

Give them a reason to feel empathy for your goals and needs. For example, if you’re applying for a
Police Survivors Grant, feel free to tell them about your relative who was a police officer. If you’re
seeking money for battered women, describe the plight of one of the women you’re trying to help.

Appeal to their business sense.

Nobody wants to waste money. Grant providers want to know that you have a valid, feasible plan for
their cash, and that their money is being well-spent. Provide a clear, brief outline of how much money
you need, and what you need it for. Use specific numbers, not general terms. Write “We will need
$20,000 for the coming fiscal year”, not “We require thousands of dollars to meet our goals.”

Put your proposal in personal terms.

Describe how your proposed Youth Center would benefit your community, or how attending medical
school will allow you to help children in your home town. Don’t write “I want help end world
hunger”, write “There are over 500 homeless families in Monroe County, and we want to make sure
that every disadvantaged child is fed”.

Remember that your proposal is a solution, not a problem.

For instance, let’s say that you want to build a Youth Center. Don’t write “The lack of Youth Centers
is a real problem in our area.” The problem in your area is the problems that teens face: drugs,
pregnancy, and/or alcohol abuse. Your Youth Center is a SOLUTION to these problems. Your
proposal shouldn’t be about your needs, it should be about community needs. Even if you’re applying
for something like a scholarship, you need to remember to phrase your proposal in such a way as to
show the benefits to your State, community, or local area.
Be clear regarding the problem you’re addressing.
If there are other institutions that are addressing the same issue, show how you differ from them.
Show how you address areas that they do not. For example, perhaps there is already a battered
women’s shelter in your area, but it doesn’t have facilities for housing women and children while
abuse cases are being investigated.

Explain how you plan to solve the problem you’ve outlined.

Don’t write “We’re going to feed the hungry.” Write “We’re going to solicit donations from local
grocers and restaurants to provide food that will then be distributed at our shelter by a staff of
volunteers.”

Give them a happy ending.

Explain how your proposal will change things for the better. Tell them how a scholarship will help
you break the cycle of poverty in your family and allow you to give back to the community. Tell them
how your business will grow the economy in your area.

Tell them what you need to accomplish your goals.

Be specific. Tell them exactly what you’re hoping to have financed. If you need cars to deliver food to
the homebound, then tell them, along with the exact amount you expect to spend on cars. Justify every
penny that you’re requesting.

Give them your qualifications.

Explain other projects you’ve done, or relay your academic achievements- give them reasons to
believe that they’re not wasting their money on you.
Be positive! If you don’t believe in your proposal, they won’t either.
Provide a tracking method and timelines/deadlines for your project. Show them that you actually
expect to accomplish your goals, and let them know that you’ll keep them informed of your progress.

If you can, offer them some form of recognition.

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and donors especially like to see their name recognized for their
contributions. You may not be able to recognize a scholarship donor, but if you’re adding a wing to a
hospital, you should certainly offer to name it after a major contributor, or at least provide them with a
plaque or some other method of recognition.

Business Plan

This section of your proposal only applies to small business grants and non-profit proposals. If you're
preparing a scholarship proposal, you won't include this section.

The business plan is where you convince the donor organization that you know what you're doing.
Much as you wouldn't build a house without blueprints, donors won't fund a business or organization
without a business plan. You need to include a detailed list of what needs to be done to complete your
project.

Results

It's important that the donor know that you have an end goal- a goal beyond simply "give me money."
You should include a section that explains what you plan to achieve with their money. It could be as
simple as "If you see fit to honor me with this scholarship, I will complete medical school and become
a Pediatrician, providing quality health care to the children of my community." Or it might be as
complex as a full-run down of the benefits that your Non-Profit organization will provide to your
community and the surrounding areas.

The main thing is that the donor will want to see that you're trying to accomplish something, not just
spending their money. You need to make them feel that they're building for the future. They want to
know that you have long-term goals and objectives, and that the money they spent on your proposal
will continue to generate benefits for years to come.

This section doesn't have to be large- one or two paragraphs will be sufficient - the important thing is
to be clear and direct.

Budget

So far, you've talked about financing in general terms, but in your budget section, you'll get right
down to the nuts and bolts. Here's where you list every item that needs funding, and how you expect to
get the required funds.

In many cases, you'll have more than one source of funding. This is a good thing- donor agencies like
to know that you have multiple funding sources. Break down all your budget needs based on the
source of funding. Here's a short example. Let's say that you're getting funding from Corporation X,
Bank Y, and Investor Z. Your budget might look like this:

Joe's Coffee House 2006 Budget

Items funded by Corporation X

• Year's Lease on property located at (address here): $12,000.

• Initial advertising funds: $5,000.
• Latte Machines: $1,000.
• Cold Cases: $800.
• Inventory: $3,000.

Items funded by Bank Y

• Salaries: $50,000.
• Utilities: $8,000

Items funded by Investor Z

• Signage: $12,000

Note that in a REAL budget proposal, you'd break each of these areas down into finer detail- you'd list
each employee and their salary separately, instead of just listing a single "salary" category. You'd list
each piece of equipment and its price.

Income
You'll also list how much money you think you'll be bringing in- this is called "Sustainability". You'll
show that you're planning on bringing in a profit, or at least not heading for instant bankruptcy. If
you're a small business, show how much income you think you'll reasonably make per week. If you're
a non-profit organization, show your recurring sources of funding, be they other grants, donations, or
government support. If you're a student, show any other sources of income you might have, be it your
parents, a job, or other grants/student loans.
IMPORTANT: Be as complete and accurate as possible. Don't lie or misrepresent. Grant officers are
trained to spot fabrications or inaccuracies, and they'll turn you down in a heartbeat if they think
you're trying to scam them.

Evaluation

Finally, you'll want to wrap up your proposal by telling the donor how you intend to judge the success
of your project. This also let's them know how THEY can judge the success of your project.

Your evaluation could be as simple as this:

"We intend to have the Millcreek Youth Center running and self-sufficient by August of 2006. We
will be generating $5,000 a week in donations and fees, and will provide services for over 12,000
young people in the greater New Jersey area."

Keep your evaluation positive and confident. You want your donor to be excited and willing to
finance you by this point.

Misc.

There are only three possible outcomes to a grant proposal:

Proposal Denied.
For whatever reason, they turned you down. Don't be discouraged- there are still plenty of other
agencies out there. You can even re-apply to the SAME agency if you'd like- go over your proposal,
perhaps with a professional proposal writer, and figure out what went wrong. If you have personal
contacts with the agency that denied you, (Which you should, remember lesson one: get in touch with
them and see if you can determine why you were denied.) These are the typical reasons a grant will be
denied:

• You missed a deadline. We've mentioned this several times, because frankly, there are a lot
of people who just don't bother to make sure they get their papers in on time.
• You were ineligible. The rules governing eligibility are many and varied- you may find out
that the grant you applied for was only available to Native Americans, and you're originally
from Denmark.
• You didn't fill out the forms correctly. Grants live and die by red tape- if you messed up a
form, it will be rejected out of hand.
• You didn't display adequate need. It's important that the donor feel that they're supporting a
good cause. Remember, you're selling a dream- if you can't make the donor share your dream,
you won't get their money.
• There were no more funds left. This happens more often than you'd think. Other proposals
may have been approved before yours was received. Just take it in stride, and apply again
during the next Approval period.

In any event, DO NOT let failure upset you. Absolutely DO NOT complain to the grant agency. Odds
are you'll be dealing with them again, and you don't want a reputation as being difficult to deal with.
Just determine why you failed, and try again.

Proposal accepted with changes.

Sometimes a donor will like your proposal, but be unable to fund your entire amount. They may
approve a lesser amount. If this happens, remember that ANY money is good money- either scale
back your project, or use your success getting the first grant as basis for procuring a loan or other
grants.

Proposal Accepted.
It's time to dance in the streets! Seriously, there's nothing better than having your grant approved 'as-
is', and this should be the goal of every proposal you write.