Writing a Grant Proposal

Here is a simple guide to writing grant proposals.

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Steps for Writing a Grant Proposal (PDF)

A successful grant proposal does not happen overnight. It takes planning, research, and careful writing to produce an effective proposal. While the prewriting steps may be time consuming, the end result makes all that time worth the effort.

There are three phases to the grant proposal process:

Preparing
Writing
Following up

Let's look at each step individually.

Preparing to Write
This phase of the grant writing process involves several steps, including the following:

1. Define what you want.

Before you can write a proposal, you must decide exactly what you're looking for. What are your goals? Are you simply looking for funds to make a purchase of materials, or are you looking for some other intangible outcome as well? Who will gain or benefit from you reaching your goals, and what, exactly, will that gain or benefit be?

Once you know what you want, write down a list and short description of your goals. Reread each goal. Make certain that your language is clear and concise and you have explained your purposes behind your goals.

From that list, fashion a statement that describes your goals and your purposes for pursuing those goals. For example:

Our school needs new manipulatives for Grades K-3. (unclear)
Our school's Math Committee's goal is to improve math scores for students in Grades K-3 by the end of next school year. Toward that end, we need 12 class sets of bear counters and activity books for our Grade K-1 classes and 12 class sets of pattern links and activity books for Grades 2 and 3. (clearer)

2. Define the materials, resources, and personnel you will need to achieve your goals.

Now that you have a clear goal or goals in mind, you must assess what you need to accomplish your goal. What curriculum materials will you need? What additional personnel, if any, do you think you'll need to reach your goal? Be realistic about what you will need. Downsizing your needs may mean not attaining your goal; overblowing your needs may mean not gaining your funding.

3. Assess your funding needs.

How much funding will you need to achieve your list of goals? This is a key part of the prewriting process. Now is the time to look into the costs of the materials you will need and the amount of money you will need to hire any additional personnel (including benefits costs, if necessary).

4. Gain support within your organization for your goals.

Talk to the people you've targeted as those you think will help you attain your goals. Present the project to them in a concise way. Be clear about what you need from them. Once you know you have their support for going forward, you are ready to look for a funding source.

5. Research the funding sources that can help you reach your goals.

Begin researching the funding sources that are likely to consider your proposal. Various nonprofit organizations, corporations, and even the U.S. government itself award billions of dollars to grant requestors each year. Look in the library and on the Internet. Review publications related to your goal. Visit offices of nonprofit organizations that you think might support your grant request.

Read all of your research carefully, looking for the right match between your needs and an organization's mission and a grant's purpose. Remember that many grantors limit the amount of money they award in any one grant. Look for a match between your funding needs and the grant amounts available, and keep in mind that you can certainly submit grants to more than one funding source. Make a short list of the organizations most likely to support your grant request.

6. Acquire proposal guidelines and the deadlines for proposals.

Contact each organization on your short list and ask for proposal guidelines. If you can, make arrangements to meet with someone at the organization to discuss the grant process there. These contacts will prove invaluable as you work your way through the grant process.

Once you have the applications, read them carefully for submission requirements, contact people, decision dates, and most importantly, submission deadlines. Other types of information provided on these documents include proposal format requirements and review timetables.

7. Create a calendar on which you write all deadlines for writing, submitting and following up on the proposal.

Stay organized throughout the grant writing process. Be aware of all of your submission deadlines, and keep track of dates by which you want to follow up with funding sources. Now that you have defined your grant goals and done your homework, you are ready to write the actual proposal.

Writing the Proposal
An effective proposal usually includes four things:

the main body of the proposal
the budget
support material
an authorized signature

Before writing any proposal, however, read the guidelines for anything you're required to include in the proposal. Also, look for any formatting requirements. Then make an outline of the points you want to highlight. Rely heavily on your list of goals and outcomes when making your outline.

The Main Body of the Proposal
Here are the items you need to include in the main body of your proposal:

1. A statement of the problem/issue you are addressing
2. Your mission statement outlining your goals and your targeted outcomes
3. The method(s) you will use to reach those outcomes
4. The materials and resources, including personnel you need
5. Your credentials/background and that of key personnel
6. A timeline for completion, showing checkpoints for completing of expected outcomes


When developing the body of the proposal, always keep in mind your target audience. How does your project and your goals directly relate to the mission and goals of the funding organization? How do your targeted goals fit in with the organization's purpose? This is key to the success of the grant proposal and cannot be overstated.

The Budget
Funders know that submitted budgets are merely cost projections, but they certainly look to see if those projections are realistic. Do your homework. Make sure the numbers you submit reflect real data and are not based on guesses. Include as much detail as you can to back up your figures. For example, if you want to purchase books for a proposed curriculum project, contact the publisher and get the per-book price, along with any discounts you might expect to receive.

While you need to be certain you've included all related costs, also make sure you are not overstating your need. Funding organizations will be judging your figures against what they know to be realistic and manageable.

Last, check and double-check your figures. Don't submit a proposal with math errors.

Support Materials
An appendix of support materials will add weight and credibility to your proposal. This is the place to show any backing letters, resumes of key personnel, and exhibits related to proposed purchases of materials.

Before fashioning the appendix, however, heed these cautions:

1. Read your proposal guidelines before including any appendix materials. The funding organization may have limits on what you include or it may have requirements on "must-have" materials.

2. Be careful of the length of your appendix. Make sure the materials are pertinent. If the people reading the proposal have to sift through too much support, they may miss the most important pieces.

Signatures
Funding agencies usually require at least one authorized signature on a proposal. This signature might be that of a school board member or an administrator. Find out who needs to sign the proposal well in advance of the deadline. Arrange in advance to have the proposal signed in time to submit it.

Following Up
After sending off your proposal, contact the organization to find out its status. Be sure to ask for any feedback that may be available. This will help you when tackling future grant proposals.



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