Grants Made Easy: The Narrative

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• Grants Made Easy The Narrative
• Facilitated by
• John Bunting
• Office of Community Resource Development
• Baltimore City Dept. of Social Services.

Governors Grants Office www.governor.maryland.go
v/grants.html
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• The SMART Strategy
• SMART choosing your Request for Proposal (RFP)
• S - satisfy the objective of the grantor
• M meet the requirements of grantor
• A amount of funding appropriate for your
  program
  
• R - regulatory issues to consider
• T timeline constraints
• YES Go for it! No Wish for it!

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• HOW
• Read the instructions
• Read the instructions
• Read the instructions
• Read the instructions
• Read the instructions
• In the beginning . . . and at the end

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• OBSERVE SECTIONS OF A NARRATIVE
• Turn to Appendix I
• Department of Labor
• Employment and Training Administration
• Workforce Investment Act
• Preparing Youth Offenders To Enter High Growth
  and
  
• High Demand Industries
• Identify the following Key Dates Summary
  Section
  
• Purpose Vision
• Emphasis Award Information
• Eligibility Performance Period

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Look for key indicators revealing what the
grantor is requiring such as words and phases
like vision predominantly disproportionately
priority high-risk especially high risk facto
rs we hope well-designed improving meeting the
demands strategic effort give evidence to wha
t the grantors wants to fund. Its their money
give them what they want.
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• Strategic Considerations
• Resources
• What resources can your organization or your
  partners bring to the table?
  
• Grantors like there to be some dishes available
  that they did not have to make. What about cost
  sharing, existing resources, partnerships with
  stakeholders or organizations with similar
  missions?
• LIST THEM HERE
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Needs What about capital needs, materials, food
, fees, travel, outreach efforts, telephone and
electronic equipment, postage, and all other
things needed to make the program work?
LIST THEM HERE ----------------------------
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• HOW
• Telling and selling your story
• Conveying a concept explaining an idea
• Convincing others
• Creating a roadmap from start to finish
• Convincing strangers to invest in your project
• MATCH MAKER, MATCH MAKER, MAKE ME A MATCH

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• EXERCISE 1 Approximately 45 minutes
• A WILLING SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF Alexander
  Pope
  
• You are a grant writing team for the Family
  League of Baltimore and you are pursuing a grant
  to serve juvenile and young adult offenders.
  
• A SPOKESPERSON AND A RECORDER NEED TO BE SELECTED
  AT EACH TABLE FOR EACH EXERCISE. THESE ROLES
  WILL CHANGE WITH EACH EXERCISE.
  
• RECORDER Takes notes or bullet points that will
  assist the spokesperson give an accurate report
  on the conclusions reached by the team.
  
• SPOKESPERSON Gives a report on the teams
  conclusions at the end of the exercise.
  

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• EXERCISE 1 (cont.) 15 min to read answer
  questions.
  
• Discuss the DOL SGA and identify the following
• 1. Whats the problem?
• 2. How does your agency or program fit with the
  purpose of the funding?
  
• 3. What do you need to tell your story?
• 4. Does the grant fit your project in money,
  time, and agency resources?
  
• 5. What are the expected outcomes?
• 6. Do you have the resources needed to write a
  winning proposal?
  
• Spokesperson reports on conclusions. (3 minutes
  each team)
  

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• Communication Strategy
• Research, research, and more research Know thy
  funder lest ye not be funded. Abell Foundation
  grant experience.
  
• Know your audience What level of expertise will
  the grant reviewers likely have. Do not assume
  anything.
  
• PREGO Spaghetti Sauce ITS IN THERE
• Demonstrate your expertise to attain the desired
  outcome.
  

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• Communication Strategy
• What statement of need and how you propose it
  being addressed if the project is funded
  
• Where location, location, location
• Your surroundings may be familiar to you but the
  reviewer needs a map
  
• When a logical timeline projection that
  satisfies the grantor and allows organization to
  take on additional responsibilities
  
• Why discussion of tasks to be performed
• Who description of tasks that will be performed
  by staff
  
• How what procedures or systems will be in place
  to determine if your goals have been met
  

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• Agency Program Announcements/Guidelines
• Exercise 4 (20 min) Targeting the Narrative to
  the Solicitation for Grant Applications (SGA)
  
• Read the SGA and discuss the Prego theory and
  what the grantor expects for an award to be made.
  
  
• Teams paraphrase what the grantor is
  requesting.
  
• Each team will have 3 minutes to report to the
  group your findings.
  
• Specifications and Restrictions
• Federal OMB Circulars have been provided for your
  future reference. (Appendix IV, V, VI)
  
• Circulars will be addressed in a future class.

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• Communication Strategy
• What looks good reads good
• All gray makes for a very dull day
• White spaces add visual impact
• Keep those hemlines consistent with the
  designers instructions
  
• Professionalism shows at a glance

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• Communication Strategy
• Clear Language
• The octogenarian traversed the thoroughfare
• What was said?
• Use common sense approach
• Technical language should be kept to a minimum
• Assume your reader knows little or nothing
  about the program you are describing
  
• If you can say it in a 100 words, chances are you
  can say it in 50 or less.
  
• Brevity is the soul of wit

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• Communication Strategy
• FONTS
• A font is a font is a font but does not smell as
  sweet by any other name . . . or type . . . or
  size . . . or boldness . . . or slant.
  
• Refer to application instructions for any
  required font size and type. (Extra Credit
  Assignment What is the required font size for
  CDFA 17.261? YELL IT OUT!)
• A change in font size or style should be an
  indicator that something different is happening
  or something needs to be highlighted or you want
  to call attention to something. Mixing fonts is
  like mixing beer and wine there better be a good
  reason for that hangover, especially when it does
  not work.

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• Communication Strategy
• Use only what is allowed. To tab or not to
  tab that is the question.
  
• Never, never, never, never, never, never, never
  STAPLE
  
• Sows ears do not make good purses so dont even
  try!
  

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• Communication Strategy
• A picture is worth a thousand words
• Less is more
• Getting around restrictions such as section
  length or proposal length does not work
  
• Be still my heart, my brain gets to shift
• MAKE SURE YOUR GRAPHICS RELATE TO YOUR NARRATIVE
  AND THAT THEY SUPPORT YOUR NARRATIVE
  

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• Communication Strategy
• Supplements check to see what is required and
  follow the instructions rigorously.
  
• Table of Contents with accurate page numbers
• Introduction Is it allowed? This may be your
  abstract.
  
• Appendix Not the answer to your prayers.
  Provide what is required, nothing more and
  nothing less
  
• What does CFDA 17.262 say about the above?
  Each team will have few minutes to determine the
  answer.

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• Communication Strategy
• Heres where the rubber meets the road.
• Internal Consistency
• Is the voice consistent?
• Objective case only. Are personal pronouns
  ever used? If so, dont.
  
• Do the headings denote accurately what is being
  discussed?
  
• Is sentence structure consistent?
• Is there a comfortable rhythm to the document
  or are we in choppy waters?
  
• Do the numbers and facts presented support each
  other?
  
• Does the flow make sense and is it compatible
  with the instructions?
  
• Are the sections of the narrative proportioned
  appropriately and does the narrative present the
  material with proper emphasis?
  
• SPELL CHECK! SPELL CHECK! SPELL CHECK!
• GRAMMAR CHECK! GRAMMAR CHECK!

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• Checks Balances
• Backing up your words with and
  sense
  
• Program description must match up to budget
  numbers
  
• Budget allocations for staff must match to the
  allocation
  
• What does the grant announcement say about budget
  proposals?
  
• What form is to be used? Is there a budget
  narrative required?

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• Exercise 5 (approximately 90 min.)
• Each team will construct a proposal to the DOL
  grant using the following headings (limit each
  section to 3-5 sentences)
  
• A. Needs Statement Whats the problem?
• B. Objectives What would fix the problem?
• C. Activities Description What needs to be
  done?
  
• D. Methodology How are you going to do it?
• E. Schedule What is the timeline?
• F. Staffing and Personnel Who is needed to do
  what?

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Potential Land Mines Follow the Directions Cri
teria of Understanding Can anyone read your nar
rative and understand your proposal well enough
to explain it to someone else Too much vs. too li
ttle - Find the right balance
What does anyone funding your proposal really ne
ed to know and what information have you included
that gets in the readers way Assume ye not least
ye be denied Have an independent reviewer read
your proposal for content and understanding
not a member of your staff or anyone thoroughly
familiar with your program
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• Checks Balances
• So let it be written, so let it be done
  (budgeted)
  
• Rule of thumb If it costs more, devote more
  discussion to it.
  
• Refer to Section III. 2 for grant for cost
  sharing instructions.
  
• How does the grant allow for leveraging costs
  and is there an advantage for doing so?
  
• Clarity and Brevity
• What did I just say?
• Could I be any clearer?
• Can I express it more succinctly?
• Try it out in Topeka before bringing it to New
  York
  

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• Other Issues
• Have you packaged the document properly?
• Are the required copies being sent?
• Will the grantor accept the delivery system
  being used?
  
• Will the package reach the destination on
  time?
  
• How can I verify when I sent the package?
• Refer to page 21115 of the grant announcement.
  What forms, narrative, content, page
  requirements, timetables, and other submission
  requirements are outlined in the announcement?

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• Checks Balances
• Who should critique the draft?
• Someone who did not write it.
• Possible reviewers Program manager, staff not on
  the grant team, a friend or neighbor with a good
  command of English, a colleague down the hall who
  has not been involved in the grant writing
  process, someone you trust to be objective,
  truthful, and critical.

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• Communication Strategy
• Checks Balances
• Allow time to make corrections or adjustment.
• Be sure your narrative ties to the budget!
• If you seek advice, take advantage of what is
  learned to make your proposal stronger and more
  likely to be funded.
  
• Avoid word-smithing.
• Dont take it personally. There is no room for
  egos, temperament, or thin skin in this
  universe.
  
• Remember what was good can be better and you
  can make your better best.
  
• Finally, relax. When it is done, it is done

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• and so are we!
• Wrap up
• Questions
• Comments
• Observations
• Therapy
• Please take time to complete the course
  evaluation before you leave.
  
• THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION