How to Write a Winning Grant Application

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How to Write a Winning Grant Application

• Presenters
• Juan Vega, Jr., Kern County Department of Public
  Health, vegaj_at_co.kern.ca.us
• Tammi Tilford, Kern County Department of Child
  Support Services, ttilford_at_co.kern.ca.us

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How to Write a Winning Grant Application

• Looking to boost your grants performance?
• Looking to just apply for a grant?
• Take advantage of this workshop to gain a better
  understanding of how to write a winning grant
  application
• Take advantage of opportunities at the local,
  state, and federal levels for additional funding

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Fundamental Steps to Grants

• Project Definition
• define your project
• identify public need, partnership opportunities,
  and available resources
• proposed project should reflect your
  organizations mission
• align project with how you do business in your
  organization

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Fundamental Steps to Grants

• Funding Analysis
• identify the right funding source(s)
• type of project
• eligibility
• special considerations should be evaluated for
  each program
• review proposals that have been funded

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Child Support Grant Proposals 101

• http//www.acf.hhs.gov/grants/grants_cse.html
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Administration for Children and Families
• Child Support Enforcement
• Open Funding Opportunities

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OCSE Discretionary Grants

• The Federal Office of Child Support Enforcement
  (OCSE) offers two discretionary grant program
  opportunities that further the national child
  support mission and goals

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1115 vs. SIP

• Section 1115 Demonstration Grants
• provides funding for experimental, pilot, or
  demonstration projects that are likely to assist
  in promoting the objectives of Part D of Title IV
• Only state title IV-D agencies can receive these
  grants (I almost forgot)
• Cost Sharing or Matching is required
• not free money

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1115 vs. SIP (wise choice)

• Special Improvement Project (SIP) Grants
• provides funding for projects that further the
  national child support mission and goals, and to
  help improve program performance
• local Child Support may apply directly
• no applicant match is required
• free money

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Section 1115 Demonstration Grants for 2009

• Projects in Support of the Prisoner Reentry
  Initiative
• Projects to Support Data Analysis of Arrearage
• Projects that Provide Family- Centered Services
  for Unwed Parents in the IV-D Caseload
• Projects in Support of the PAID Initiative

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SIP Grants for 2009

• Using New Methods to Improve Collection Rates
• Improving Child Support Enforcement and Court
  Collaboration

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State Single Point of Contact (SPOC)

• DCSS Grant Proposal Review Form
• LCSA
• LCSA Contact Person
• LCSA Contract Person Phone Number
• LCSA Contact Person email address
• Date
• Name of granting entity and type of grant(s)
• Date grant proposal due
• Amount of grant sought
• Is a match required
• Target population
• Grant conceptual proposal

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project

• Program Purpose and Objectives
• To ensure that all children receive financial and
  medical support from their parents
• Innovative projects that promote some of the
  basic themes in that child support should be a
  reliable source of income for families
• Use early prevention strategies to help build a
  culture of compliance in which parents will
  support their children voluntarily and reliably

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project

• Priority Area 1 Developing Strategies to Work
  Effectively with Incarcerated/Released
  Non-custodial Parents
• new projects that address at least one of the 3
  strategies
• Outreach to Offenders
• Order Modification
• Partner with Employment/Reentry Centers (BINGO,
  we have a WINNER)

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project

• Partner with Employment/Reentry Centers
• Newly released and paroled non-custodial parents
  are often reluctant to work with the child
  support agency
• Effectiveness of using child support liaisons or
  workers housed at the employment/ reentry sites
  to perform CSE services
• Projects should partner with centers that provide
  occupational job training specifically linked to
  employment rather than just training alone
• New released and paroled non-custodial parents

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project

• General Instructions for Preparing a Full Project
  Description (very important)
• Introduction
• Project Summary/Abstract
• Objectives and Need for Assistance
• Approach
• Evaluation
• Additional Information
• Staff and Position Date
• Letters of Support
• Budget and Budget Justification

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project

• Evaluation Criteria (very, very, important)
• Objectives and Need for Assistance 30 Points
• Approach 30 Points
• Evaluation 25 Points
• Budget and Budget Justification 10 Points
• Preferences 5 Points
• 100 POINTS! Which one are you writing to?

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Objectives and Need for Assistance 30 Points
(from this)

• The applicant should demonstrate a thorough
  understanding and analysis of the problem(s)
  being addressed in the project, the need for
  assistance and the importance of addressing these
  problems in improving the effectiveness of the
  child support program. The applicant should
  describe how the project will address this
  problem(s) through implementation of changes,
  enhancements and innovative efforts and
  specifically, how this project will improve
  program results. The applicant should identify
  one or more of the strategies or approaches
  describe under the specific priority area for
  which they are applying.
• The applicant should identify the key goals and
  objectives of the project describe the
  conceptual framework of its approach to resolve
  the identified problem(s) and provide a
  rationale for taking this approach as opposed to
  others.

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Objectives and Need for Assistance 30 Points
(to this)

• The applicant should demonstrate a thorough
  understanding and analysis of the problem(s)
  being addressed in the project,
• the need for assistance and
• the importance of addressing these problems in
  improving the effectiveness of the child support
  program.
• The applicant should describe how the project
  will address this problem(s) through
  implementation of changes, enhancements and
  innovative efforts and specifically,
• how this project will improve program results.
• The applicant should identify one or more of the
  strategies or approaches described under the
  specific priority area for which they are
  applying.
• The applicant should identify the key goals and
  objectives of the project
• describe the conceptual framework of its approach
  to resolve the identified problem(s) and
• provide a rationale for taking this approach as
  opposed to others.

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On-the-Way-Out Prisoner Release Project
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Child Support Grant Proposals 101

• Its like writing a term paper.
• You have to wow the reader, reviewing panelwow
  them!.
• Often times the Needs Assessment, the Work Plan,
  is already identified in the actual grant
  solicitations background section, purposeyou
  just need, then, address with your locality.

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Child Support Grant Proposals 101

• Save time by building and using a template, build
  a strong template
• Cut and paste, into the funders format
• Build your buckets of data, build folders,
  sub-folders for these various buckets of
  datause the Components as a staring point

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Bucket Problem Statement

• Relates to purposes and goals of applicant agency
• Is of reasonable dimensions-not trying to solve
  all the problems of the world
• Is supported by statistical evidence
• Is supported by statements from authorities
• Is stated in terms of clients needs and
  problems, and not the applicants
• Is developed with input from clients and
  beneficiaries
• Makes no unsupported assumptions
• Is free of jargon
• Is interesting to read
• Is as brief as possible
• Makes a compelling case

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Bucket Program Objectives

• At least one objective for each problem or need
• Objectives are outcomes
• Objectives are not methods
• Describes the population that will benefit
• States the time by which each objective will be
  accomplished
• Objectives are measureable

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Child Support Grant Proposals 101

• Must pay attention to the funders instructions
  a date and time deadline is just that
• Planning is the most important part of a
  proposal, the writing is secondary
• Logic Model requirements

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Child Support Grant Proposals 101

• Always, always, have other sets of eye review,
  read, and provide CONSTRUCTIVE criticism
• If not funded, kindly ask the funder, their
  representative for a listing of your proposals
  strengths and weaknesses

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It (Pregnancy) Did Happen to Me Young Adult and
Teen Parental Outreach Project 2008

• Priority Area 1 Child Support and paternity
  Establishment Outreach to Targeted Demographic
  Groups Unwed Teen and 20-Something Parents
• Priority Area 2 Initiating Child Support and
  Court Collaboration to Achieve Operating
  Efficiencies for Both Entities and Improve Client
  Outcomes
• Priority Area 3 Projects in Support of OCSE
  PAID Initiative

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It (Pregnancy) Did Happen to Me Young Adult and
Teen Parental Outreach Project 2008

• Priority Area 1 Description
• According to data from the Campaign to
  Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the majority of births
  resulting from unplanned pregnancies are to
  unmarried women under age of 24.

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It (Pregnancy) Did Happen to Me Young Adult and
Teen Parental Outreach Project 2008

• OCSE is looking for projects that will
  demonstrate the effectiveness of designing
  materials targeted specifically for unwed teens
  and 20-something parents. Projects should
  conduct focus groups of unwed parents (male and
  female) who are approximately 24 years of age and
  younger to assist in designing and marketing
  paternity and related child support materials
  covering the entire child support process. The
  materials must be culturally and linguistically
  sensitive and incorporate methods of
  communication used by the targeted population,
  such as DVDS, pod casts, video streaming, email,
  text messaging, etc. Over the years, OCSE has
  funded projects that focused efforts on
  curriculum development and face-to-face
  educational venues, but we are looking for other
  types of creative communication approaches under
  this solicitation.

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It (Pregnancy) Did Happen to Me Young Adult and
Teen Parental Outreach Project 2008

• http//www.thenationalcampaign.org/
• http//www.stayteen.org/
• TIPS FOR AVOIDING PREGNANCY
• Thinking "it won't happen to me" is stupid if
  you don't protect yourself, it probably will. Sex
  is serious. Make a plan.

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Search Engines

• eCivis Improving Grants Performance
• Enables grants professionals to find and research
  federal, foundation, and state grants
• Provides overviews of many funding opportunities
  that clearly outline all the necessary components
  for a funding analysis
• http//www.ecivis.com/

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Recommended Training

• The Grantsmanship Center
• 1125 West Sixth Street, 5th Floor
• PO Box 17220
• Los Angeles, CA 90017
• 213.482.9860
• www.tgci.com

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Q As

• Enjoy the rest of your Conference
• Juan Vega, Jr.
• 661.868.1287
• vegaj_at_co.kern.ca.us