Grant Development

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Grant Development

• Grant Center
• Fitchburg State College

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• Who can apply for grants?
• Individuals - usually seeking scholarships or
  research funding
• Private non-profit organizations
• Religious, education, charitable, scientific or
  literary organizations
• Civic leagues
• Business leagues, chambers of commerce
• Social and recreational clubs
• Local Education Agency - a school district
• Schools - public and private
• Government Agencies city, county or state
• Coalitions or Partnerships

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Funding Sources

• Private
• Foundations and Corporations
• Government (public)
• Federal, state and local

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A funding proposal is a factual straightforward
document requesting money for a particular
purpose or project.
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• A successful proposal

• Is sent to the funder who shares your mission.
• Demonstrates an understanding of the need for
  the project
• Outlines clear and measurable objectives
• Presents an innovative, thoughtful project plan
• Shows evidence of good management and
  demonstrates capacity
• Reflects solid evaluation methodology
• Contains a budget that is adequate and reasonable
• Has potential for replicability, and
  sustainability

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• Step 1. The funding source. (Government,
  foundation or corporate support)

• Search various databases.
• On-line databases (Foundation Center, Catalog of
  Domestic Assistance, AGM, GuideStar)
• Grant Center and library resources
• Google
• Ask colleagues (who supports like projects?)
• Board members of foundations

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• Does their mission, area of interest, types of
  support match your project?
• What are their guidelines?
• What are the size of their grant awards?
• How many grants do they give?
• What is the average award amount?
• How competitive is the process?

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• The application or Request For Proposal
• (RFA, RFGP, RFR etc)
• Letter of Intent (L.O.I.)
• Priority of the RFP
• RFP sections and points
• Scoring rubrics

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• The grant review process

Government is usually peer review
process Foundation is often program officer and
then board review.
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• Step 2. Your Project

The NEED section or Problem Statement.

• What is the need. Be specific, very often the
  funder will have identified the general need in
  their RFP or priority. (after all they recognize
  there is a problem)
• What is the specific problem you are setting
  about to solve.
• Back this up with data from a variety of sources
• Translate these into tangibles
• Use graphs and charts
• This is the basis for everything you propose to
  do, so spell this section out well.

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• NEED statement cont.

What else is being done about the problem?
Identify what others are doing. How are you
working with them to do this or How is what you
propose filling a gap they are leaving How is
what you propose building or expanding on what is
being done. (By you or others).
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• What is the latest literature or current research
  on your area of interest?

• Your research should provide additional
  information about the need as well as support
  your proposed project.
• Cite your sources and use a reference or
  bibliography sections .

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• Step 3. Goals and objectives
• One or two goals (The larger the grant the more
  goals)
• Goal is not to solve problems but reduce or
  prevent them
• Are usually in the RFP so paraphrase to suit your
  project
• This is an overview, like a mission statement
• Most goals are not measurable

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• Program objectives
• Associate with specific program goals
• Are clear and measurable
• State specific accomplishments
• Define minimum measure of success (under promise
  and over deliver)
• be realistic use words like at least by this
  date minimum
• Reflect major program components
• Specify who, what and when
• Define how many or how much

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• Process objects
• Measure quantitative accomplishment or task
• Sometimes more short term
• Common in smaller projects
• Outcome objectives
• Reflect qualitative changes
• Are considered more as long term objective.
• May address change in incidence rates, behavior
  attitude or action.

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Step 4. Project plan or strategy (program model)

• What you plan to do about the problem or need you
  have identified.
• Begin with the goals of the programs
• Provided an overview
• Describe the target population
• Cite the literature, current research that
  supports the activities your propose
• Justify your strategies, show the relationship

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Step 5. Who is going to do this and why.

• Identify the major players, provide the
  qualifications of those involved
• Lay out a management plan.
• This can be a table with a timeline
• Include a timeline

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Step 6. Evaluation How will know we succeeded

• Tied to objectives, management plans program
  activities and budget
• Evaluation measures (indicators of success)
  should follow each objective
• External evaluators

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Step 7. Dissemination

• Have a plan for letting others know about your
  findings, best practices
• Remember the importance of Outreach/dissemination
  keeping all stakeholders informed about
  progress.

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Step 8. Sustainability (or institutionalization)
Show evidence of this in year two of timeline if
multi-year project Include this in the budget
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Step 9. Attachments

• Get resumes and letters of support early

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It IS about the writing

• Use simple language
• Be concise
• Avoid jargon
• Use bullets, tables, white space

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THE BUDGET!!!!

• What do you need the money for?
• Include all items requested in the RFP
• Explain every item include cost basis
• Make sure it is reasonable and adequate
• Make sure it balances

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You are not alone

• Consult with the Grant Center early AND often
• Have an objective party read your proposal