Grantwriting Procedure

7/31/2019 Grantwriting Procedure

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Credit

Presented by the BC Touring CouncilJohn McLachlan [email protected] McKay Avenue, Box 918Burnaby, BC V5H 4M9

Tel: 604 439-1972 / Fax: 604 439-9735Available as an Acrobat PDF file on our web site at

www.bctouring.org/resources/grantwriting.html

Based on a presentation prepared byBitsy BidwellCommunity Arts Development ManagerWashington State Arts CommissionPO Box 42675Olympia, WA [email protected]/artUsed by Permission


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Contents

1. Overview

s In a Nutshell

s Homework Phase: 5 Steps of Planning, Review, Edit and Perfect, Submit

s Grant Procedures and Reporting

2. How to Write the Narratives Hints from the Grantmanship Center

s 21 Tips on Writing

s Writing a Letter Proposal

sEffective Words

3. Building the Budget

s Matching or Cost Share Examples

4. Beyond Narrative and Budget

s Artistic Work Samples, Attachments, Letters of support

5. Finding and Approaching Well-Matched Funding Sources

6. Appendix

s 15 Reasons Why Proposals are Turned Down

s 15 Red Flags and Turn-Offs


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In a Nutshell

s Know in detail

w What you want to do

w How you plan to do it (where, when, with what materials)w Why you want to do it

w When you will know its done and how you will know how well it was done

w What results and impacts you expect from it (to your career, to the public,to a cause)

w What factors give you a reasonable chance of success (your skills,previous experience)

s Research potential funding sources and other resources

s Write and submit your funding request, whether a

fundraising letter, a grant to public or private agency or aletter of request

Know your idea and then find the matching funding,

not the other way around.

Grantwriting is a process that should proceed in the following

order:


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Homework Phases Define the unique features of your organization and what

makes them a genuine contribution to your community

s Generically identify who should support your organization

and why they should support it and its programs

s Clarify and codify what you need to know about your ownorganization

s Describe your own organization

s Identify and define your community and/or constituency

s Complete the five basic kinds of organizational planning

All requests for funds constitute a project and must be

looked at holistically


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Step 1: Organization Planning (Actual/Now)s Before you even begin thinking about a specific grant,

answer each of the following six questions in writing:

w What is special or unique about your organization?

w Who is your community/constituency and what are its characteristics?

w How does your organization serve this community?w Why is it important that your organization serve the community in this way?

w Why should your organization be supported?

w Who should support your organization?

s How to Write Your Answers (use no more than four

paragraphs for each):

w Paragraph One: Answer who, what, where, when, why, how

w Paragraph Two: Provide clarifying detail

w Paragraph Three: Provide more clarifying detail or omit

w Paragraph Four: Provide an examplean incident, a specificthatillustrates the information in paragraph one.


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Step 2: Project Planning (Future)s Now look at your project and answerin writing, not more

than one page eachthe following questions:

w What do you want funded?

w What do you expect to achieve?

w Why is it important to do this?w Why is it important for your organization to do this?

w Why is this project worthy of funding?

w How do you plan to do the project?

w Who will be responsible for the project work? Who will be responsible for

the money?w How will you know how well you have succeeded with this project?

s How to Write Your Answers (use no more than four

paragraphs for each):

wParagraph One: Answerwho, what, where, when, why, how

w Paragraph Two: Provide clarifying detail

w Paragraph Three: Provide more clarifying detail or omit

w Paragraph Four: Provide an examplean incident, a specificthatillustrates the information in paragraph one.


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Step 3: Funding Plan1. What will you need for the project in the following

categories? List:

w Personnel: paid, volunteer, job titles, amount of time on job, administrative,artistic, technical, salary and benefits

w

Services: printing, telephone, janitorial, construction, consultants, othercontract services

w Materials and supplies: office, artistic, construction

w Space: rental, purchase, storage, performance, office, utilities

w Equipment: rental, lease, purchase

w Travel: lodging, food, parking, transportationw Marketing: publicity, PR, posters, video, TV, design, production

w Evaluation: testing, consultants, compiling statistics, printing

w Dissemination: reports, mailing

w Other: insurance, postage, shipping, freight


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Step 3: Funding Plan (cont.)2. Attach a dollar price to each item you identified above.

w If you must buy it, list the actual cost

w If you already have it, how much of it is devoted to this project, and what isthe value of that portion?

w

If it were donated, what would it cost to buy it? That is its value.w If it is volunteer time, use the following:

If the volunteer normally does this thing for a living, the value of theirtime is what they would charge other customers.

If the volunteer doesnt do this for a living, the value of their time is

minimum wage


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Step 3: Funding Plan (cont.)3. Beside each dollar figure put one of the following:

w C = Money will need to change hands for this item to be provided; this iscalled cash. These items may need to be purchased, may be part ofyour operating budget, or may already be on hand, but your organizationactually spent/will spend money on it.

w I = Donated items; no money from your organization was spent. This iscalled an in kind donation

4. Beside each item put another symbol for where the item

is coming from:

wT = You are requesting grant money for this item. T stands for them

w U = You already have; or will raise, beg, borrow or badger from someother sourcedonations, other grants, earned income, etc.; anywherebut Them. U stands for us.

T = Grant Request

U = Match(may include both cash and in-kind, depending)w Once a portion of Uis used to match a request, it cannot be used again

to match another request.

w Note: In project budgets, income always matches expenses. That is, youdont show a deficit or a surplus. Ever. Always!


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Step 4: Research Funding Sourcess To find out the desires of the funding sources, do your

research or homework: get newsletters, annual reports,

make office calls, or attend board meetings.

s Keep a data file on funding sources.

s Identify sources using:w Library materials

w Local arts councils and service organizations

w Local and regional funding directories

w

Networking, word of mouthw Corporations and businesses

The closer you match the desires of the funding source, the

greater your chance of funding.


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Step 5: Draft the Proposal

Summary: clearly and concisely summarizes the request:w Appears at the beginning of the proposal; but is usually written last

w Identifies the grant application

w Includes at least one sentence on problem

w Includes at least one sentence on credibility

wIncludes at least one sentence on objectives

w Includes at least one sentence on methods

w Includes total cost, funds already obtained and amount requested in theproposal

w Is brief

w Is clearw Is interesting

Now use the data you have developed in steps one throughfour to tailor a proposal specifically for your selected funding

source, which matches your project.


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Step 5: Draft the Proposal (cont.)

Introduction: describes the agencys qualifications or credibilityw Clearly establishes who is applying for funds

w Describes applicant agencys purposes and goals

w Describes applicants programs and activities

wDescribes applicants clients or constituents

w Provides evidence of the applicants accomplishments

w Offers statistics in support of accomplishments

w Offers quotations/endorsements in support of accomplishments

w Supports qualifications in area of activity in which funds are sought (e.g.,

research, training)w Leads logically to the problem statement

w Is as brief as possible

w Is interesting

w Is free of jargon


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Problem Statement or Needs Assessment: documents theneeds to be met or problems to be solved by the proposed funding

w Relates to purpose and goals of applicant agency

w Is of reasonable dimensionsnot trying to solve the worlds problems

w Is supported by statistical evidencew Is stated in terms of clients needs and problemsnot the applicants

w Is developed with input from clients and beneficiaries

w Makes no unsupported assumptions

w Is as brief as possible

w Is free of jargonw Is interesting to read

w Makes a compelling case


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Objectives: establishes the benefits of the funding in measurableterms

w At least one objective for each problem or need committed to in problemstatement

w Objectives are the outcomes

w Objectives are not methods

w Describes the population that will benefit

w States the time by which objectives will be accomplished

w Objectives are measurable, if at all possible


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Methods: describes the activities to be employed to achieve thedesired results

w Flows naturally from problems and objectives

w Clearly describes program activities

wStates reasons for the selection of activities

w Describes the sequence of activities

w Describes staffing of the program

w Describes clients and client selection

w Presents a reasonable scope of activities that can be conducted within the

time and resources of the program


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Evaluation: presents a plan for determining a degree to whichobjectives are met and methods are followed

w Presents a plan for evaluating accomplishments of objectives

w Presents a plan for evaluating and modifying methods over the course ofthe program

w Tells who will be doing the evaluation and how they were chosen

w Clearly states criteria of success

w Describes how data will be collected

w Explains any test instruments or questionnaires to be used

w Describes the process of data analysisw Describes any evaluation reports to be produced


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Further or Other Necessary Funding: describes a plan forcontinuation beyond the grant period or the availability of otherresources necessary to implement the grant.

w Presents a specific plan to obtain future funding if program is to becontinued

w Describes how maintenance and future program costs will be obtained (if aconstruction grant)

w Describes how other funds will be obtained, if necessary to implement thegrant

w Has minimal reliance on future grant support

w Is accompanied by letters of commitment, if necessary


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Budget: clearly delineates costs to be met by the funding sourceand those to be provided by applicant or other parties

w Tells the same story as the proposal narrative

w Is detailed in all aspects

wProject costs that will be incurred at the time of the program, if differentfrom the time of proposal writing

w Contains no unexplained amounts of miscellaneous or contingency

w Includes all items asked of the funding source

w Includes all items paid for by other sources

w Includes all volunteersw Details fringe benefits, separate from salaries

w Includes all consultants

w Separately details all non-personnel costs

w Includes indirect costs where appropriate

w Is sufficient to perform the tasks described in the narrative

w Has accurate arithmetic throughout


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Step 6: Review, Edit and Perfect

s Have an uninformed friend read your proposal, askquestions and proofread; revise to clarify and perfect

s Carefully re-read the requirements of the funding agency:

w Have you answered all the questions?

w Have you deleted answers to questions that arent asked?w Have you supplied all the requestedattachments and materials, and

deleted all unrequested copy?

w Is it readable; in the proper format; plenty of white space?

w Have you labeled and identified each page and item?

w Are appropriate signatures affixed?w Have you copied and collated the required copies?


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Step 7: Submit

s Mail required materials by registered mail by the postmarkof the deadline. Keep a copy of your dated receipt from the

post office.

s Keep a copy of all materials including the guidelines.

s Make sure the listed contact person can answer allquestions, and has a copy of the grant handy to provide

responses.

s Keep track of any expected responses; contact the grantor

if you do not hear in a timely fashion.


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Step 8: Grant Procedures and Reporting

Once you receive a grant, the work is not over! Not only mustyou complete the project, but...

1. Sign and return any required documents; keep copies

2. Carefully review grant application materials and any other

materials received after you receive the grant3. Set up applicable systems to keep necessary information

4. Inform personnel of procedures and processes for

collecting data

5. Regularly monitor data collection

6. Inform grantor of any changes:

w in personnel responsible for project or organization, i.e., executive directoror project manager

waddress changes for organization

w budget changes of more than 15 to 20% in any given category

w expansion and/or reduction of project design or timeline


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Step 8: Grant Procedures and Reporting (cont.)

7. Send project documentation as project progressesw especially if the grantor is named and or thanked

w if grantor is a public agency, send applicable elected officials the sameproject documentation and cc: the grantor

8. Submit requested periodic reports and final reportsw be honest and accurate; dont gloss over losses or failures, but dont dwell

on them, either

w be timely

w supply all requested information and data

w keep all back-up data for a minimum of three years, just in case!


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Hints from the Grantsmanship Center

s Convince the grantmaker of the significance of your projectand its purpose. Either directly or implicitly answer this

question: How will the constituency the project serves be

better off because of the project?

s Create a tone that exudes confidence:

w avoid statements of probability or conditional tenses

w dont pad with speculation and unplanned visions

w concentrate on details

w write in the third personobjective, balanced

w avoid extensive adjectives or adverbs.

s Write from the readers viewpoint, not yours. If this arrived

on my desk, would I fund it? If not, redo it.

s Involve readers to gain the response you want. A short,

rhetorical quiz can work well.

What follows is a compendium of writing ideas from varioussources. You will note that they sometimes contradict each

otherdont worry too much about it! Write clearly, take what

works for you, and develop your own personal style.


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Hints from the Grantsmanship Center

s For fundraising, the narrative style used by magazinesprovokes a better response than the summary style used

by newspapers.

s Make sure the question asked is immediately answered in

the response. Dont make the reader look for the answer.Add detail in subsequent paragraphs.

s Aim for an average sentence length of under 20 words.

s Use dynamic verbs that communicate action.

s Indent paragraphs. They are 7 percent more legible.s Avoid semicolons. They cause readers to pause. Use

dashes instead.

s Use an easily readable typeface and clear margins. Types

with serifs are usually more readable.s Write in the past tense as if the project already happened.

s If you want to include value judgments, quote someone

else.


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Twenty-One Tips on Writing

1. Dont use a committee, they should review.2. Aim your pitch at one individual, the decision maker.

3. Always write in the third person. Its easier to brag about

they than I.

4. Select an appropriate and interesting title of less than tenwords. Dont be cute or hammy.

5. If the proposal is more than ten pages, prepare a table of

contents.

6. Be liberal with dramatic font size variation and bold-space/light-face types. It should be easy to read and

emphasize important issues.

7. Try to limit each sentence to no more than two commas.

8. Try to limit each sentence to fifteen words or less.9. Keep your paragraphs short and present only one thought

per paragraph.


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10. Use contractions freely. Thats the way you talk, dontyou? Its the key to more effective, personal writing.

11. Use quick openerslike newspapers. Catch the readers

attention early, and keep it.

12. Dont make a mystery out of your proposal. Start right inwith the most important point.

13. Accentuate the positive. Emphasize opportunities, rather

than needs. Donors would rather know where its at

than where it isnt.14. Beware of iffy and hopeful statements. Be positive.

15. Dont overkill. Remember, you are dealing with a

sophisticated business community. Too much sugar can

sour the wine.16. Use nickel and dime words, but dont insult the readers

intelligence.

17. Beware of professional jargon, abbreviations and vague

references.


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18. If you have trouble getting started, begin with the budget.It has a strange way of defining the methods and

objectives.

19. Ask for the order. There is no need to be sly with granting

agencies. Literally come in the front door, make the pitch,and close the door!

20. Break the rules! Writing is an individual matter. Dont get

hung up on someone elses writing rules. The main thing

is to make yourself clear.

21. KISS. Keep It Short and Simple.


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How to Write a Letter Proposal

s Corporate and private foundations often request letterproposals. An effective letter proposal is concise,

emphasizes the most important aspects of your project,

and is tailored to the grantor youre sending it to. This

means you should:w Send a different, original letter to each potential grantor.

w Discuss the direct client benefits of your project and downplay themechanics of what you do. (Talk about healthy patients, not hospitalequipment.)

wEmphasize the aspects of your project the grantor will find most interesting.

w Reiterate the results of any personal contact youve had with the grantor,either in person or over the telephone.

w Begin and end your letter by showing the amount of dollars requested andfor what purpose. Request an amount appropriate to the giving pattern ofthe grantor.

s In closing, suggest the opportunity to discuss the project

further with an on-site visit or an in-person interview.Thank them for their time.


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How to Write a Letter Proposal

s Feel free to change the order to suit your special situation.Make sure you retain a logical flow of information.

s Other comments:

w Generally, a letter proposal should not exceed two pages of single-spaced

typing. Its purpose is to convey a great deal of information quickly to thefunding source. Grantors may review as many as 30 to 50 proposals at atime.

w Spend as little time as necessary describing what you do as anorganization. Emphasize instead the client and community benefits of yourwork.

w Tailor your letter to the expressed interest of the corporation or foundation.Emphasize those things your research tells you will motivate thisfoundation to fund your project.

s If you are submitting a proposal through a contact,

mention that person briefly at the opening of the proposal,

but do not go into detail. Any indication that you are trying

to use a connection to get funded may alienate otherreview committee members. Under no circumstances

mention a contact to a public funding source!


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A Method for Writing a Letter Proposal

Address Should be either the person who requested yourproposal, or the corporate/foundation officialcontact person when you did your research.Never use a home address.

Introduction State your reason for writing. We are submitting aproposal for an alcohol/drug unit facility capitalcampaign Then give a one phrase description ofwhat your project does and will accomplish.

Focusing Tell the committee why you have applied to theirfoundation in particular. Example: We have notedthat the ABC Foundation has a continued interestin the visual arts in the Revelstoke area.

The Need In one or two sentences, state the need your

project addresses. Use well chosen statistics todocument the need. Example: More than 120 low-income families cannot access performances in ourcommunity theatre.


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A Method for Writing a Letter Proposal (cont.)

Design In three or four sentences, outline the project. Presentit as a solution to the need you have described. Thenstate one or two specific, measurable objectives for theproject.

Client Benefit Rather than going into detail about what you do,describe the direct benefits to the clients in yourproject.

Uniqueness Point out why your project is unique, different, betterthan others in the field or geographic area.

Budget State a one-figure budget for your project. If possible,state it as a per-client figure. Example: This budgetrepresents a cost of $4.57 per client served.

Your Request One approach is Because of your interest in ____, wefeel you will be interested in this project. We arerequesting a grant of $10,000 to Follow yourrequest with a mention of any other funding sourcethat has given you support for the project.


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A Method for Writing a Letter Proposal (cont.)

Closing End the letter with a request for follow-up; ameeting to discuss the proposal further; thesubmission of a long full-scale proposal; an on-sitevisit, etc.

Signature The reference is the Chair of the Board ofDirectors. It may be followed by the ExecutiveDirectors signature. The Executive Director shouldnever be the only signature.


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Effective Words

Direct Investigate Provide Respond

Manage Evaluate Prepare Study

Establish Interpret Coordinate Assist

Initiate Analyze Collect Support

Negotiate Survey Participate ServeFormulate Estimate Monitor

Conduct Examine Compute

Generate Determine Appraise

Administer Define

Institute Review

Create Identify

Organize Assess

Produce Develop

Design

Implement

Recommend

Demonstrate

Predict

Document

Best Strong Good/Fair No-no


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Building the Budget

s The budget should correspond directly with the narrative,support it, and give it detail and credibility.

s As you make the budget, remember to:

w Be realistic; do not inflate costs

wCreate a budget which supports your need for funding

w Show community/constituent support

w Show fiscal support from a variety of sources; earned, contributed,donated (this demonstrates stability)

w Demonstrate your responsible management

s Using the budget materials you created in Step 3, create achart:

w Down the side put logical categories (if the grantor uses specificcategories, use these)

w Across the top put sources of income

w On the right side put subtotals; on the bottom put totals


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Budget Example

Organization Foundation Corporate In-kind Subtotals

Personnel

Consultants

Travel

Space

Equipment

Supplies

Marketing

Other

Totals Grand Total

s Fill in this chart with as much detail as possible. This is your

project budget.

s Your request budget will alter and/or simplify in accordance

with the instructions of the grantor.


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Matching or Cost Share

s Matching, or cost share, really has two meanings thatmust be carefully distinguished.

w Philosophicalall the support from sources other than the specificgrantor which are contributing to the project. This shows communityinvolvement, commitment, solid funding, etc.

w Accountingthe dollars used to meet the specific matching requirementsof the grantor (particularly important in final reports).

s Philosophically, all of the project costs except the amount

you are requesting from the specific grantor is match.

When you write the grant, use the philosophical meaningof match.

s For accounting purposes in final reports you must be

careful to delineate which dollars match which request.


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Matching or Cost Share (cont.)

s Many grantors have matching requirements. For example:w You must have 1:1 match. This means no more than 50% of the total

project costs may be requested from the grantor, or, that for every dollaryou request, you must have a dollar from another source. Other grantorsmay require 3:1 matchyou need three dollars for every dollar you

request. Some grantors dont care about match at all.w Be careful to identify whether or not match must be all cash, or if in-kind

can be counted. Cash match requires careful attention to detail. In-kindmatch requires documentation for accounting purposes.

s The tricky part about match is this:

w In accounting for final reports, once a dollar has been used for thematching requirement, it cannot be used again!

w If there is only one grantor, this is not a problem. But, a project whichinvolves several grantors, each of which requires a cash match, must becarefully plotted out for matching purposes. Accounting should make very

clear that a dollar has only been used as match once.s We will carefully go over this in the workshop, so that it is

clear.


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Example 1

Org. Foundation Corporation In-kind SubtotalsPersonnel $1 $1 $1 $3Consultants $1 $1 $2Travel $1 $1 $2Space $2 $2

Equipment $2 $2Supplies $1 $1 $2Marketing $1 $1Other $1 $1Total $6 $4 $2 $3 $15Grand Total $15

s What is the total budget? What is total income? What is total expense?s How much match can the organization offer in a grant request to the foundation?s How much cash match? How much in-kind?s How much match can the organization offer in a grant request to a corporation?s How much cash match? How much in-kind?

s How much cash can the organization spend if all the grants come through?s If this is what the final budget looks like, and both the corporation and the

foundation require 1:1 match, is the organization OK? What if the match has to becash match?


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Example 2

Org. Foundation Corporation In-kind SubtotalsPersonnel $2 $1 $3Consultants $1 $1 $2Travel $1 $1 $2Space $2 $2Equipment $2 $2

Supplies $1 $1 $2Marketing $1 $1Other $1 $1Total $3 $5 $3 $4 $15Grand Total $15

s What is the total budget? What is total income? What is total expense?s How much match can the organization offer in a grant request to the foundation?s How much cash match? How much in-kind?s How much match can the organization offer in a grant request to a corporation?s How much cash match? How much in-kind?

s How much cash can the organization spend if all the grants come through?s If this is what the final budget looks like, and both the corporation and the

foundation require 1:1 match, is the organization OK? What if the match has to becash match?


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For arts grants this is the most important part of yourapplication. The work samples should:

w present your best artistic work, presentation efforts or services in relation tothe grantor

w present the actual work addressed by the grant, not similar work

w shows most recent work and/or a retrospective, if requested. Generally,work over two years old is not considered recent.

w be clearly markedorganization, artist, work, media, date, size, top,etc.following the guidelines of the grantor, if applicable

w have an annotated work sample list which indicates how the work relates to

the project and gives pertinent detailsw is a high-quality copy, not the original work

w supply recent recordings and promotional materials

Artistic Work Samples


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Attachments

s Almost every request will need to be augmented by thefollowing attachments, so it is useful to have them on hand:

w list of board members and affiliations

w Revenue Canada Charitable Tax number.

w certificate of non-profit incorporation from the province and/or record of most

recent filing of Non-profit Society Annual Report

w audited financial statement for most recently completed fiscal year. Whileaudits are expensive, they are really worth the cost. However, if you can'tafford one, at least have a yearly financial statement with officialdocumentation that the board has reviewed and approved the yearly

financial statement.w detailed project budget, probably using the chart format listed above. This is

in addition to whatever form they may have as part of the application.

w list of current grants

w list of donors for the last five yearsnot amounts, just names

w overall agency budget for the current fiscal yearw program or membership brochures


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Letters of Support

s Carefully choose who will be most helpful to yourproposal. Be particularly careful about political figures;

while the mayors support might be important for an

approach to a private foundation, it might appear as

political pressure to another government agency.

s It is best to orchestrate your letters of support without

making this too obvious to the grantor. When asking for

letters of support from others, be sure to tell them:

w the basic outline of your proposal

w what the criteria for decision-making will be

w suggest how they might address the criteria

w point out how they are/have been involved so far in the project

s request that they make the letter of support personal and

include detail.


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i i i S


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Finding Well-Matched Funding Sources

s Ask your existing allies first: your patrons, participants,supporters, and their supporters; then local sources that

know you; and, finally, unknown foundations and

corporations.

w Funding sources are a series of concentric circles: you will only succeedwith the largest, farthest-out circles, if you succeed with the inner circles.

s To find potential funders:

w Brainstorm with your board, family, or associates. Who do you alreadyknow?

wPeruse the yellow pages. What categories of businesses do you alreadypatronize or which ones should be able to clearly see the value of whatyou do?

w Hit the library. Look at funding directories, directories of resources in yourfield and related fields, and dont forget on-line resources, pamphlet files,and artist opportunity files.

A hi F di S


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Approaching Funding Sources

s Funders want to further their own agenda, missions, andgoals by helping you. Find out everything you can about a

funder: annual report, application guidelines, library

research in funding materials, names of key personnel, etc.

Homework, homework, homework!

s Do you match the funders wishes? How can you

emphasize the fit between you? Write your proposal to

clearly demonstrate that you are natural partners. If you

cant articulate why those closest to you should support

you, then you will have trouble with bigger sources.w One idea to help with this is to role play. Have a friend read the materials

from the potential funder and then play the funders role asking the hard,pertinent questions that will hone your arguments.


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15 Reasons Why Proposals Are Turned Down


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15 Reasons Why Proposals Are Turned Downw

The proposal does not match the objectives of the funding sourcew The proposal is strong on ideas but lacks detail

w The objectives are too ambitious in scope; it is not clear how they can beimplemented

w The proposal fails to strike the reviewers as significant

w The proposal is poorly written and hard to understandw The reviewers do not know or understand the capabilities of the applicants

w The project is inconsistent with the applicant organization's mission

w The applicant organization has no track record with the type of project beingproposed

w It is not clear who is going to benefit from the projectw There is not evidence that the key people involved have been contacted and

have committed themselves to working on the project

w The proposal fails to show that the applicant is aware of what others are doing inthe same area

w The budget is beyond the range of funding available from the funding sourcew The funds requested do not relate directly to the objectives of the project

w The applicant does not appear to have an adequate financial or administrativestructure in place

w The proposal is submitted late.

15 Red Flags and Turn Offs


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15 Red Flags and Turn-Offsw

Cut and pasted textw Unreal spending projections, such as 300% of last years budget

w No outside unearned income; doesn't anyone else care?

w No evidence of community support or contact with local government officials

w Narrow, unrepresentative board

w Unexplained expense items labeled contingency or miscellaneousw Missing signatures

w Suggestion that the foundation or granting agency owesthe applicant support

w Attacks on other groups in the community: fund us, not them

w Political pressure

w Endless phone calls, defensiveness, inquiries, supplements, pressure

w Not following the format provided by the funding source

w Omitting requested information

w The budget doesnt add up

w General sloppinesstypewriter or printer ribbons that should have been thrownout years ago. Actually, using a typewriter period can look bad.

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Grantwriting Procedure

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