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Grant Writing II: WritingEffective Proposals
Sponsored by:
Common Mistakes
A well-writtenproposal for a poorlydesigned project
Common Mistakes
Emotional appeals
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Common Mistakes
Pleading poverty
Common Mistakes
Describing the tree
Common Mistakes
Lets develop a
Then lets gomarket it to peoplewho will use it!
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Common Mistakes
The sho in list
Its All About You, Isnt It?
Focusing on what youare going to provide,instead of what yourclients or audienceneed
Common Mistakes
Ferraris and Jalopies
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Common Mistakes
Trinkets and Trash
Common Mistakes
Putting all the grantmakers buzz words inthe first paragraphand nowhere else
Common Mistakes
Alphabet Soup: TheOFSWCD has worked
closely for eight yearswith ODNR-DSWC, -DOW and DNAP,using the NAAEEguidelines, to presentWET, WILD, PLT,and FLP
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Common Mistakes
Edspeak: This projectfeatures hands-on, minds-on activities that draw uponthe multiple intelligences oflearners, evaluated throughauthentic and diverseassessment
Common Mistakes
If we offer it, they will come
Common Mistakes
Drive-by workshops with no follow-up
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Common Mistakes
The $50 hotel room
Common Mistakes
The Edge to EdgePizza Proposal(words cover thepage from edge toedge)
Common Mistakes
Lost-without-a-roadmap
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Common Mistakes
for only $25,000!
Common Mistakes
Benchmarking, yes!Plagiarizing, no.
Common Mistakes
Ill have my schoolprincipal/state
le islator/motherwrite a letter ofsupport about whata great idea thisis!
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Common Mistakes
Wet Ink Specials Not finishing a draftproposal earlyenough for your grantwriting buddy or thegrant maker toprovide youcomments andsuggestions
Circular Reasoning
Avoid presenting theabsence of yoursolution as the actual
Example: Theproblem is that wehave no pool in ourcommunity. Buildinga pool would solve
the problem.
Parts of a Proposal
Need or Problem Statement
Goal/Objectives
Activities Timetable
Personnel or Organization Qualifications
Outcome Measurements
Continuation Plan
Budget Spreadsheet and Narrative
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Example of a Need Statement In a 2010 survey of
Ohio dry cleaners, 65%admitted havingdifficulty understanding
regulations apply tothem. 50% said theywould not becomfortable calling aregulatory agency toask that question.
Objective: Where do we want to bewhen were finished?
Example: Our after-
help children readbetter.
Better example:
Our after school remedial education programwill assist 50 children in improving their reading
scores by one grade level. Progress will bedemonstrated on standardized reading testsadministered after participating in the programfor six months.
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Objectives
Specific
Measurable
Realistic
Time-bound
Objectives vs. Activities
OBJECTIVES explain what the project willachieve (where we want to be when werefinished.)
ACTIVITIES are the specific steps that willachieve the objectives. How do we get there(the objective) from here (the current need)
Activities: How do we get therefrom here?
Who, What, Where, When, and How
duration of the project
Explain the sequence and timing
Specific activities make it possible todevelop the project budget
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Sample Objective
The students willcreate and maintainan environmentalhome page in ourcomputer lab
- Activity One:
- Activity Two:
Better: If the Objective is toimprove 150 students computerand analytical skills
Activity one: Analyze the content of a Web
Activity two: Compare two Web pages onthe same environmental topic
Activity three: Create a home page aboutthis classs environmental projects
Personnel/OrganizationQualifications
Why are you the one for thejob?
Brief biographical sketches
yet)
Evidence ofaccomplishments
Endorsements from others
Stick to whats relevant forthe project
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Project Evaluation:Things to Think About
Correlation is not causation:There may be multipleexplanations for your goodresults
Cost of evaluation relative tooverall project
Must be designed in early
Include both quantitative andqualitative indicators
Project Evaluation:Things to think about
Lessons learned from
projects
Purpose of yourevaluation
Summative Evaluation(e.g., for reports to the grantmaker)
Did the program work?
a a n s goa s
Were the desired outcomes forparticipants achieved, and were they worththe cost?
Should the program be continued?
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Formative Evaluation(to make an ongoing program better)
What are the programs strengths andweaknesses?
Are participants progressing toward desiredoutcomes?
Which participants do better than others andwhy?
Can we operate the program more efficientlywithout compromising quality?
Program Evaluation Resources
WK Kellogg FoundationsEvaluation Handbookhttp://www.wkkf.org/under knowledge centerand resources
More Evaluation Resources
Centers for Disease Control Framework forProgram Evaluation for health programshttp://www.cdc.gov/eval/framework.htm
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Detailing a Budget(Itemize, Itemize, Itemize)
Personnel
Non-Personnel
Contractual
Personnel
Salary/wages: number of hours timeshourly rate for each position, or % of time@ what salary
Benefits and how calculated
Rule of thumb: benefits roughly 1/3 ofsalary
Job description if not hired yet
Non-personnel
Supplies (consumables): itemized, unit price,totaled
Equipment: itemized, unit price, totaled ,
totaled Travel: miles at specified reimbursement rate, or
per diem per traveler Allow for breakage Remember the Buick!
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Contractual
Describe the service being provided Name or organization or individual
Number of hours times hourly rate
Grant makers scrutinize closely forcontractors padded indirect costs
Dont hide extra salary in contractual
Meeting the Match
Grant application should tell you how muchcash or in-kind match is required
Always offer at least the estimated value ofyour organizations staff time and suppliesthat are not being covered with grant funds
Include volunteer hours in your match.http://independentsector.org/volunteer_time
includes current estimated rates by state
Letters of Support
This is a much-needed project, and
this organization isterrific, just the one todo it right.
Thats nice.
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Letters of Collaboration
If someones
participation/permission iscrucial to make theproject happen, havet em wr te spec ca ywhat they will do orprovide
Coach them, or they willwrite a generic supportletter
Allow enough time toassemble these letters
A word about innovation
Innovative, creative projectsmake funders eyes light up
Administrators (your boss?)want tried-and-true, soundmethodologies with a trackrecord of success under similarconditions
Whats a grant applicant to do?
Quick Tips
Re-read the RFP or grant guidelines afteryouve finished the draft
proposal, and tailor your jargon level totheir understanding
Be sure your proposal can pass theSpouse Test
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Dew knot trussed yore
awl yore mist aches.
Still More Quick Tips
Check your math on thebudget
Check your timeline againstthe funders calendar
Check to be sure you havecompleted all sections
Round up needed signaturesand collaboration letters
Happy Hunting!