Developing Strong Grant Proposals An Overview for Beginners NAEHCY 2013

1. Developing Strong Grant ProposalsAn Overview for BeginnersNAEHCY 2013 Diana Bowman National Center for Homeless Education

2. Questions We’ll Address • What is a grant? • How do you select a grant to apply for? • How do you review a request for proposals? • How do you develop a strong proposal? • How do you become an successful grant writer?

3. What is a Grant? • Funder • Funder’s idea or priorities: Purpose or vision for how the funder wants the money spent • Entities eligible to apply • Requirements the recipient must meet (contractual relationship) The funder calls the shots!

4. What is a Grant? (Cont.) • Requirements • Application • Timeline • Allowable expenses • Reporting and evaluation • Usually competitive

5. What is a grant? (Cont.) Grant Philanthropy You have an idea (need) that you want a funder to support More awareness needed Relationship sells Personal approach More face-to-face Funds often have fewer requirements • You write to the funder’s idea • The proposal is what sells • Not as much relationship building • You follow the funder’s requirements • Your job is to convince the funder that • you will bring his/her vision to reality • you will be a good steward of the money • your idea is the best idea among other applications National Center for Homeless Education Hhtp://www.serve.org/nche SLIDE 5

6. How do you Find Grant Opportunities? • Online – research education grants from chains (Target, Wal-Mart, Office Depot) and from local businesses and foundations • Read the local newspaper for where organizations are getting funding • Look for “sponsor” information for events

7. How to Determine if you Should Apply? • What is the purpose of the grant? • Will the grant meet a need of my program? • Are you (your organization) eligible to apply? • How many grants do they award? • What have they funded in the past? • Do I have time and support to complete the application?

8. How to Determine if you Should Apply? • Consider cost-benefit analysis: what are the chances of winning if I put in the time and effort on an application? • Consider: is there a good intersection between the funder’s idea and my program’s need? • Don’t force fit your need into the grant purpose (mission creep)

9. Understanding the Application • What are the requirements? • Deadline for submission • Page/word limit, spacing • Allowable expenses (salaries, indirect, equipment, office support, transportation) • If in doubt, ask

10. Meet your Reviewers

11. Reviewers • Their job is to get through a lot of applications is a short amount of time • Initial screening for one missed instruction usually means that your proposal will be rejected Tip: Make a checklist of all requirements; provide to your internal reviewers.

12. Developing the Proposal • Clear, EROR-FREE, succinct writing • Make it readable, don’t try to save space with a smaller font or dense text. • Provide all the information requested • Don’t make reviewers dig for information • Logical order (reflected in the rfp) • Section headers • No unexplained abbreviations or jargon

13. Developing the Proposal • Use good judgment for what you need to create awareness and keeping the application tight • Use data • Use charts, graphs, flow charts, and visuals that communicate a lot of information quickly

14. Sizzle and spark It’s all about persuasion: • You bring energy and creativity that will make the funder look good. • Your outcomes are the funder’s outcomes; your agency is committed and excited about achieving them. • Your program is well-conceived, doable, and will achieve the expected results. • Your staff has excellent qualifications and will get the job done efficiently and effectively. • The funds will be managed carefully and used wisely.

15. Red Flag Phrases • “We will make every effort to …” • “Research has proven that …” • “We will collaborate with …” • “We hope that …” • “TBD”

16. Logic and Alignment of Ideas Your proposal must be logical and explicit. “I think you should be more explicit here in step two.”

17. Alignment of All Parts Funder Priorities Need Goals/Objectives Activities Results Budget National Center for Homeless Education Hhtp://www.serve.org/nche SLIDE 17

18. Logic Model Thinking Apply “if-then” test to all components of the proposal For information on logic models, download the Logic Model Development Guide from W.K. Kellogg Foundation, www.wkkf.org

19. Articulating the Need • Problem statement that relates to funder priorities • Based on data, not rhetoric – focus on local data • Visual and understandable (tables, graphs, charts) • Include only what’s most important; avoid “data overload” • Show the gap between “what is” & “what should be” • Provide context • Describe challenges, but be positive about potential • Only discuss needs that your project will actually do something to address

20. Project Objectives • Results that beneficiaries will exhibit, not activities that the project will carry out • Clearly connected to the needs – by meeting its objectives, the project will reduce the gap described between “what is” and “what should be” • Concrete, realistic, achievable • Can be measured credibly and reliably

21. Identify the Appropriate Objective Statement(s) • Objective 1: Set up three computers with reading and math tutoring software at the Pathways Shelter for middle school students. • Objective 2: Ninety percent of the middle school students who participate will demon-strate at least a five-point increase in reading and mathematics achievement. • Objective 3: Get reluctant learners excited about mathematics.

22. Project Activities • Focus on obtaining the results stated in the project objectives • Specific plan – who, what, when, where. Can the funder tell how the money will be used? • Project management, personnel, and partners. Does the project have the capacity (experience, expertise, time commitment) to execute its plan?

23. Budget • Itemized, detailed budget (including explana-tion of how calculated figures were obtained) • All budget items are explicitly connected to project activities • All expenses are allowable in the funding guidelines • Costs are reasonable; no “padding” • Include and explain any other support for the project (in-kind or matching funds)

24. Project evaluation • How will you know if your activities are having the desired results? • Directly linked to project objectives – evaluation is the measurement of the results listed in the objectives. • Describe what data will be collected, when, and who will do it. • What data will be used to keep the project on-track (formative evaluation)?

25. How to Become an Effective Grant Writer • Write proposals – work with experienced grant writers when possible • Take a grantwriting workshop (look into free offerings); explore online resources • When not accepted, ask to see reviewer comments • Volunteer to review proposals • Cultivate your “cranky reviewer” alter ego to review your own proposals

26. Your Proposal’s Job is to Assure the funder that: • You understand their interests and priorities • Their money will meet a real need related to their interests and priorities • You are experienced, credible, and can do what you say you’ll do • You have a clear focus on results; they will get “bang for their bucks” • You are fiscally responsible; their money will be spent well

27. Presenter Info Diana Bowman, Director National Center for Homeless Education dbowman@serve.org 336-315-7453 www.serve.org/nche