Tips and Tools for Writing Your Community Connections Grant Proposal

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Tips & Tools for WritingYour Grant Proposal

Kenneth Steinman, PhD, MPHkjsteinman@gmail.com

Community Connections WorkshopGahanna, OHApril 20, 2012

Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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Letter of Intent

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• the type(s) of family violence, and the target population(s) your project will address• the specific factors contributing to family violence that you hope your project will influence• a description of your approach, including what you will do and who, when and where you will do it• a summary of any evidence that suggests your approach will have the intended influence on the factors you identify• a description of how any other community partners will collaborate on the project• a statement of the project’s approximate cost

Background/Significance

Letter of Intent

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• the type(s) of family violence, and the target population(s) your project will address• the specific factors contributing to family violence that you hope your project will influence• a description of your approach, including what you will do and who, when and where you will do it• a summary of any evidence that suggests your approach will have the intended influence on the factors you identify• a description of how any other community partners will collaborate on the project• a statement of the project’s approximate cost

Approach

Letter of Intent

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• the type(s) of family violence, and the target population(s) your project will address• the specific factors contributing to family violence that you hope your project will influence• a description of your approach, including what you will do and who, when and where you will do it• a summary of any evidence that suggests your approach will have the intended influence on the factors you identify• a description of how any other community partners will collaborate on the project• a statement of the project’s approximate cost

Organizational capacity

Letter of Intent

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• the type(s) of family violence, and the target population(s) your project will address• the specific factors contributing to family violence that you hope your project will influence• a description of your approach, including what you will do and who, when and where you will do it• a summary of any evidence that suggests your approach will have the intended influence on the factors you identify• a description of how any other community partners will collaborate on the project• a statement of the project’s approximate cost

How to list evidence

Letter of Intent

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• the type(s) of family violence, and the target population(s) your project will address• the specific factors contributing to family violence that you hope your project will influence• a description of your approach, including what you will do and who, when and where you will do it• a summary of any evidence that suggests your approach will have the intended influence on the factors you identify• a description of how any other community partners will collaborate on the project• a statement of the project’s approximate cost

Budget

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FamilyViolence

Risk factor

Risk factor

Consequence

Consequence

Consequence

the problem

contributingfactor #1

contributingfactor #2

program component #1

program component #2

program component #3

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

CCGPfunds

Other support

Logic Model

Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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» Define the problem˃ Specific

˃ Measurable

» Define the population˃ Who? Where?

˃ Be specific

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Problem statement

Perhaps too vague

» Domestic violence

» Child maltreatment

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This program will reduce...Specific

» Dating violence

» Child neglect

» Financial exploitation of elders

Perhaps too vague

» Teens in SE Ohio

» Children in our county

» Women in our county

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…among…Specific

» 10th – 12th graders in Scioto county

» Children ages 0-3 in our county

» Community-dwelling seniors in Canton

» Low income women, ages 35-64 in Xenia

» Yes, FV is complex˃ “I cannot do everything, but I can do something.”

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Contributing Factors

» Important˃ related to the problem

» Changeable˃ that $5,000 can change

˃ smaller changes in many people

˃ bigger changes in fewer people

» Measurable˃ so you (and others) can tell if your approach works 15

Pick 2-4 factors

the problem

contributingfactor #1

contributingfactor #2

program component #1

program component #2

program component #3

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

CCGPfunds

Other support

Logic Model

Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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Approach» specific

» must link to all selected contributing factors

» e v i d e n c e

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Writing process objectives» Specific, measurable activities

» Who, what, where, by when?

Between 5/1 and 5/15/13, project staff will display at least 1 poster on financial elder abuse at 35 bank branches in Trumbull and Mahoning counties

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This grant program has three goals. By December 31, 2012, the program will:

1. enable 50 organizations that serve communities in the HealthPath service area to write grant proposals for projects using best and promising practices in family violence prevention;

2. enable 40 organizations serving communities in the HealthPath service area to use best and promising practices to promote family violence prevention; and

3. engage 25 volunteers from organizations in the HealthPath service area to become involved in reviewing grant proposals.

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Link to contributing factors» “program theory”

Between 5/1 and 5/15/13, project staff will display at least 1 poster on financial elder abuse at 35 bank branches in Trumbull and Mahoning counties. This will address bank tellers’ limited awareness of elder financial exploitation.

the problem

contributingfactor #1

contributingfactor #2

program component #1

program component #2

program component #3

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

CCGPfunds

Other support

Logic Model

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E v i d e n c e» show me, don’t just tell me

» what evidence suggests this activity actually influences this contributing factor?˃ Research studies (www.cdc.gov)

˃ Awards/Nominations

˃ Agency reports

˃ Personal communication

Outline» Background/Significance

˃ Problem statement

˃ Contributing factors your program will influence

» Approach˃ How will your approach influence contributing factors

˃ Process objectives

» Organizational capacity˃ Individuals, agencies, partners

» Budget˃ Other support

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Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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Organizational Capacity» Are the individuals responsible for

implementing the program well-qualified?

» Is the applicant agency well-suited to implement the proposed activities?

» Does the applicant agency make the best possible use of collaborative partners?

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Collaborative partners» Who are they?

» Exactly what will they contribute?

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Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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How to list evidence» show, don’t tell

˃ Cite!˃ “Research1 shows that the program…”

» “suggested citation”» authors’ (or agency’s) names, year, and

place of publication.» URL (if available)

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Outline

» Background/Significance

» Approach

» Organizational capacity

» How to list evidence

» Budget

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the problem

contributingfactor #1

contributingfactor #2

program component #1

program component #2

program component #3

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

CCGPfunds

Other support

Logic Model

Budget» Be specific

» What monies to which components?

» Most may go to personnel

» Consider in-kind donations˃ Monetize

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Examples

Less child abuseand neglect

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

Communityawareness of

problem locally

Community beliefthat problem

can be prevented

CCGPfunds

Local FCFC

donatesexpertise,

connections and time

Endorsementsfrom mayors,

baseball coaches, local newspapers

Pinwheels For Prevention

in central location

Ribbon campaign onChild Abuse

Prevention Day

financial abuse

of elders

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

Local bankspermit display

and distribution of

materials

Local senior centers

donate meeting space;

newsletter space

Local bank tellers’ ability to identify warning signs of vulnerability; available

resources

Local seniors’ ability to identify warning signs of vulnerability; available

resources

Local adult children of seniors’ ability to identify

warning signs of vulnerability; available

resources

CCGP funds

Flyers distributed through Meals on

Wheels

Media campaignthrough local banks

Speaker series on financial abuse of

elders

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Sample proposal

Less teen dating

violenceamong

high schoolstudents

Process Outcomes ImpactInputs

Teensknowledge/skills

for how to respond

Community’scultural acceptance

of domestic violence

Teens’cultural acceptanceof dating violence

Train local teachersto implement Safe Dates

ImplementSafe Dates

in 2 high schools

Schoolsprovides

teachers,classroom

time

Social media campaign

to publicizeSafe Dates

CCGPfunds

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Questions/Comments

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Thank you

contributing factorThanks for volunteering! Here’s a brainstorming exercise…

Identify a specific problem in a specific population that you might want to address through this grant.

The problem:

The population:

Describe a contributing factor that has all of the following characteristics: (a) it contributes significantly to the problem in this population; (b) it could be changed through this grant; and (c) it would be feasible to measure these changes.

Example of a contributing factor:

process objectiveThanks for volunteering! Here’s a(nother) brainstorming exercise…

So you have an idea of what you want to do!? In the space below, describe one specific, measurable activity that you plan to complete as part of the project. This process objective must include a deadline and indicate who is responsible for implementing the activity. As much as possible, it should also include details, such as number of participants, location, etc. that you could use to assess whether the program is being implemented as planned.

Process objective:

Extra credit:Describe at least one contributing factor that the activity should influence. The contributing factor should have all of the following characteristics: (a) it contributes significantly to the ultimate family violence problem in this population; (b) it could be changed through this grant; and (c) it would be feasible to measure these changes.

Example of a contributing factor: