CAP 103: CAP 103: Write a Winning Grant Proposal !Write a Winning Grant Proposal !

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

• Distinguish between a project, operating or capital grant• Use funders' guidelines as a map to a successful application• Identify what funders are looking for and how they measure

success• Understand the politics of grantmaking, what the guidelines

don't tell you• List the factors to consider when working with a proposal

writing consultant• Determine who needs to provide input, feedback, and approval

for your proposal• Decide whether to “go it alone” or “plan in partnership” with

other agencies• Describe the importance of avoiding "mission drift"• Create a proposal outline• Create a proposal summary statement

Agenda

1. Welcome / Intro2. Types of Funding3. The Grant Proposal – Upfront Considerations & Sample

Assessment Criteria Exercise 1: Thinking Like a Funder – Proposal

Evaluation What the Guidelines Don’t Tell You To partner or not to partner Avoiding Mission Drift

4. Getting Started: Creating a Working Outline5. Writing an Effective Proposal Summary

Exercise 2: Practicing & Enhancing your Own Proposal Summary

6. Additional Sources of Funding / Resource Information 7. Wrap Up / Close

Types of Grant Funding

Project Grant A one time initiative with a defined

timeframe May have several deliverables

Operating Grant Support of an ongoing program Support for administrative costs

Capital Grant Renovation and construction Equipment purchases

Thinking Like a Funder -- Evaluation Criteria

Goals & Outcomes Community Base Involvement Collaboration / Partnering Value / Benefit / Impact to the Community Organizational Background Implementation Plan & Schedule Financial Considerations Reporting & Evaluation Risks Situations that May Require Additional Explanation

Goals & Outcomes

• Clear and specific ?

• Is the type of funding sought defined ?

• Is there alignment of Goals & Outcomes with: Agency’s mission * The funder’s granting objectives

• Are goals SMART?

* Is there ‘mission drift’ associated with funding request?

Practice 1 -Thinking Like a Funder

Turn to Page 10 in Participant Workbook 1.

Working in groups complete Exercise 1 – Goal & Objective

Community Base Involvement

Is the target population clearly defined?What is the scope of community involvement?

Design, planning, implementation, etc Roles & responsibilities

How is the project structured? Top down / agency driven Community / consumer led

Is there outreach to isolated groups?What, if any, is the role of business, local gov’t, service

providers?

Collaboration / Partnering

• Are partners needed? • Who are the partners? Fit?• Shared Vision?• Equal Investment? How?• History of collaboration? With whom? Outcome? • Reputation?• What do they bring to the project?• What grants are they applying for?• Are logical partnerships considered? Why? Why not?

Value / Benefit / Impact to the Community

Is the proposed project: ‘Needed’? Proactive or reactive? New or a continuation of another project? Well researched? A real benefit to the community? A model for similar initiatives?

Is the proposal written in a way to gain attention in a positive way?

Organizational Background (Structure, History, Reputation)

1. Does proposal demonstrate organizational alignment? Board skills, leadership, policies and activities

2. How confident are we in the organization’s ability to implement the project if funded explained?

(skills, resources, time, experience)

3. Has we funded this agency in the past .. What were the outcomes, and achievements related to

timely reporting, achieving deadlines and budget?

4. What is community perception of the agency?

5. Does agency support diversity through its programs?

Implementation Plan & Schedule

1. Does project plan include details related to: Project scope Key milestones Activities & timelines for completion Resources (appropriate #, roles defined, etc) Reporting Plan

2. Is there clear alignment b/w goals, outcomes, activities, resources and budget?

Practice -Thinking Like a Funder

Turn to Page 11 &12 in Participant Workbook 1. Working in groups complete Exercise 2 – Schedule and Exercise 3

– Resource Plan

Financial Considerations

• Agency’s financial viability & history• Does the agency have financial capacity &

accountability systems to make good use of funds?

• Are financial statements prepared regularly?• Are financial statements regularly reviewed by

the board or subcommittee?

Financial Considerations Cont’d

• Is budget realistic to cover activities / costs?• Is the budget:

detailed, realistic, accurate, complete, thorough

• Are other funding sources confirmed?• What line items is the funder being asked to fund?

Are there other funders?• Can the project succeed with this funding?• Can any budget items be replaced by community

contributions?

Reporting & Evaluation

• What criteria will be used to measure success?• Quantitative & qualitative measurements?• Is there an evaluation plan?• Who is involved in the evaluation?• When will evaluation occur?• Is there a plan for sharing learning with others?• Is it clear how the funder and agency will know if

the project is successful?

Practice -Thinking Like a Funder

Turn to Page 13 in Participant Workbook 1. Working in groups complete Exercise 4 - Evaluation

Risks

1. What are the risks of funding this proposal? Risks to: Organization /agency Community Funder

2. Who will be happy / unhappy if this proposal IS funded by this funder?

3. What headlines will be generated?

4. What are the risks of not funding this proposal?

5. Who will be happy / unhappy if this proposal is not funded by this funder?

6. What headlines will be generated?

Red Flags

Significant budget surplus or deficit in a given year

Significant accumulated surplus or deficit

Financial statements with unusual circumstances• Loans, unpaid salaries, large amounts of short term

debit, overdue invoices, etc.

Large variations in revenues/ expenses

Narrow funding base for the organization

Size of grant request compared to agency’s annual budget

Tips & Best Practices

• Respond to questions in a clear, concise and comprehensive manner • Be specific• Use statistics effectively• Present information in an easy to read format (table, matrix, chart, graph)• Show commitment• Write in an active vs passive voice• Check spelling & grammar• Define acronyms and terms• Ensure statements can be substantiated• Provide evidence • Avoid words like, “could or should”• Showing support and matching funds from the community makes a

stronger case• Follow guidelines with respect to font size, # of pages, type style• Organize the proposal in the same sequence requested/outlined by the

funder • Use the same language and terms as the funder• Read criteria carefully … ensure answers address the questions that are

asked• Ensure the final proposal reads as if it were written by one person

Practice

Working in your groups respond to the criteria outlined below for the same proposal we have been working on throughout the class.

Criteria: Describe the materials that will be produced during the development phase of the project (worth 15 points).

Time: 20 minutes

Getting Started: Creating a Working Outline

Key Concepts to Remember:

1. The key to a great proposal is the effort that goes into the thinking and planning stages.

2. A “thoroughly planned project” has a higher success rate than one poorly conceived.

3. Grant reviewers read many proposals and develop the ability to easily see through a well-written but poorly planned proposal.

Getting Started: Creating a Working Outline

Purpose Helps with planning & organizing information Forms the foundation to engage consultants,

approach potential partners or pose questions to funders

Value of a Working Outline Delegate sections to others to research and

draft content *

* Note: The final proposal should appear to be written by a single author

Working Outline – Best Practice

The person with overall responsibility for the proposal must:

have a thorough understanding of the entire proposal be able to speak knowledgeably about every aspect

and item in the document

If you engage a consultant to write the proposal they will require the information that follows to prepare the proposal in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner.

The Working Outline

The ‘outline’ should include the following items:

1. Organizational background / Overview2. Proposal / Executive Summary3. Project Description

How the project will be implemented (activities / tasks / timelines)

Reporting (qualitative and quantitative measures)4. Other Sources of Funding (if applicable)5. Budget – Major line items and costs6. Current Financial Situation 7. Concluding summary

Note: Each funder may have slightly different requirements. Check before you start.

Creating the “Proposal / Executive Summary”

If available, use the format defined by the funder

Include all essential information identified by the funder

Make it clear, concise, comprehensive and easy to understand

Creating the “Proposal / Executive Summary”

Answer the questions:

How much, by when, what, how, for whom and results to be achieved

? + timeframe + action verb + activities + for whom + results / outcomes

Elements of the Proposal Summary

Element Definition Examples

$ Total dollar value of the grant request $35,000

Timeline Number of months or years of the grant request

Over 10 months

Over 3 years

Action Verb Use an active voice.

Avoid using a passive voice “toward the creation of”, or “for the support of”.

“To help support the creation of”

“Toward creating”

Elements of the Proposal Summary

Element Definition Examples

Activities Describes proposed activities in a clear and simple manner

• do not list all activites

• avoid jargon and abbreviation

• to improve accessibility

• to repair

• to establish a volunteer shuttle

Whom The recipients or people who will benefit from the proposed activities

• for seniors requiring medical treatment

Outcomes Measures of success:

• how you will know your project has met its objectives

• improved fitness levels of preschool age children in Ajax

Examples of Summary Statements

$43,000 over 2 years toward creating new playgrounds to improve fitness levels of preschool aged children in Ajax

$78,000 over 8 months to repair and renovate the Markham Community Centre to improve accessibility and safety of this highly used neighbourhood facility

Exercise 5: Creating / Enhancing your Own Proposal Summary

Using the materials in your workbook as a guide, create / enhance your own proposal summary.

EXERCISE – Create your own Summary Statements

Using the elements of a proposal summary, create a summary statement for a grant you are applying for

Be prepared to share with the group

Learning Outcomes

Having completed this program you should now be able to:

• Distinguish between a project, operating or capital grant• Use funders' guidelines as a map to a successful application• Identify what funders are looking for and how they measure

success• Understand the politics of grantmaking, what the guidelines

don't tell you• List the factors to consider when working with a proposal

writing consultant• Determine who needs to provide input, feedback, and approval

for your proposal• Decide whether to “go it alone” or “plan in partnership” with

other agencies• Describe the importance of avoiding "mission drift"• Create a proposal outline• Create a proposal summary statement

CAP 103: CAP 103: Write a Winning Grant Proposal !Write a Winning Grant Proposal !