Grant Proposal Writing Handbook

Grant Proposal Writing Handbook

Table of Contents GRANT FLOW CHART 3 BEFORE YOU WRITE YOUR PROPOSAL 4 PROJECT DEVELOPMENT CHECKLIST 5 WRITING THE PROPOSAL 6 PROPOSAL COMPONENT CHECKLIST 7 WRITING TIPS 8 TOP TEN REASONS GRANT PROPOSALS FAIL 8 WAITING FOR THE RESULTS OF THE PROPOSAL 9 YOUR GRANT PROPOSSAL IS SELECTED FOR AWARD 10 INTERNET GRANT SEARCHES 11 GLOSSARY OF GRANT TERMS 12

GRANT FLOWCHART Identify Grant/Donation, Eligibility, & Funder Deadline Complete Manor ISD Permission to Apply Form Approval Submit Completed Proposal (10 Days before Funding Agency deadline) Notify Federal & State Programs Department when you receive any grant correspondance Upon receipt of check, notify the Federal & State Programs Office and submit the money to the Business Office.

Before You Write Your Proposal Having the need for financial resources is not enough, grants are awarded because of the innovative and competitive ideas for successful programs. Teachers are closest to the instruction of the students, but other members on a grant writing team can support and expand the ideas for the program. A grant writing team demonstrates a strong collaboration to the funder with a higher probability of program success. A grant writing team might include the following: Administrators Skills Specialists Librarians Specialists From Colleges Or Universities Support Staff Evaluators Grant writing teams can divide the writing and research tasks amongst the team. Data Collecting Needs Assessment Research Methods Timeline Evaluation Budget The RFP will give you specific instructions for the submission of the proposal and deadlines. Pay close attention to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for buzzwords. Buzzwords tell you what the funder cares about. They are telling you what they want to see in your proposal. Write a proposal that resonates with the funder. If you have a specific deadline date, check to see whether it is a receipt date or a postmark date. Try to mail your document so it arrives on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Most people receive less mail on those two days, so your proposal will be better noticed.

Project Development Checklist The checklist below will help you in defining the project and the process for implementing and evaluating. Needs Assessment: What is the target population? What are the needs/problems of the target population? What is the cause of the needs/problem? How has the need/problem been evaluated or measured and do you have data/documentation? What are the current approaches to addressing the need/problem? Goals: What is it that you ultimately hope to achieve with your project? What is the desired outcome? What are the measureable and time-specific steps that must happen to reach your goal? Why did you choose/create to the method to address the need/problem? Objectives: What is significant about the project/program? What are the qualifications of the staff? What resources are necessary to implement the project/program? Are there in-kind contributions? Are there indirect costs? Is the budget realistic? What is the minimum to operate the program/project? How does the project align with Manor ISD mission statement? Activity: The steps or implementation strategies to execute an objective. Who will implement the activities? How will they implement? When will they implement? Creating a timeline is the most important tools for activity information. Outcome: The final end point, objective or deliverable of your program. What specific outcomes will be achieved? How will you evaluate the effectiveness of your program? Why is your organization the best one to implement your proposed program? How will the program sustain, after the grant expires?

Writing the Proposal Cover Letter: Federal and State grants do not require a cover letter. Cover letters are only required for corporations and foundations. Cover Letter Use your organization s letterhead. Date on the cover letter should be the same as the application. Address the letter to a particular person. Your salutation should include their title and last name. First paragraph should include how much money you re requesting and why. Include a sentence about your organization does. Second and third paragraphs should briefly state your organization s purpose and how it fits with the funders priorities. End your letter with a summary paragraph about what this funding partnership can mean for your target audience. Close with Sincerely The letter should be signed by the contact person with their name and contact information included at the end of the last paragraph. At the bottom of the letter, include the word ENCLOSURE (in all caps). Abstract/Summary One Page Abstract, or summary, may be the only part that is read, when applications are being screened. One-page overview of what the grant reviewer will find in the full application. Should be written after the full proposal is complete so you have a clearer idea of what is to be summarized: Proposed initiative, target population, goals, measurements and performance targets, and plan of action. Introduction Statement This section creates an opportunity to engage the reader with a strong quote from a historical figure or powerful statement from a student. It clearly establishes who is applying. Describes the applicant s philosophy, purposes and goals. Describes the organization s programs. Describes the clients and constituents. Provides evidence of accomplishments and endorsements to establish overall credibility. The title of your program is the first descriptive an evaluator will read about your program. Consider these suggestions, when creating your title: Descriptive of your project. Avoid acronyms. Concise and easy to remember. Start with an active verb. Describe the outcome or results of the project. Ask an outsider to read the title of your program and give feedback. What does the title say to them?

Needs Assessment Statement: The needs assessment statement, clearly explains the problem to be solved by the proposed funding. Addresses how the needs were identified. Data such as testing scores Most grants will ask for number of students on free or reduced lunch, demographics of enrollment, and testing scores. Surveys should include the educational needs of the targeted population, which should include students, teachers and parents. Statement should specify needs for academic achievement, technology, professional development, and parental involvement. Program Goals and Objectives: The goal statement is the purpose of the project. The goal is the intended outcome of the proposed project. A grant project should only have one or two goals. Tie your goals and objectives to the Needs Statement. Include all relevant groups in your target population. Allow plenty of time to accomplish the objectives. Do not confuse outcomes for methods. If there is no way to measure the projected change, then the objective needs to be changed. Budget for the evaluation (measurement) of your objectives. Methods and Activities: Methods and activities should be tied to the objectives and needs statement. Link to resources you are requesting in the proposal budget. Layer activity phases to scaffold the program to the desired results. Include a timeline. Who will be served and how they will be chosen. The methods and activities should be clear in the purpose of the program. Outlines the project management. Often the lengthiest section of the proposal. Budget: The budget clearly delineates costs and expenditures. Don t pad your budget. The budget should be sufficient to support the activities and not excessive. Funders can spot a budget that is inflated. Make sure budgeted activities and materials are allowable expenses with the grant guidelines. Each budgeted item should be detailed in the proposal for the purpose, justification and how the cost was calculated. In-kind (donated) items in the budget need to be itemized. Budget for personnel including: wages, benefits, FICA, travel, and contracted services. Check Manor ISD travel policies and procedures, before planning grant related travel. If the grant allows for Indirect Costs, please contact the Federal & State Programs Department for current Texas Education Agency rates.

Evaluation Section: Determine if you are using an internal evaluation with your staff or contract an external evaluation. Foundations usually allow 5-10% of the total project budget for evaluation. Determine if you will use quantitative or qualitative methods for your data collection. Develop a good description and rationale for the grantor. What is the evaluation purpose? How will you use the findings? What will you know after the evaluation that you didn t know before? What will the information from the evaluation allow you to accomplish? How will the target population served be better as a result of the program? Plan for the Future of the Program: The funder may request how the program will be continued, after the grant expires. Appendix: (may be included to support proposal) Vitae of project director, key personnel or consultants. List of Board Members List of Advisory Committee Members Verification of Non-profit status Letters of commitment or support Newspaper or magazine articles, pictures, or favorable mentions about your organization. Maps Certifications Assurances Audited Financial Statements Be sure to check your math to avoid simple errors. The Federal & State Programs Department will be glad to help you with budgeting questions. Read the Request for Proposal and application for submission requirements and deadlines and required documentation so your grant will not be disqualified for non-compliance with the guidelines. When planning your project and writing your grant, keep Manor ISD policies and mission statement in mind. Follow district policies and funder guidelines. A DEADLINE IS A DEADLINE, NO EXTENSIONS ARE GIVEN.

Proposal Component Checklist Use this checklist to make sure you develop all the necessary sections and provide all vital information in your proposals. Cover Sheet: Either the funder s application form or a title page. Table of Contents: List of all sections and appendices, with pages numbered sequentially throughout the proposal. Numbering begins on page two. Do not number the first page. Abstract: One-page summary of the project Introduction: Background information on the applicant institution that establishes its qualifications and uniqueness. Needs Assessment: Statement and documentation of the problem to be addressed, expressed in terms of the target population. Goal: The desired outcome of the program that is expressed to link the project to the funder s interests. Objectives: Specific, measurable outcomes in the process that allow the project to meet its goal. Plan of Operation: Description of the project including activities, methodology, strategies, timetable, management and organization structure. Key Personnel: Responsibilities and qualifications of individuals who will carry out the project, including the Project Director, Principal, staff, evaluator, and collaborators. Institutional Commitment: Statement of the applicant s commitment to the project and capacity to carry it out. Expected Outcomes: Explanation of anticipated project results as they relate to objectives. Budget: Itemized list of program expenses with narrative justification for each. Evaluation: Plans for measuring results and achievement of objectives. Dissemination: Plans for sharing results with others in the field.

Writing Tips Study examples of good proposals and imitate good writers. Use active verbs, try to avoid be and have Transitional words and phrases can help connection among ideas. Use white space to break up the text by limiting paragraphs to an average 8 single space lines. Bullets, underlining, margins, charts, graphs and bold heading can make your proposal stand out amongst other proposals. Keep the language simple and be avoid the use of educational acronyms, explain in terms that non-educator evaluators could understand. Avoid fancy fonts and colored paper, many grant proposals require a specific font size and type. Be certain to read the instructions carefully. Spell check. Use spell check to look for spelling and grammar errors, but be alert that spell check will not correct the word too if you meant two. Follow the funder instructions for submission of the proposal. Some funders request additional copies or staples in the left-hand corner of the proposal. If the proposal is too thick, use a bulldog clip. Use white paper, 8.5 X 11, 20 weight bond paper. Use a manila envelope large enough to accommodate the proposal without folding or bending the document. Proofread your proposal several times and ask others in your profession, subject area and outside of education to read. Are there any misspelled words? Did any words get transposed due to cutting and pasting? Are sentences punctuated properly? Are all numbers and computations accurate? Top Ten Reasons Grant Proposals Fail 1. The Proposal narrative did not adhere to directions. 2. The grant was not submitted by the deadline. 3. The proposal idea was unclear or unrealistic. 4. The budget amount is not consistent throughout the grant. 5. The budget is not justified in the narrative. 6. The program is poorly designed. 7. The proposal is missing attachments. 8. The amount of the budget exceeds the needs of the program. 9. Your community does not have the highest need. 10. A similar project was submitted for the same grant and the funder can only fund one.

Waiting for the Results of the Proposal Don t begin purchasing or hiring for your program, before you know if you ve been funded. The time for notification can take weeks or months, be patient. When you haven't heard from the funder and it is past the expected announcement date, contact the Federal & State Programs Department and they will contact the funder, since it is likely that we have multiple applicants from the district. Please refrain from contacting the funding agency, unless they call you requesting information. Sometimes the funding agency notifies the applicant directly. If you receive a letter of award or denial, please pass on that information. If you receive a check from the funder, the check must be given to the MISD Business Office with a copy of the letter of award. If your grant is not awarded, sometimes the funder will offer feedback and scores to help you improve your project development and grant writing skills. It is disappointing, when a grant is not awarded. Grants are very competitive and not every proposal is chosen. Do not take it personally, not every grant is funded. Don t give up! You ve begun learning the process for writing grants and will continue to improve your skills. Get together with your grant writing team and look at the comments about your proposal. The information will provide insight into the strengths and weaknesses of your proposal.

Your Grant Proposal is Selected for Award The check and letter of award need to be hand delivered to the Financial Services Annex. If the awarded amount is less than you requested, you will need to modify your project. If necessary, meet with your project team to modify the budget, make cuts and changes to fit the awarded amount. Keep contact information for the funder to send program reports, evaluations and budget receipts. Ask what reports will be required, terms, conditions and report deadline for the funder. The account is established by the Federal & State Programs Department and your campus bookkeeper will receive access. Order supplies through your campus bookkeeper. Arrange for facilities and equipment, hire staff, publicize you program and begin setting up the program implementation. Secure contracts, background checks for contracted staff. Materials awarded through a grant are property of Manor ISD. Materials are to be used by the teacher/program for which they were intended. The materials will remain at the awarded campus for the implementation of the program. Upon completion of the program, the materials will remain on campus for the benefit of the students. If the grant is a federal or state grant, the Federal & State Programs Department will work with you to manage the grant and reports. Be a good manager of your grant. Document staff sign-in sheets, time cards, budget, and roll sheets of program participants. Stay current on details. Goals and objectives must be met. Stakeholders are expecting a timeline with reports on objectives. Address problems before they become a crisis. Contact your supervisor and the Federal & State Programs Department early to find solutions. We will be glad to help you. The Federal & State Programs Department is the mediator between the grantee and the funder. Contact our office, if you have a question about your grant. We will have the information or can access the information to answer your questions. Follow district policies and funder s guidelines. If you don t know what to do, please contact the Federal & State Programs Department. For a new employee to Manor ISD or a veteran, information for grants can be confusing. Using the handbook will give you a general overview and the FSP Department is available to help you.

Internet Grant Searches The websites below offer a free resource for searching available grants. School Grants: This website provides samples of grant proposals, newsletters and grant opportunities for the kids PK-12th grade. http://www.schoolgrants.org Grant Wrangler: Find grants, awards by grade level, subject area, or deadline. K-12. http://www.grantwrangler.com/ The Federal Register: This website will link you to the Federal Registry of various government departments and the programs they are currently funding. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/collection.action?collectioncode=fr Texas Education Agency: On the left hand side of the website there is a link for Funding. Click on the link and it will take you to links for Federal and State funding, grant organizations, endowments, and others. www.tea.state.tx.us Grants for Teachers: This website has a registry where you can search grants by state and subject area. You can sign up for a newsletter and grant alerts in addition to grant writing resources via Teacher Planet. www.grants4teachers.com Philanthropy News Digest: Postings of philanthropic articles, opportunities and funding for various causes, not all of them are education based. http://foundationcenter.org/pnd/rfp/rfp_search_results.jhtml Donors Choose: Teachers can post to receive donations for their classroom projects or specific items they might need. Donors go to the website and donate for specific projects. www.donorschoose.org National Education Foundation: Click on Grants for Educators to search grants by state, school, grade level, or subject. http://www.neafoundation.org/pages/educators/grant-programs/grant-applications U.S. Department of Justice: The DOJ agencies listed below also have sites that provide grant information specific to that agency. Examples of what can be found on these sites are programs, funding opportunities, application assistance, and other useful information. www.usdoj.gov/index.html Grants Alert.com: You can search for Federal, Corporate, State, Foundations and Fellowships. www.grantsalert.com U.S. Department of Education: Grants, publications and teaching resources. www2.ed.gov/fund/landing.jhtml

Glossary of Grant Terms Budget: a plan for anticipated expenditures, activities, and accomplishments stated primarily in fiscal terms. Consortium: a group of organizations sharing in the administration and/or finances of a single grant. Deadline: a date by which a grant proposal or contract must be submitted or received. Donor: a person who makes contributions to an organization. DUNS Number: Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) provides a D-U-N-S Number, a unique identification number for each Physical location of your business. Your campus DUNS number can be provided upon request. Grant: a type of award that is supportive in character, given for a specific purpose, yet permitting the recipient Considerable latitude in determining what is to be done, for whom, when, how much, and within limits, at what Cost. Grantee: the individual, group, or organization that is the recipient of a grant award. Guidelines: general information on how to complete a proposal and specification on the issues that must be addressed in a grant proposal or application. Employer Identification Number (EIN): The Employer Identification Number, also known as a Federal Tax Identification number, can be provided upon request. Indirect Costs: a budget item that refers to the costs incurred by the grantee that are difficult to itemize, but that can legitimately be charged to the program. In-Kind Contributions: goods or services one already has that can be used to implement the program counted as a fiscal contribution for matching funds. Matching Funds: grant that require a matching amount to be contributed by the grantee. See In-Kind Contributions. Networking: interaction among people belonging to interconnected or interrelated groups. Project Director: the person responsible for the supervising project operation, keeping records, and reporting to the funding source. Proposal: a written plan of action describing what is to be done, for what purpose, how, by whom, when and at what cost. Request for Application/RFA: an announcement by a funding agency that is accepted proposals to accomplish a specific objective. Request for Proposal/RFP: an announcement by a funding agency that is accepting proposal with specific guidelines for qualifying, applying, deadlines, reporting and outcome goals. Site Visit: visit made by one or more members of the funding committee to the grant seeking organization in order to gain information and details on the applicant s ability to implement a successful program.