1. Evaluating proposals: How do you choose between so
many good programs ?
DVG presentation October 6, 2011
Laura Kind McKenna
Managing Trustee
The Patricia Kind Family Foundation
With thanks to Louis J. Beccaria, Ph.D. President / CEO
Phoenixville Community Health Foundation
for sharing his presentation and cartoons

2. “It is more difficult to give away money intelligently than to earn it in the first place.”
- Andrew Carnegie,

3. “Your grant proposal was so good I’m having my book club read it.”

4. “What follows is an overview of the project.
Attachments are being shipped UPS.”

5. “It’s not all bad. They want to publish my grant proposal as a work of fiction.”

6. We have read your proposal and are giving it serious consideration.

7. Why Guidelines Help Improve the foundation’s stewardship
Enable more efficient proposal evaluation
Promote fairness in proposal evaluation
Allows for exceptions, when required
Promotes grantmaking impact and effectiveness
Protect trustee/directors and staff from inappropriate requests
Project an image of professionalism and organization

8. Developing Guidelines
Start with your Mission Statement… hopefully you have one by now
Then consider:
Geography
Specific funding areas
Grantee’s budget size
Fields of interest of the foundation
Types of grants awarded/not entertained
multi-year
matching/challenges
Capital
program specific
general operations
capacity building
other

9. The next thing is to determine your grantmaking process
frequency of distribution meetings; determines deadlines
by invitation or open-access
letter of intent or full proposal
common application form or not / on-line application
phone calls / office visits / site visits
frequency of grant request submissions
turndowns
decision making process
grant agreements

10. On-line Grant Application
Began using Foundant’s Grant Management System at the end of 2009 for applications beginning in January 2010.
All information is online – application, grant letters, end of year reports.

11. Patricia Kind Family Foundation Guidelines
The mission of the Foundation is to financially support non-profit organizations that help children, adults, and seniors obtain basic human needs, including food, shelter, clothing, education, and physical and mental health care. We are especially committed to helping individuals and families who struggle daily with the effects of poverty. The Foundation is family managed and believes strongly in the importance of supporting families.
The Foundation is interested in encouraging practical, caring solutions to community problems by supporting preventive and direct service efforts. The Patricia Kind Family Foundation operates no programs of its own, but performs its mission by funding proven approaches from non-profit organizations. Foundation grants are made only to organizations operating in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Bucks, Delaware or Chester counties that are tax exempt under Section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Priority will be given to smaller organizations with budgets under $1 million who have the potential to make a difference. These organizations are encouraged to apply for general operating money.
Excluded from the Foundation’s funding priorities are grants in direct support of individuals, i.e., scholarships or fellowships; endowments; and capital projects.

12. Evaluating proposals Clear, concise and to the point!
Organization’s mission statement
Brief history of the organization
Information about activities, accomplishments and people associated with the organization
Highlight the organization’s niche or specialty, But watch out for claims that “We are the only…”
Describe how clients/community benefit from the organization’s work

13. Goals and Objectives What are you going to do?
What are you doing to address the problems you have identified?
How will we know if you have addressed the problem (objective)?
Goals may be broad (e.g., promote physical, emotional, social, and spiritual wholeness for homeless families)
Objectives must be specific, measurable and time-limited (by June 30, 2008 provide services to 12 homeless mothers with 3 to 6 children…including case management, rental assistance and a parenting program for 12 to 18 months)
Both goals and objectives should be realistic and attainable

14. Evaluation Section Outputs vs. Outcomes
Assessment measures should be built into the program at the program design stage. Track what you can actually measure – don’t generalize or hope to accomplish.
Keep it simple but tell us what you are actually going to do and measure
Evaluation measures should be directly related to each objective noted in the proposal
Ideally, evaluation should address qualitative as well as quantitative aspects of the program
Should demonstrate some prospect for meaningful practical impact on the problem(s) being addressed

15. Budget Section Look at two major sections: Revenue (money in)
are they diverse, on-going, and likely to continue
Expenses (money out)
Salaries / benefits
Operating expenses
Should be as specific as possible – organizational and project budget, if applicable
Should include any in-kind contributions involved in the program
Include a budget narrative as an attachment to explain difficult-to-understand (everything?) or “red-flag” items
Should reflect reasonable costs in your market area
Should contain a reasonable amount (e.g., 10-15%) for administrative overhead expense

16. Additional Information
List of major current funders and pending requests
Should demonstrate planning for the program’s future financial sustainability
Should include, if possible, mention of self-generated income; e.g., fees, special event income, annual fund allocation
List of Board members and their community functions

17. Red Flags Decrease in annual revenue Rising expenses Operating deficit
Cash flow problems on a regular basis
Lack of diversity in revenue – large and dependent on one funder
Late audits – no more than 6 months after the close of the fiscal year
Recent changes in management – no ED for a period of time
Decrease client demand for services
Gaps in financial reporting
Delays in providing requested information

18. Site Visits If a picture is worth a thousand words
a site visit is worth a million
The Patricia Kind Family Foundation believes that a site visit is the most important part of any proposal review

19. Components for Conducting a Good Site Visit
Be prepared
Don’t waste your time or the grantee’s (respect). Read the proposal in advance. If you have questions or want further information, ask for it beforehand. Know who you want to meet with. The person who wrote the proposal may not be the “hands on” program person.
See the program in action
View relationships between the staff as well as staff/client interaction.
Time
60 to 90 minutes. No grand tours or a fancy luncheon, although a cup of coffee is always appreciated.
Clear expectations
Let grantees know site visits are done on all proposals, does not guarantee funding, but on the other hand don’t waste their time and yours if request is really outside of guidelines.

20. Components for Conducting a Good Site Visit
Come prepared with questions
Move around after you talk, see beyond the director’s office
Check out seemingly unrelated physical aspects:
is the place clean, well lit, graffiti free? (this indicates, attention to detail, pride in work)
does there seem to be an underlying organization to the physical plant?
does the space function appropriately?

21. Components for Conducting a Good Site Visit (cont.)
Check out relationships between and among staff and clients:
does the boss pass the ball and encourage staff to speak? (this indicates appropriate delegation of duties as well as trust)
do the staff know each other and clients? (this indicates good morale and, probably, good working relations)
look for body language messages
Check out connections between what people wrote to you in the proposal and what they say:
are the staff who will carry out the work described in the proposal familiar with it?
does the written description match what you are seeing and hearing?

22. Components for Conducting a Good Site Visit (cont.)
Do you detect the presence of “plants,” i.e. people placed in your path specifically to say wonderful things?
Is your visit overly scripted or under planned?
Be prepared to give credit to the FEELING you get on the visit. Such feelings are often more reliable than the statistics or words in the written materials.
At the end of the visit, after leaving, immediately take notes. Come to a conclusion: did the visit inspire more confidence or did it diminish confidence and raise more questions?

23. How proposal review happens at The Patricia Kind Family Foundation
Approx. 60 requests arrive on-line by deadline (3x/year)
Read on line, almost half are screened by Grant manager and Managing trustee and denied (out of geographic area, budget too large, not close to mission….)
25-35 get site visits scheduled by at least two trustees.
When all visits are completed we independently rank them 1,2,3 with recommendations for funding. #1 is best
Recommendations for funding and amount shared with full Board at meeting, who generally accept recommendations

24. Thanks to Patricia Kind , my mother, who taught me how to be a thoughtful grantmaker and has given me the opportunity to do this wonderful work