ITA Grant Writing Workshop Rob Tassinari – National RTAP December 8, 2009

Introduction National Rural Transit Assistance Program What we hope to accomplish today Free technical assistance Resource Center Understand principals of grant writing Understand requirements of TTP grant program Acquire skills to draft a successful grant proposal

THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL GRANT WRITING

Principals of Grant Writing Gather information Organize your ideas Read grant guidelines (Federal Register) Determine information needs Gather information Reread grant guidelines Identify main points, concept or theme What are the goals of the funding source? Develop broad concepts

Principals of Grant Writing Outline your proposal Don’t get bogged down What are the main sections of the proposal? What will you write about in each section? Check off sections of outline when completed Move to other part of outline if stuck Circle back to become clearer Alleviate feeling overwhelmed 5

Principals of Grant Writing No jargon Include human interest Clear and straight forward Understandable Use example stories about real events and people Make it compelling - create buy-in 6

Principals of Grant Writing Don’t exaggerate Simplify Describe manageable problems Propose doable solutions Stick to main points Present ideas concisely 7

Principals of Grant Writing Consider the Reviewer Revise, edit and clarify Follow the guidelines Make sure everything is in the right place Put it aside – let it cool Then go back and reread Does it make sense? Are there gaps? Get a second reader 8

Grant Writing Pitfalls Lack of focus Generalizations Incoherent budgets Avoid repeating exact phrases from the funder’s guidelines 9

TRIBAL TRANSIT PROGRAM

Tribal Transit Program General Information Program Goals Eligible Use of Funds Eligible Recipients Funding Availability Enhance access to public transportation Capital, operating, planning and administration Federally-recognized tribes or Alaska villages One year and multi-year subject to availability 11

Tribal Transit Program Gather Information Applicant name Dun and Bradstreet Number Contact information Name of person authorized to apply Evidence of legal, technical and financial capacity Budget Project description Project timeline Service area Population served Type of service Number and type of vehicle(s) Schedule 12

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity Project Information (Summary) 13

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Application Evaluation based on: Project Planning and Coordination Demonstration of Need Project Benefits Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity 14

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Application Evaluation Project Planning and Coordination 15

Tribal Transit Program Project Planning Outline – Need for Study No more than three pages. Need for and general scope of the proposed study. Is the tribe committed to planning for transit? Is the scope of the proposed study for tribal transit? 16

Tribal Transit Program Project Planning Outline How was the project developed? What were the outcomes? Transportation plan Study Meetings Transit system description Service area Coordination 17

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Application Evaluation Project Planning and Coordination Demonstration of Need 18

Tribal Transit Program Demonstration of Need Outline Answering all the Questions What is the need? How project addresses need? Poverty level Lack of transportation options Access to Medical/Education/Employment What are the proposed routes? What is the proposed schedule? What is the proposed coordination? 19

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Application Evaluation Project Planning and Coordination Demonstration of Need Project Benefits 20

Tribal Transit Program Project Benefits Outline Identify expected benefits Will there be increased mobility? Will there be multimodal accessibility? What are the economic development, jobs impact? Will there be decreased fossil fuel? 21

Tribal Transit Program Project Benefits Outline (continued) Identify expected benefits What are the number of daily trips? What are the ridership projections? Will it coordinate with other programs and/or transit? What types of recording and reporting techniques (Rural National Transit Database)? 22

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Application Evaluation Project Planning and Coordination Demonstration of Need Project Benefits Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity 23

Tribal Transit Program Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity Outline Other funding sources? What are the staff’s skills and knowledge? Federal grants Tribal match Fares Other programs, training and experience Operations procedures Tribes current employment base 24

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity Project Information (Summary) 25

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information 26

Tribal Transit Program Application Information Applicant’s Name Dun and Bradstreet Number Contact Information Description of public transportation service Name of person(s) authorized to apply Contact name, title address, telephone number, fax, email and website Existing service, or Lack of service to be met by new or expanded service 27

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity 28

Tribal Transit Program Technical Capacity Examples of tribe’s management of other federal programs Tribe resources to implement transit project Staff experience Plans for hiring personnel 29

Tribal Transit Program Legal Capacity Documentation/evidence of federal recognition How is governing body managed What services does the tribe qualify for Authorized representative Federal and state operating authority 30

Tribal Transit Program Financial Capacity Adequate financial systems in place Accounting system/processes/manuals How does tribe comply with U.S. governmental regulations? Availability of annual audits (online) 31

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity Project Information (Summary) 32

Tribal Transit Program Project Information Budget Project description Line item budget for request Federal amount/other funding sources Three year Fiscal Plan for operations Number and type of vehicle(s) Service area Schedules 33

Tribal Transit Program Project Information (continued) Project description (continued) Type of service Route miles Major origin and destination (map) Population served Direct service or contacted Vehicle maintenance Employees to be hired 34

Tribal Transit Program Project Information (continued) Project timeline Detail for three years Contract for purchase of vehicle(s) Actual or expected delivery date of vehicle(s) Service start-up dates Administration begins (hiring, schedules, etc) Contract for maintenance Operation begins Readiness once awarded with grant 35

Tribal Transit Program Application Guidelines Cover Letter Application Content Application Information Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity Project Information (Summary) 36

Tribal Transit Program Cover letter Person authorized to apply on behalf of tribe What are you requesting? What is the amount of grant request? Explanation of need Coordination and letters of reference Extent of experience 37

Technical Assistance Technical Assistance Resources State RTAP Program FTA Regional Office National RTAP Hotline Number (888) 589-6821 Website www.nationalrtap.org Chat with a specialist online R-TRAC Peer-to-Peer Network National RTAP is a program of the Federal Transit Administration administered by the Neponset Valley Transportation Management association. 38