Writing A Grant—From Start To Finish Workshop 3: Preparing Your Grant Proposal Educational Resource Development & LCC Foundation April 4, 2017

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Last week we discussed: Elements of a successful grant proposal Identifying an appropriate grant project idea Developing your project idea Writing a case statement Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea This week we’ll explore: Moving from case statement to grant proposal Steps to preparing a competitive grant proposal Project partners vs. work team Planning tools—SWOT analysis and logic model Narrative, evaluation, budget, visuals Time to work on your grant proposal idea or case statement Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Personal reflection What was your experience generating a project idea and beginning to draft a project plan or case statement? What went well, what could have gone better? What did you learn? What next steps would you take? Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Moving from case statement to grant proposal Identify potential funder(s) Identify and Establish Grant Planning Team Project partners (key stakeholders)— internal/external Identify grant writing lead Contract With outside consultants, if appropriate Grant Writers Project Evaluators Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Identifying project partners Does the partner have a fundamental impact on your area’s/the college’s performance? (correct answer: yes) Can you clearly identify what you want from the partner? (correct answer: yes) Is the relationship dynamic—that is, do you want it to grow? (correct answer: yes) Can you exist without or easily replace the partner? (correct answer: no) Has the partner already been identified through another relationship? (correct answer: no) Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Preparing a work team and timeline Note: Project partners and a work team members are not necessarily the same thing, though there will be overlap Work team members Work team leader(s) Major milestones and dates Who will do what Additional comments Proposal ready for internal review one week before due date Proposal submitted at least one day before due date Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Using a SWOT Analysis Strengths (internal) Weaknesses Opportunities (external) Threats Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing a Logic Model Logic models are a systematic, visual way to present and share relationships among the program resources you have, the activities you plan, and the changes or results you hope to achieve. Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Planning the narrative Follow the narrative requirements detailed in the RFP Identify research needed Identify internal/external information sources Note who on the work team will gather what types of information Note who will write each section of the draft Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Grant narrative sequence Put information in the same order as in the RFP (request for proposals) Include all information requested in the RFP’s instructions Do not include information not requested in the RFP’s instructions In Federal grant RFP’s, check both the application content and the reviewers’ criteria— they can differ. Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Good story telling Craft your narrative for the reader (formal; informal)— make it relevant Use settings, characters, antagonists, and resolutions to pull the reader in Include pertinent, engaging support (individual or community stories, similar successful programs, data, research, etc.) Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Write to your audience The 7 C’s of Effective Communication Complete—Conveys all the facts the reader needs Concise—Uses the fewest possible words Considerate—Steps into the shoes of others Clear—Emphasizes one specific message or goal Concrete—Documents with facts and figures Courteous—Respects the reader and their priorities Correct—Reads precisely and accurately, with no wrong words, grammatical errors, or typos Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Project evaluation A funder may not always require project evaluation, but include it in your planning. The funder will want an evaluation component in the final report, whether or not it’s required. Project evaluation can: Determine overall effectiveness in meeting goals and objectives Determine at what level of quality activities are being implemented Identify strengths and weaknesses in implementation and effectiveness Lead to changes for improvement Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Online project evaluation resources W. K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Handbook https://www.wkkf.org/resource directory/resource/2010/w-k-kellogg-foundation evaluation-handbook Imagine Canada Project Evaluation Guide for Nonprofit Organizations http://sectorsource.ca/sites/default/files/resources/file /projectguide_final.pdf Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Visual impact Graphics provide clarification, simplification and emphasis. They reinforce the text, and vice versa. Charts, graphs, tables, maps, photos Headers and subheaders Color and font Use judiciously for impact Be mindful of page limits Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea The importance of the budget The budget is the application’s meat and bones Delineates who will deliver the project, what’s needed to deliver it, and what it will cost Documents organizational buy-in through in-kind support Documents you will have enough funding to deliver the project The budget, budget narrative, and project narrative must be consistent Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Planning the budget Expense: Direct costs (project specific) plus Indirect costs (non-program staff, facilities, etc.) Income: Project specific income (grants; other $) In-kind (non-cash) Expense and Income must match Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Calculating costs Personnel (existing and projected, estimated hours or percentage) Fringe benefits (existing and projected) Consultants (not grant writers!) Travel (approved rate) Equipment (per item; document) Supplies (per item; document) Tuition (per student) Other costs Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Calculating income Requested grant funds Other anticipated or received grant funds Donations (cash or in-kind) Course Fees Tuition Refreshment and merchandise sales Advertisement sales Organization matching funds Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea LCC Grants Finance Anita Lycos, ext. 9807 Judy Koos, ext. 9785 Barb Farr, ext. 1737 Contact ERD to set up a Grants Finance meeting Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Using a grant application checklist The application may provide one Federal grants can be inconsistent—check for requirements not included on the checklist You may need to construct one Make sure checklists contain everything needed in the application Get multiple readers to review, especially people outside the process LCC’s grant approval process can catch errors Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Top 10 reasons a grant is declined: Does not meet funder’s priorities Does not serve funder’s geographic area Incorrect application format Difficult to understand Outside of funder’s grant award range Unknown credibility of applicant Project lacks urgency or impact Narrative, budget, and timeline are not consistent No more money available this grant cycle No evidence project will become self-sufficient Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea To consider for next week’s workshop: Research a potential funder for your project idea Build on your Project Idea or Case Statement and asses what information you would need to include for that funder Consider who you might include: as a project partner on the work team Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Contact ERD and the LCC Foundation: ERD Jeanne Donado, Grant Development Coordinator ext. 1307 Vivian Keeney, Grant System Coordinator ext. 1581 LCC Foundation Dan McKean, Executive Director, ext. 1987 Peggy Hellwig, Scholarship and Operations Coordinator, ext. 1989 Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea