Writing A Grant—From Start To Finish Workshop 3: Preparing Your Grant Proposal Educational Resource Development October 27, 2015

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea 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 Doing effective group work Writing a case statement

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea This week we’ll discuss: Working on your case statement Identifying potential funders and ways to approach them Steps to prepare a competitive grant proposal LCC’s grant process Time to work on your grant proposal idea, case statement, or funder search

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Personal Reflection What was your experience beginning to draft a case statement? What went well, what could have gone better? What did you learn? If you were to continue working on this, what next steps would you take?

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Moving from Case Statement to Grant Proposal Researching potential funders Working with LCC Team Project partners—internal/external Working With Outside Consultants Grant Writers Project Evaluators

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Preparing a Work Team Timeline Work team leader Major milestones and dates Who will do what Additional comments Proposal finished for internal review one week before due date.

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

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Narrative Sequence Put information in the same order as listed in the RFP Include all information requested in the instructions In Federal grant RFP’s, check both the application content and the reviewers’ criteria sections In Federal grants, check for requirements not included in the RFP

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Creating Logic Models Used to help plan, implement, and evaluate a project Goals: The large picture why you want to do this project Objectives: Measurable items your project will achieve Activities: What you will do to implement your project Inputs: What your organization and/or partners will provide to implement the project Outputs: What is produced by the project Outcomes: Changes or benefits that result from the project Kellogg Foundation Logic Model Development Guide model-development- guide United Way of Greater Richmond and Petersburg: A Guide to Developing an Outcome Logic Model and Measurement Plan Measurements.pdf

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea The Importance of 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, etc.)

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Write to your audience In grant proposals, the levels of expected formality shift depending on who you are writing to. For local family foundations, you can afford to take a warmer, more personal tone. In research proposals, it's all third- person clinical prose. You adapt. Cheryl Kester The Kester Group eNewsletter March 3, 2015

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Project Evaluation The application may or may not require project evaluation, but always include it in your planning Six purposes of evaluation ◦ To find out if the hypothesis was right—did what you set out to do ◦ To determine if specified methods were used and objectives met ◦ To find out if an impact was made on the identified need ◦ To obtain feedback from the people served and other members of the community ◦ To maintain control over the project (evaluations are done at various points in the project) ◦ To make changes in the program mid-stream, if necessary, to insure the program's success. Include quantitative and qualitative measures Outside evaluators

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Visual Impact Graphics--charts, graphs, tables, maps, photographs Headers and subheaders Color and font Reference visuals in the text 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  The budget, budget narrative, and project narrative have to be consistent

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Planning the Budget Expense: Direct costs (project specific) plus Indirect costs (building, utilities, insurance, etc.) Income: Program specific income (grants and other sources) plus In-kind (cash or non-cash)

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) Others

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 Office Judy Koos, ext Anita Lycos, ext Barb Farr, ext. 1737

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Using a Grant Application Checklist One may be provided in the application Check to make sure your checklist contains everything needed in the application—federal grants can be inconsistent You may need to construct one Get multiple readers’ reviews, esp. those outside of the process Follow LCC’s grant approval and submission process from start to finish

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea The 10 Most Common Reasons Grants Are 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 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 Complete a Prospect Worksheet for that funder— are they a good fit? Build on your Case Statement and asses what additional information you need to gather to write to that funder

Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Developing Your Grant Proposal Idea Time to Write!

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