GRANT PROPOSALS: DEVELOPING A GOOD ONE Campus Y/UNC-CH Writing Center Spring 2012

Topics for Today  Getting started  Parts of a grant proposal  Writing the proposal

Getting Started  Use the grant proposal writing process to clarify your project’s goals, audience, budget, expected impact  Learn a little about potential donor organizations— what do they care about?

Likely Parts of Grant Proposal  Program description/aim  Audience  Budget  Publicity  Sustainability  Assessment  Title

Program Description  What’s your organization’s mission?  What’s the goal of this program?  How many people will be involved/impacted?  Who will benefit and how?  What’s the link to social justice?  Use who, what, when, where, why, and how questions to flesh out your idea

Audience  Who is reading your grant proposal?  What do they care about?  How does your project interface with their goals?  What do the grant requirements tell you about what matters to the donor organization?

Budget  Show that you have a fully imagined, practical, doable plan  Describe all of your anticipated expenses  Indicate other sources of support or support already secured  Show efforts to economize  Be prepared to supply account information  Consider max/min or alternative funding sources

Publicity  Describe how you will promote your project  Indicate intention to mention donors in your marketing material

Sustainability  Is yours a one time event? If not, describe how you plan to continue the effort post-funding  Indicate if yours is a pilot project or if you seek seed money for a larger effort  Consider whether others have sought funding for similar efforts in the past. Explain how yours is new  Consider whether you might seek funding for the project again from this sponsor

Assessment  How will you measure the impact of your project? How will you know if you have succeeded?  Offer plans to evaluate your project

Title  Develop a clear title for your project  Does it convey both the content and spirit of your project?  If you use “insider” lingo, explain the title to the possible sponsor

Writing the Proposal  Think about the donor organization/reader as you write.  Follow proposal requirements/formats. Confused? Call and ask.  Read final draft outloud. Proofread—to show you care.  Meet the deadline! Early submissions are welcome.