Funding Proposal Basics April Nigh Rotaract Meeting, November 9, 2009

Before You Write- Basic Info Clear goal of the Project Clear understanding of implementation method Clear understanding of cost Clear understanding of benefit to potential donor (gathering this info requires a lot of communication with others)

Basic Proposal Structure 1. Executive Summary 2. Organization Introduction (optional) 3. Statement of Needs/ aka Needs Assessment (including “theory of change”) 4. Project Description and Implementation 5. Financial Requirement (Budget)

1. Executive Summary Introduces the Project and the goal(s) Summarizes impact (bullet points are useful) Not exceed 1 page Include short discussion of need Include the cost (or if in-kind, the requested items) Very important as is the first or often the only thing donors read!

2. Organizational Introduction Tells the potential donor who you are 1-2 pages Brief background of org and who you serve Board members or other governing structure Include mission statement if possible Highlight org’s capacity

3. Needs Assessment 1 Page why is this Project necessary? Highlight the theory of change- how the Project will fill the need Highlight the capacity of the organization to successfully fill the need

4. Project Description and Implementation More details on the project- who it serves, where it will be implemented How the project will be implemented When the project will be implemented (can include timeline) How the project will be evaluated Length based on project, usually 2-5 pages

5. Financial Requirement (Budget) List of expense categories Include descriptions if necessary Length based on number of expenses

Other Potential Info to Include… Conclusion (two paragraphs or so) Communications plan (if donor requests media coverage)

Final tips Less is better- write clearly and succinctly Use bullet points or other methods of organization Write from the perspective of potential donor

For more information undinggrants/tp/grantproposalhub.htm undinggrants/tp/grantproposalhub.htm

Proposal Example