• Strong Research Skills:

Can identify relevant funding opportunities, understand the funding organization’s priorities and requirements, and gather supporting data and evidence for their proposals.

• Clear and Concise Communication:

Are able to communicate their ideas and proposals clearly and concisely. The best writers effectively convey complex concepts in a straightforward manner, making the proposal easy to understand for both technical and non-technical readers.

• Attention to Detail:

Pay close attention to guidelines, formatting requirements, and deadlines. They meticulously review their proposals for errors, inconsistencies, and clarity before submission. The end result is a well developed and polished proposal.

• Grant Writing Expertise:

Possess a strong understanding of the grant writing process. They are familiar with best practices, strategies, and common pitfalls in grant writing. They know how to structure a proposal, tell a good story, use persuasive language, and address evaluation criteria effectively.

• Strategic Thinking:

Align their proposals with the funding organization’s priorities; thus creating an effective match and partnership. In addition, they emphasize the project’s significance and impact, address potential challenges and risks, and consider long-term sustainability and potential collaborations.

• Collaboration and Networking:

Are skilled at building relationships, seeking input and expertise from others, and incorporating diverse perspectives into their proposals. They understand the value of partnerships and collaborations in strengthening grant applications.

• Time and Project Management:

Are adept at managing their time and resources efficiently. They can prioritize tasks, meet deadlines, and handle multiple projects simultaneously. They have strong organizational skills and can effectively coordinate with team members and stakeholders.

• Continuous Learning:

Understand the importance of continuous learning and improvement. They stay updated on funding trends, policy changes, and best practices in grant writing. They actively seek feedback on their proposals and incorporate lessons learned from previous applications.

• Persistence and Resilience:

Understand that grant writing can be a competitive and challenging process. Successful grant writers exhibit persistence, resilience, and a positive mindset. They do not get discouraged by rejections or setbacks and continue to refine and improve their proposals.

These characteristics are extremely valuable, and it’s important to note that grant writing is a skill that can be developed and refined over time. When combined with the universal ingredient of enthusiasm for their project and it’s positive outcomes, a grant writer becomes truly successful.

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• 1. clearly defined needs and describing how those needs were identified

This section of your proposal is probably the most important. It is your convincing argument on why you should be funded. Research, preliminary data, surveys, and planning grants help you identify the problem you want to solve. The idea for which you will request funding will be determined once you have a solid foundation based on need.

• 2. describing what will be done

Your plan of operation – which contains your goal, objectives and activities – will need to clearly define the steps you are going to take to achieve your goal. This is the reason your objectives must be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

• 3. presenting the material in a logical manner

A good plan of operation should, by its very nature, be easy to present in a logical manner. The plan of operation and its precise and logical presentation is your business plan. In addition, clearly identified sections and a parallel structure should be maintained throughout your proposal.

• 4. writing in positive terms

Some writers believe that if you describe how bleak a situation is, someone will give you money to solve the problem. This is not true. Funders prefer to back proposals that describe worthwhile programs presented in a positive light.

• 5. using clear and plain language

Remember that your audience – the reviewers – may not all be experts in your field. Even for scientific peer reviews, you should assume that some of the panel is composed of professionals outside your specific area. Regardless, jargon should be avoided at all costs. Have a naïve reader go over your application to let you know what is not immediately understandable. His or her input will be useful in determining which sections your reviewers may have trouble understanding.

• 6. presenting detailed budgets that match your proposed program

Your plan of operation will lead you directly from the measurable objectives to the activities of your project. A cost should be linked to each activity. For example, if you plan to offer training, how much will both the personnel and non-personnel costs be? Each budget item should have a detailed budget justification and explanation.

• 7. giving something back

It is expected that you will have a plan to disseminate your results to others who can learn from your work. This could be done via website information, training, conference presentations, or publications.

• 8. following the guidelines specified in the RFP

You must always follow the guidelines to be successful. The request for proposal (RFP) will give you specific directions on how to present, write, and budget your proposal. Follow them to the T! If the RFP mandates a page limit, DO NOT exceed that number. It is important to note that 50% of all proposals are returned without review because applicants have not followed directions.

• 9. looking professional

A professional-looking proposal is one that is easy to read, uses graphs and timelines to describe key areas, and is grammatically correct. Most of all, your proposal absolutely must be presented according to the guidelines of the RFP.

• 10. being the right length

Your application should be only as long as stated in the RFP. If your application has the scoring guidelines, use those to determine the length for various sections. For example, let’s say the granting agency wants the finished proposal to be no longer than ten pages and the guidelines weigh the evaluation section as 20 percent of the final score. That means 20 percent, or two pages, should be allotted for the evaluation.

In a competitive environment where less than 20% of the submitted grants are funded, your success will depend on all of the above elements. Crucial to this formula is your expertise, credibility, politics, and strategic planning. It takes a team to achieve the ultimate goal of being funded. The ten elements for success will take you and your team to the finish line where preparation and opportunity meet.

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Unless the directions in the Request for Proposal (RFP) specify otherwise, you will probably have three objectives that will answer the following questions:

• Who will benefit? Who will be the target population that will benefit most from the program? If, for example, your objective is to reduce obesity by 10% in a certain population, you will have to be precise about the level of obesity, the age of the population, and other exact factors that relate to your group.

• Who will participate? Explaining the criteria you’ll use to select participants and how you will handle those who must be turned away, will further define and clarify your population. If your selection is mandatory, then there is no need for an explanation, but if it is not, your choice will need to be justified.

• How many will participate? Describing how many will participate and benefit from your intervention adds an additional component to the objective. It is important to state the sample size of your target population and why you decided on that number.

• What is the time period of your intervention? How long it takes to achieve your objective will be determined by your approach, sample size, and number of activities

• What is the approach you will use? Evidence-based approaches are most desirable for they are validated by substantial evidence derived from rigorous research. For example, what evidence demonstrates the relationship between exercise and reducing fatigue as a side effect of cancer treatment?

Below are three illustrations of incomplete and complete objectives:

Example 1

Incomplete objective: Increase the mentoring of students who do not meet the standardized reading criteria.

Complete Objective: Increase the reading level of 500 students to meet the state level of standardized reading via three one-on-one, two hour per week mentoring programs, over a six month period. By the end of the grant, 500 children will be able to read at the standardized state level for their age group.

Example 2

Incomplete objective: Develop an environmental health data management plan.

Complete Objective: Develop an information management plan by July 31, 2016 that describes how to identify, store, analyze, and collect environmental health data.

Example 3

Incomplete learning objective: Reduce the obesity rate of all adults enrolled in the obese reduction program at Good Samaritan Hospital by 10%.

Complete learning objective: Reduce the obesity rate of disabled adults ages 18 years and older, who are enrolled in the obese reduction program at Good Samaritan Hospital by 10% by December 31, 2016.

Setting measurable objectives is the cornerstone of the strategic approach you need to take to execute your proposal. These objectives will be developed following research and situation analysis and will determine your activities, timeline, personnel, and budget. All too often, incomplete objectives lead to incomplete evaluations and outcomes. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound (SMART) objectives define the direction of your proposal.

The post Developing SMART Objectives appeared first on Grant Training Center Blog.

Example 1

• Objective: To initiate a 4-hour per week tutoring program over a 6-month period for 25 seventh graders to increase their reading skills, as measured by the state standard achievement test for reading.
• Outcome: 70% of the target group will increase their reading skills to meet the state standards. An additional outcome might be that half of the target group will increase their grades by 35%.

Example 2

• Objective: Reduce violent behavior of 50 adolescents via 8 negotiation skills mentoring programs per month, over a 4-month period.
• Outcome: Given that the baseline for this proposal is that problem solving only happens through violent behavior, the short-term outcome will be that after the first month, 80% are able to solve problems by raising their voices at each other. After 8 more mentoring sessions, 70% can talk out a problem. At the end of 4 months – which coincides with the end of the grant – 65% of the adolescents can negotiate a problem in a calm manner.

The above outcomes are concrete statements about what each of the programs will accomplish. Effective outcomes will succinctly answer the five questions below.

1. What will change?

The success rates must parallel the corresponding objectives of your proposal. These will need to be carefully measured throughout the period of the grant via incremental evaluations. Doing so ensures that what has been promised in the objectives will be aligned with the outcomes.

2. How many will change?

You can easily identify the number or percentage of variation that will take place in the examples above. In the first example, 70% of the target group will increase their reading skills. In the second example, 65% of the adolescents will be able to handle a problem without resorting to violence.

3. What is the magnitude of change?

In the second outcome example, a baseline for the problem is established. Then, the expected degree of change that will be taking place along the way is demonstrated with short-, mid-, and long-term outcomes. Including that baseline will give context to the modifications described in your outcomes.

4. What type of change will take place?

The development that will take place is inherent in the objectives in each example above. Donors understand that you probably will not be able to create a 100% change. Further, only a good estimate should be given, which is based on the literature and research related to your project.

5. When will the change take place?

The time period of the grant will mirror that of the outcomes. Establishing a realistic time frame will depend on the research and experience of those in charge of the proposal. Several project planning tools exist which may be useful for you, particularly Gantt charts.

Outcomes are benefits for participants during or after their involvement with a program. They may pertain to knowledge, skills, attitudes, or behavior concerning a specific topic, depending on the project or research. As noted above, outcomes can have a variety of levels. Focus is on the specification and achievement of outcomes, which reveals more about how effective programs are in achieving real development on the ground. Since donors are increasingly focused on accountability, these are now critical to success. Before they award grants, donors want to know what the benefits of their funding will be as well as the expected success rates. To learn more about outcomes and the planning process – and to gain a valuable planning tool – check out the Logic Model!

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Outcomes and evaluation are key components in today’s proposal requests. Using a logic model will ensure you properly demonstrate these elements, thus giving you the best chance of being funded. Donors want clarification of the relationship between their investments and the activities, outputs, and anticipated outcomes of the grant they will support. The fundamental framework and performance measurements of the proposal need to be communicated specifically and clearly. This can be easily demonstrated using the logic model, which an increasing number of foundation and corporate donors are requiring. A systematic and visual way to present a planned program while showing the underlying assumptions of the proposal is the function of this tool. I often ask the participants in my workshops why engineers and architects design before they build, but grant writers begin writing without even using a blueprint. As writers, administrators, and researchers, we should take a page from the engineers and architects.

When I convene a grant writing team, my main goal is to eliminate confusion and future misunderstanding of the proposal we want funded. I present a one-page logic model of the entire plan. This single sheet allows us to visualize our path via inputs, outputs, involved staff, process indicators for success, and outcomes. The benefit of this is that my team can visualize the entirety of the project, get on the same page, and consider what is needed to realize the end goal.

Once the logic model is constructed, two questions remain:

• External Factors – What variables may have an effect on the program, but cannot be changed by the team or program?
• Assumptions – What are the premises – based on theories, research, and knowledge – that support the connections between the activities, and upon which the project’s success depends?

A winning proposal explains the assumptions and the external factors that could assist or impede the project. Doing so reassures the donor that challenges and contingencies have been considered and will be addressed throughout the implementation phase.

So, what does a logic model look like?

Download Fillable Logic Model

In this tool, the inputs list all of the materials and needs to start the program. The output boxes define each activity to be undertaken, and by whom. The next step is to identify each of the outcomes for these activities. As an example, if we want to decrease obesity in a group of patients, the short-term outcome would be indication of an attitudinal change in the way the group thinks about food. The mid-term outcome might be that the group is now choosing a healthier diet. The long-term outcome would be demonstrated by weight loss. For more information about logic models, visit the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Some of the descriptions for a logic model are: road map, pathway, blueprint for change, or theories for change. This visual path is the transformation toward success that a project is proposing. Teams can visualize at a glance what success looks like at every stage of the grant. Once these are answered – with help from the logic model – we can begin writing the proposal.

For another critical tool to help plan specific project tasks, check out our Grant Design Chart.

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