Tips for effective grant proposals

Getting ready to submit a grant proposal to ECF? First, do you qualify?

You must be applying on behalf of a 501(c)3 organization and be able to provide the IRS letter confirming this status (not the exemption from sales tax letter issued by the State of Illinois).

The organization must be located in Evanston or nearby and serving Evanston residents.

The Foundation currently has no emergency funds and does not make grants to individuals.

If you are located in another part of Illinois, please consult www.communityfoundationsofillinois.org for a foundation serving your region. Community foundations make grants only within their own geographic area.

Next, some basics:

Know the problem in the community that you plan to address. Be prepared to explain how you will address it--the who, where, what, when, why, and how.

Be certain that what you propose to do fits the Foundation deadline and program to which you are applying:

• project-based proposals were due February 17, 2009
• root2fruit request for proposals will be available late Summer 2009.

You'll find what you need here in our website:

Descriptions of the project-based program and of root2fruit

A section of FAQs on project-based grants

Root2fruit mission statement and grantmaking process

Please read these final two items with special care to get a more complete picture of the Foundation's priorities. Our resources are growing but still limited; we fund approximately 20% of proposed projects. This means we are unable to fund many organizations that provide valuable services. Should you be turned down for funding, it is not necessarily a reflection on you or your work!

Additional tips for effective grant proposals were presented to our 2003 fundraising workshop by their author, Michael Marcus, and are included here with permission. These tips apply primarily to proposals prepared for larger foundations with professional program staff and a multi-step review process. The author offers guidance for proposal preparation and insight into the conduct of grant-making.

The following tips are provided by Michael Marcus, Principal, Consultants for Community Resources (michaelmccr@aol.com).

The most common format for a foundation grant proposal includes six parts:

• Executive summary
• Description of the organization
• Need addressed by the proposal
• Project description
• Budget
• Appendix

Executive Summary

This portion of the proposal is the first and sometimes the only portion read by a foundation representative. Generally the executive summary is no more than one and a half pages long, and consists of four to five paragraphs which are reflected in the proposal body.

Paragraph one: Brief description of the organization or applicant entity; includes information about the group's founding, mission, and activities.

Paragraph two: Very brief discussion of the need the proposal seeks to address. This should be a factual description of the problem or issue with a minimum of propaganda on behalf of the applicant's virtues.

Paragraph three: Description of the proposed project. This may be organized in bullet points to highlight the activities the applicant will undertake.

Paragraphs four and five: Deals with the budget. First, the organization's overall budget, then the project budget.

Description of the organization

While foundations like to think of themselves as principally motivated by good ideas, it is the capacity of the organization to carry out those good ideas that often sways the decision to fund or not to fund. It is this section, generally no more than three pages, that contains the organization's “bona fides." It is best to begin by expanding on the information contained in the executive summary, date of founding, by whom, and for what purpose. Some brief history of the organization's growth is often important because it lends to the credibility of the applicant. A brief summary of the organization's activities, awards, and victories are also very appropriate in this section. If the organization has important publications by all means list them. While the appendix should include a list of board members it is also a good idea to mention them in this section as well, particularly if one or more of the board members is notable in the field or may be a recognized authority by the foundation.

Need addressed by the proposal

This portion of the proposal addresses the reason for the project. The description should run approximately two pages. While it is tempting to describe eloquently the theory related to the project most funders do not have time to read long and complex discussions, so keep it simple. The program officer is looking for a way to summarize the need quickly and intelligently. Statistics are very important in this section.

Project Description

The first thing a reader should see in this section is the project goals and objectives statement. The most common reason for rejection of proposals is a lack of stated goals. Follow this with a list of activities referring back to the goal statement. Good proposals are often organized in an outline format.

This portion of the proposal should include a description of the activities to be undertaken and the people who will do the work. A timeline of activities referenced back to the goals and objectives is a very useful tool in describing the project.

If the proposed grant will include salary support this section should include brief job descriptions with a fuller description in the appendix. If specific personnel are involved in the project their resumes should be included in the appendix.

Budget

Foundation proposals require at least five sets of numbers: the project budget and the current request; the prior year's project costs; the organization's current approved budget; last year's audited (if available) actual numbers; and next year's anticipated budget, often the year for which the funding is requested.

First, the proposed project budget and the portion of the budget the proposal covers. Often proposals only include costs the targeted foundation is asked to cover; this makes it impossible for the program officer to understand the project costs in context and can mean that the proposal is declined. Show both what you are asking and what the entire project will cost and who is being asked to pay for the other costs. Be sure to include “in-kind” costs if they are relevant.

Second, if the proposed project has been in operation show whatever revenues and expenses have been raised and incurred to date. This should also show all sources with particular attention paid to foundations, corporations, and government contracts.

Third, in the appendix, include the organization's prior fiscal year's actual income and expenses, audited if possible. If an audit is not available provide an accountant-prepared statement of revenues and expenses and provide the most recent audit.

Fourth, in the appendix include the current fiscal year's budget with a statement of current revenues and expenses.

Finally, in the appendix include next fiscal year's approved budget, if one exists, or some approximation.

Appendix

As noted above, appendices should include budgets and audits, job descriptions and a list of board members.

Other information that should be included in the appendix:

• A list of participating personnel;
• Letters of support from allied organizations or groups;
• Letters of agreement if several organizations are participating in the project, and will receive some compensation;
• Favorable newspaper or journal articles;
• A list of relevant publications;
• A list of presentations and/or planned dissemination activities;
• A copy of the organization's IRS, tax-exempt letter.

It is not necessary to include lots of letters of support from public officials, unless they are somehow relevant to the project, for example in securing public funding or permission to carry out the project, build the building, or get related legislation passed.