Get That Grant! Part 2
with Karen Glaser
Karen Glaser (karenglaser@tc3net.com) is a proposal writer and consultant with 25 years of management experience and 30 years of paid nonprofit work experience. Her grantwriting workshops, conducted in Michigan and northwest Ohio, focus on the complete proposal process, from finding potential funding sources to saying "thank you" to benefactors.
When we last met (see Part I), we addressed the identification and screening of would-be funding sources for your school or district. Now professional grantwriter Karen Glaser gives us the basics on creating an effective proposal.
A grant proposal is like a term paper. Karen Glaser, a professional grantwriter and consultant, says, "You would never create just one generic term paper and submit it to English, history and science professors," she says. "Your proposal, like a term paper, must be specific to the audience reading it."
Fortunately, the granting source you choose will likely tell you how to create your proposal. Each foundation has its own format — follow it to the letter! "If it says submit two pages, don't send 10," Glaser says. "If it says use double-spaced, 12-point type, use it."
Most proposals include these elements (among others):
- Introduction
- Needs/problem
- Project design with management plan
Each serves a distinct purpose, yet all must mesh as part of a cohesive argument for your school.
Introduction. True to its name, this is where you introduce your school to a potential donor. "Don't take for granted that the reviewer knows anything about your school or district," Glaser warns. To introduce your school, use such language as:
- "Our school [or district] is located in…" and give the city and state
- "Our school serves…" and provide the student profile — by grade levels, educational needs, demographics, location, etc.
- "Our school was established in…" and give the date your school opened, plus such pertinent information as purpose and mission statement
What's more, says Glaser, "include the number of students and staff. All this gives the reader a bird's-eye view of your organization."
The introduction should end with a specific accomplishment related to your request. In her example for special-education funding, Glaser points to a school's past success: " Through our intervention over the last five years, we've reduced the number of special education identification by three percent." Listing a funding-related accomplishment gives more credibility to your cause.
A needs section is where you get into the meat of your proposal. In creating this outline, "first and foremost, state the problem," says Glaser. "Describe what needs to be done and who needs to be served." In doing so…
- Avoid generalizations. Use documentation, data, surveys and
studies to support your cause.
- Tell how you've tried to solve the problem in the past. Illustrating
your previous efforts lets donors know that you are addressing a serious,
ongoing issue.
- Cite the work of others. If you know of a program that worked
for another school, why reinvent the wheel? "It's fine to ask for funding
to emulate the proven success of a past project," says Glaser. "At the
same time, you could use a successful model but adapt it to your specific
needs."
- Tell who is involved in your plan. And make sure the team is inclusive! Parents, teachers, media specialists and administrators should all have a role in your project. "Some funding sources require that the 'stakeholders' (those directly affected, such as parents) be part of the team."
The project design is made up of three parts.
- Goal: This is the gist of your efforts. It's the final outcome - the one overarching goal you wish to achieve through your program. It could be "Getting low-income pre-K children ready to learn," or "Raising middle-school history test scores by 25 percent."
- Objectives: Objectives are the means by which you make your goal a reality. Every objective must be specific and measurable (via assessment, survey, etc.). A typical objective for a pre-K reading readiness program may be "Increase parents' knowledge of early literacy skills."
- Activities: And how do you achieve your objectives? Through activities — such as parent/teacher workshops, home visits or meetings — that need not be measured, but must be verified. A sign-in sheet, for example, is a good verification for a workshop.
Finally, for your management plan, enlist an MBO (management by objective) format to keep your activities, objectives and goal in order. An Activities MBO, for instance, "lists the activities, date, who's in charge, resources needed and how to verify," notes Glaser. "MBOs, which are widely recognized in business, are a one-source document of your entire plan."