The Complete Guide to Writing Effective & Award-Winning Grants: Step-by-Step Instructions

The Complete Guide to Writing Effective & Award-Winning Grants

Step-by-Step Instructions

By Dianne Harris

The Complete Guide to Writing Effective & Award-Winning Grants — Step-By-Step Instructions

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ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-046-3

ISBN-10: 1-60138-046-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Harris, Dianne C., 1952-

The complete guide to writing effective & award-winning grants: step-by-step instructions, with companion CD-ROM / by Dianne C. Harris.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN-13: 978-1-60138-046-3 (alk. paper)

ISBN-10: 1-60138-046-1 (alk. paper)

1. Proposal writing for grants. I. Title.

HG177.H37 2008

658.15’224--dc22

2007049116

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Section 1: First Things First

Chapter 1: An Idea Is Born

Chapter 2: It Takes Earned Money To Get Free Money

Chapter 3: Where To Find Grants & Types Of Grants

Chapter 4: What Do The Grant Makers Want & Why?

Chapter 5: Getting Organized

Section 2: The Parts of a Grant Application

Chapter 6: First Contact

Chapter 7: What Needs Fixing? The Needs Statement

Chapter 8: What Will You Do? The Program Description

Chapter 9: Is The Program Duplicated Effort Or Easily Replicated?

Chapter 10: Measurable Goals & Objectives

Chapter 11: The Budget & How Much To Ask For

Chapter 12: Establish The Organization’s Qualifications

Chapter 13: Sustainability: How Will The Program Continue When The Grant Is Over?

Chapter 14: Enhancements & Supporting Documentation

Chapter 15: Final Submission & Waiting

Section 3: Winning the Grant Is Not The End

Chapter 16: You Want To Know What? Post-Grant Requirements

Appendix

Author Dedication & Biography

More Great Titles from Atlantic Publishing

FOREWORD

By Randall P. Fletcher

Preparing for an IRS audit or facing the dentist’s drill sometimes pales in comparison to the process and pain involved in developing a grant application.

Regardless of the trauma grants may invoke, novice writers can develop grant applications as successfully as seasoned veterans. For all types of writers, grant writing is a dynamic process that involves higher-order thinking, organization, and fortitude. Many grant applications lay in trash cans or recycling carts or are reduced to shredded fragments because the would-be grant writer found the process far too difficult and abandoned the task weeks before the deadline.

Help has arrived. Nearly all grant writers, myself included, rely on good writing samples or models to help shape and cultivate ideas for our proposals. The Complete Guide to Writing Effective and Award-Winning Grants provides just that. In a step-by-step fashion, this valuable resource not only gives grant writers valuable information about the basics of grant writing, but also gives detailed case studies on what makes a successful application.

The art of grant writing is something that can be mastered by many. Being educated in how all the functions and aspects of grant research, application development, and grants administration work and how to use these tangible tools can transform you over time into a successful grant writer. Excellent grant writing skills can secure your organization or company the new levels of operating capital needed to start important programs, develop new innovations, and solve societal problems.

Much of the information contained in this comprehensive book can be found online, in print journals, and in grant writing organizational literature. However, to have all the needed skills, it is helpful to have hints and case study evidence bundled in one handy resource, especially if you are facing a deadline.

When I started writing grants almost 10 years ago, I learned the basics by reviewing grant applications that others had written. This gave me a keen sense of how a successful grant should be developed, from the opening sentence and the need statement, all the way to the final line of the budget narrative. The grant process is truly a trial-and-error experience. I have made my share of mistakes, and so will you. In the end, though, you will become a writer of multiple award-winning applications. It will happen, trust me.

Today, there are too few publications that provide information for all types and levels of grant writers. The Complete Guide to Writing Effective and Award-Winning Grants is now one of those few publications.

Randall P. Fletcher

President

Grant Professionals

205 East School Street

P.O. Box 81

Royal, IL 61871

www.grantprof.com

217-583-3023 or 217-721-9574

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

Writing this book presented an opportunity to explain some important aspects of successful grant writing to people who are new to the task. There are many good volumes written about the basic format of a typical grant and lists of foundation and governmental grants available. Even though resources for the grant seeker are easily available, inexperienced writers may still feel intimidated by the writing process. Grant seekers that feel too busy to conduct the necessary research and coordination required for a grant funding campaign may unfortunately shortchange their programs by avoiding grant proposals. Sometimes a perplexed or overly extended group will decide it best to acquire the services of a professional grant writer, but the group may still have difficulty if it has little experience in the procurement and managing of professional services contracts. This book is designed to help you become an effective grant writer. You will learn how to determine your readiness to compete for grants, how to more efficiently hone in on the grant makers that are most likely to fund your project, how to organize the material needed for different types of grants; how to clearly write your grant proposal, how to use grant funds as a mechanism to accomplish your goals, and how to successfully manage your grant so that more funds will flow in the future.

I wanted to write this book because I have worked in the field of community development and regional planning for more than 18 years, with a specialty in writing grant applications and successful administration of grant-funded programs. I have served numerous clients, and they have all become personal and professional friends. But this book allows me to reach out to and help far more organizations and, indirectly, those they serve. I have had my share of happy successes and painful learning experiences in the writing and submission of proposals. I have also had the experience of having to administer and implement the programs that I so skillfully helped to conceptualize and communicate on the printed page, and, believe me, some ideas sound a lot better on paper. My own experiences are also enriched by the shared experiences of a network of professionals in similar positions who, over the years, have been my mentors, compatriots, and friends.

I have had my share of projects where I was unable to secure funding. When hopes are high, it is painful to work so hard and not achieve the funding so badly needed. In more than one instance the project missed basic thresholds. In one particularly embarrassing case I failed to note that a resolution adopting a market study was needed from the town’s council. This was a failure at a number of steps. The team did not allow enough time to complete the survey work and was so rushed in putting together the market study that, by the time the requirements were reviewed, it was too late to get the resolution passed. The decision was made to submit the proposal, as it was to gain the benefit of commentary the reviewers would provide. This information, plus an entire year to get the resolution passed, ensured that the next submission would rank highly. I learned that it is possible to recover from a misstep, but the loss of a year’s funding is still a big setback for a program.

Another form of disappointment came not in the writing of the proposal, but in the implementation once the funds had been secured. We had assembled a great team, a great idea, and a modest proposal. Still, after receiving the funds, the program was unable to get any qualified applicants for the assistance. Clearly we had not accurately assessed the feasibility of implementing the program within our target clientele. Before we try this program again, we will have to do more thorough investigations of how to reach that target audience and perhaps recruit additional partners for referring qualified applicants to us. The funder was agreeable and extended the grant period. A few clients were served, but we did not reach our program goals. The balance of the funds had to be returned to the grantor. Fortunately, the project overhead was provided in-kind; that is, by other sources. It would have been very difficult to repay funds spent on the overhead otherwise.

In occasions of the successful type, I have taken an unsuccessful application written by others and rewritten the application or in consultation suggested modifications to the proposed program, thus restructuring the project so that the next submission was indeed funded. Happily, my teams I and have always been able to learn, adjust, and make better repeat submissions as long as the applicant agencies did not give up. Each time this was done, the next proposal was better and our rate of success improved enormously. I hope in this book to share these lessons and insights.

Therefore, individuals and organizations should resolve to invest the necessary time and energy into learning to create successful grant proposals. Millions of dollars of grant funds go unclaimed every year because the right grant seeker did not approach the right foundation or did not convincingly present the proposal. It is a sad reality that there are so many problems in the world, but many great organizations are working to reduce suffering. Grant foundations have sincere missions to serve society in particular ways. A number of truly inspiring folks have done the work and founded networks of nonprofit, faith-based, and sometimes governmental programs to address problems found in their communities. A friend I will call KR is the Director of Community Development for a rural county in Ohio. Over the years, he has won millions in grants for home improvements and clean water that directly benefit the citizens of the county as well as funds to support businesses that develop the local economy. He once observed that he could look out any window on any day and see something that needed fixing in his community.

Yet these inspiring people and their programs often are unable to serve all the needs of those who apply to them without seeking additional grant funding. The national economy is forever in a state of fluctuation, sometimes rebounding, sometimes on the decline. Awareness is growing of increasing numbers of people living below the poverty line, even in middle-class suburbs. More than ever, organizations and individuals need to find and win those unclaimed grants and awards that are available to them. They owe it to those they serve and to those who work with them for change.

Even those who have been successful in the past in receiving grant support should continue to explore new grant sources and keep their proposal skills up to date. Once familiar grant sources may unexpectedly become less reliable. Individual funds may not provide the same level of support per award as provided in the past for a variety of reasons. Perhaps due to an internal administration issue, they may postpone making any grants while they reorganize. The endowments of grant making foundations may have suffered from downturns in the stock market or unfortunate investment choices. The generous outpouring of donations in response to the September 11, 2001 attacks, the Indonesian Tsunami of 2004, and hurricanes Katrina and Rita had the unfortunate effect of diverting donor cash from fund-raising for local causes. There is increasing competition for simultaneously shrinking federal grant supports as well. But new grant seekers should not be discouraged, as funds are available. Local causes are beginning to recover to their previous levels, and new foundations with new missions are formed each year. It means only that awards from better-known foundations may be more competitive due to their high visibility, while other opportunities are waiting to be discovered. All organizations should have some Plan B ideas of new sources to approach for funding, while others may have a critical need to look for new benefactors to expand their work.

One error made by members of grassroots organizations, individual grant seekers, or even small communities that want to get started, move to the next level, or to begin a new program or project, is to look for the services of a grant writer when the project is not yet ready for grant funding. Having conceived of a project idea, a prospective applicant believes a grant is a quick source of capital to acquire space, supplies, personnel, or other resources to jump start the operation. The client has heard that someone may be able to get the organization a grant. It is difficult to give a 30-second answer to the question of how long it takes to get a grant, given all the variables that would have to be considered. A professional writer will know fairly quickly if the project is not yet at a fundable stage. If time allows, the writer will at least meet with the grant seeker, listen to the pitch, and try to advise about the next steps the program should take to become fundable. With this book, hopeful grant seekers can learn step-by-step how to build and position their organization, develop strong programs, create effective proposals, and become successful at receiving grant awards, if they are ready to do a bit more work.

This book can save the grant seeker hundreds of dollars in writing fees and countless hours that might be wasted in ineffective proposal presentations. It will be the guide to accessing hundreds or thousands of dollars in grant support. First of all, no matter what level of accomplishment you have achieved to date, individuals and organizations are eligible for a number of scholarships, fellowships, and grant programs. Grants, unlike loans, do not have to be paid back. Each applicant must be able to demonstrate that he or she meets the criteria and stands out from a field of other applicants. Grant seekers that have passion for their work and are committed to their causes should be willing to invest time in obtaining skills and advice that will enable them to be more effective as organizations and increase their impact in their communities. Second of all, this book will help grant seekers evaluate the variables that apply to their situation and arrive at the answer to the questions, What is the best grant for me/us? and How do I/we get one? This book goes on to lead you through the post-grant award period: how to handle site visits from benefactors, how to prepare status and performance reports, and how to increase your likelihood of receiving more funds in the future.

This book will show you how to conduct a critical self-assessment of your organization’s strengths, capacity, plans, or needs. This is the groundwork and most important first step. This self-evaluation will assist you in determining which grant makers provide the best match for their purposes and yours. You will be given leads to help you target your research to the most feasible opportunities, from the thousands of grants available, and find those best aligned with your particular needs and capacity. You will learn step-by-step how to organize your proposal and how to describe your project to a potential funder.

This book is organized following the typical step-by-step process of grant writing: from creating the structure of your new organization, forming your project idea, and locating the grant(s) from which you wish to request funds, to preparing and submitting your proposal and following through with the all-important post-grant award requirements. There is also a section on contingency plans if your effort is not successful and using that information to strengthen your next submission — a learning experience all its own.

Several chapters contain case studies or short examples obtained through interviews with successful grant writers and representatives of grant making organizations. These sources are also quoted throughout the text when their insights are most helpful. Each chapter is summarized with quick, easy-to-remember bullets of key points. Several sample forms and documents are assembled in the Appendix and available on the companion CD-ROM. In some chapters a case study may be revisited where it illustrates the focus of that chapter as well.

Section 1 of this book describes necessary preliminary steps to the writing of the grant application. Chapter 1: An Idea is Born and Chapter 2: It Takes Earned Money To Get Free Money, are for the person or group that has just generated the idea for something they want to accomplish. The organization may have an idea that grants can help it with that goal. However, it needs the organizational structure, or strengthening of the small group or company, to fully develop and run a program. If these steps are missing, no amount of writing skill can overcome the funder’s impression that you are not a good investment. Later, in the instructional chapters, Chapter 12 deals with writing the section of the grant that presents the qualifications of the applicant to receive a grant. Being able to write this qualifications section depends on having already built an organization as described in Chapters 1 and 2. The grant seeker that has a strong organization already, including governmental units, can likely skip ahead of Chapters 1 and 2 to the next chapters.

Chapter 3 elaborates on the types of grants available, eligibility categories, and where to find information about them. In brief, these categories are grants available only to