This post will explain the various parts of a grant proposal evaluation. It is important to remember that there is no single way that this is done. Rather, the information provided below gives a general summary of what is commonly expected. Below are commonly found sections in a grant proposal evaluation.

• Purpose
• Need
• Operational plan
• Personnel
• Budget
• Evaluation
• Resources

Each of these parts of a proposal are explained below.

Alignment of Purpose

One component that grantors look at is the purpose of the grantee. In other words, why does the grantee exist? In addition, the grantor wants to know how the proposal’s objectives align with the organization’s purpose.

For example, the purpose of a school is to provide education. Therefore, if a school is seeking funding it must support the purpose of the school which is to provide education. This means that a proposal that focuses on improving reading is probably more aligned with the purpose of education than seeking money for faculty vacations.

Extent of Need

The extent of needs identifies what exactly is the problem that the organization is facing. For those familiar with research it is similar to the statement of the problem. The organization must document not only anecdotal evidence but also from literature on the extent of the problem that is being faced in the local context.

The grantor is looking at the scope and focus of the need. Sometimes organizations try to do too much in one proposal. It is too difficult to define how focused the needs should be as this will vary from place to place. The point is to be aware that a proposal needs focus to obtain approval.

Operational Plan

The operational plan is similar to the methodology of a research paper. In this section, the organization explains the project design by sharing what resources will be used to achieve the objectives. There will also be an explanation of the milestones and an assessment of how logical they are.

Other aspects of this section include the timeline which must also be assessed for its reasonableness. In addition, various activities are shared along with how they help to achieve the objectives of the proposal. All this must be grounded and based on research.

In our school example, we might have the objective of improving reading comprehension by half a grade level over one academic year. This objective might be achieved by using grant money to purchase reading software that allows the kids to practice reading aloud and answering comprehension questions. The milestones might include purchasing the software, training the teachers to use it, monthly progress checks of the students, etc.

Personnel Quality

The personal quality section addresses whether or not the people within the organization have the skills needed to complete the project. If the skills are lacking, then the proposal must explain how the current group of people will be trained or how additional people will be hired.

It is also necessary to clearly define the responsibilities of all individuals involved in the project. Lastly, it is useful to include an estimate of how much time people will devote to the project.

Budget

The budget is mostly self-explanatory. It is important to make sure that the budget covers all expenses. Furthermore, the cost must be reasonable. Again, it is impossible to define reasonable but this must be kept in mind. Lastly, it is also important to include administrative costs in the budget as well.

Evaluation

All projects must be evaluated which means that there must be a way to define the success or failure of the endeavor. This involves collecting data throughout the project and using the data to determine if the objectives have been achieved. Therefore, the proposal must include means of data collection and analysis to assess the success of the project.

The evaluation must be valid or appropriate for the project. For example, if a school is trying to improve reading comprehension then the evaluation must measure the students’ reading comprehension. Asking the students if they believe their reading comprehension has improved is not as valid because it is measuring perceptions rather than reading comprehension directly.

Resource Sufficiency

Resource sufficiency is focused on the organization explaining their readiness to implement the program if they are given the money. In other words, do they have adequate facilities right now or do they need to improve them?

Another concern is equipment. For example, if a school wants to purchase reading software the next question is whether or not the school has enough computers to support the software. There is also a concern for the age of the computers and whether or not the computers can handle the software.

Conclusion

Writing a grant proposal is challenging yet exciting. It allows an organization to obtain funding to help people who are in need. For many, this is a satisfying experience. However, great care must be taken to make sure that the proposal is written in a way that it is accepted as a project worthy of funding.