Writing grants is one of many ways to acquire funding to support an institution. In this post, we will look at some of the basic components that are a part of a grant proposal.

Abstract

The abstract of a grant proposal provides a general summary or a snapshot of the main points of the proposal. The abstract commonly includes such things as the objectives, the methods, and maybe the way the grant will be evaluated.

A major question people often have about the abstract is when to write it. It really depends on how your mind works. Some prefer to write it at the beginning and use it to guide the rest of the writing. Others prefer to write the abstract at the end after they know what they wrote in the proposal.

Needs Statement

The needs statement is a section of a grant problem in which the writer shares the problem, the background of the problem, and the review of the literature. Essentially, the writer is trying to illustrate the context in which there is a need for the grant money.

The needs statement also shares how the problem will be addressed at least briefly. Sharing this information also implies the benefits of implementing whatever program the grantee is seeking funding for.

Plan of Operation

The plan of operation is the methodology of a grant proposal. In this section, the objectives may be shared again along with the methods. Methods are how the objectives are achieved in a grant proposal. For example, if a school is applying for a grant to improve reading comprehension, the method for doing this might be to train teachers in a different reading approach to help students.

Sometimes activities are also listed. These are various things that are done in order to facilitate the grant as well.

Personnel & Cost

Personnel is a list of the people who are involved in the performance of the grant. This can include people who already work at the school and or people who will be hired in order to do this.

The cost is self-explanatory. The grantors need to know how much money is needed and this information is provided here.

Evaluation

Evaluation explains how the performance of the grant will be determined. In this section, it is important to explain what is being evaluated. In addition, it is common to provide some sort of before and after metric. For example, what was the reading comprehension before the program was implemented is a question that can be addressed. this is one way to indicate the amount of change that is expected

It is also necessary to indicate who is responsible for completing the revelation along with the cost. If there are some sort of standards this can also help with determining the quality of the program as well.

Current Resources (significance

Current resources tell the grantor the tools available right now to achieve the objectives. In this section, it is also important to share why you should receive this money and why you are best qualified to achieve what you have stated in this proposal.

Assurances and Attachments

Assurances are statements that the grantee will abide by whatever rules and regulations are required of the grantor. This is common when applying for government grants. Attachments are miscellaneous documents that might be needed. These documents are context-dependent but can include budgets, timelines, and or letters.

Conclusion

Writing a grant proposal can seem like a daunting task. However, once you are familiar with some of the basic components it is a much less intimidating experience.

Objectives within the context of grants are used to try and explain the changes that the grant seekers want to make in their local context. The objectives defined what kind of change and how much change will take place. In other words, objectives are outcome-focused.

It is important to not use objectives to explain how things will change. Defining how things will change is a method and not an objective. Objectives help readers see what will change by the completion of the project.

Below are the major components of grant objective(s)

• Action statement
• Performance measure(s)
• Performance standard(s)
• Timeline
• Costs

Action Statement

The action statement contains a verb that clearly defines what is going to change. Below is an action statement.

To decrease the number of youth who commit crimes after release from the ABC drug program

This is a good start. The action statement clearly defines that we are trying to decrease how many kids commited crimes. However, alone, this objective lacks quantitative features that allow us to assess how successful the program is.

Performance Measure(s)

Performance measures are the variables that are measured to indicate success or failure. What these variables are can depend largely on the context of the grant. Below is our updated objective about the drug program.

To decrease the number of youth who commit crimes after release from the ABC drug program (action statement),as measured by the number of refferals received after completing the program (performance measure),

In the example above, we will know if the youth who commit crimes after release is going up or down based on the number of referrals that are received. Referrals are a way to document offenses that youths may have committed.

Performance Standard

Performance standards provide the objective with a clear quantitative way of defining what is good. For example, in grading 90% is an ‘A’ grade. Below is an example of a performance standard within the context of our objective

To decrease the number of youth who commit crimes after release from the ABC drug program (action statement), as measured by the number of refferals received after completing the program (performance measure), by at least 25% (performance standard).

Now we know how much referrals must decline in order to consider the program a success. How this number was determined is beyond the scope of this blog post. It is important that performance standards are thought out and researched so that they are challenging but achievable.

Timeline & Cost

The timeline provides a framework for how long it will take to see results. Cost provides an estimate of the amount of money that is needed. Below is our final objective

To decrease the number of youth who commit crimes after release from the ABC drug program (action statement), as measured by the number of refferals received after completing the program (performance measure), by at least 25% (performance standard) per year (timeline) at a cost of $15,000 a year (cost)

The timeline in which the performance standards are measured is yearly. The statement above is a great summary of the high points of funding this particular program.

Conclusion

The goal of a grant proposal is to communicate as clearly as possible. Naturally, everybody has a different opinion on what is clear. However, starting with a framework like the one above can at least help you get started and have a common reference point with your team. As needed, it will be important to modify the ideas here.

It is common for schools and other organizations to seek funding for various initiatives. One source of funding is grant seeking. When attempting to develop a grant proposal. Several concepts need to be included to develop a comprehensive proposal. The parts to be included are

• Pain point
• Answer
• Commitment

When these three components are included it can help a team to attain the grant funding they are seeking. Before writing, it is critical to brainstorm various ways to address these three components before settling on the best choices for the proposal.

The Pain Point

The pain point comes from the context of the grantees. For example, this can be the classroom, the community, or some other aspect of society as a whole. The goal at this point is to be able to paint a picture of the issue that requires financial support to address. The illustration of this can be through the use of statistics, observations, stories, and literature.

The goal here is to document the gap. By gap, it means the distance between where you are and where you want to be. Again, the distance between these two places will be filled through the judicious use of grant funding.

The Answer(s)

The answer(s) are the ways and strategies that will be employed upon receiving grant funding to address the needs and strengthen the system. For example, if a school is struggling with providing tablets to students the solution would be to purchase tablets using grant funding.

Remember that the goal right now is to brainstorm. This means several solutions are proposed until the team can agree on one. Also, remember that if you are applying for several different grants different solutions to the same problem might be more appealing to different grantors. Therefore, it is important to know your audience when developing grant proposals.

The Commitment

The commitment is often confusing for people. Essentially, the commitment is a part of the proposal in which the grant-seekers attempt to explain the extra effort the team will make when using the grant funds. Depending on the culture, demonstrating passion is important. The grantors often want to know that you are on fire to use this money to implement change and address needs.

Documenting one’s commitment can include expressing your eagerness to help students. You can speak on how you will make adjustments to your classroom and or teaching once the money is put to good use. Again, it is important to think of several different ways to address this before settling on the first idea that occurs in one’s head.

Attainment

If everything goes according to plan in mapping ideas in the first three parts, it is hopeful that the money will be granted. When this happens it is now possible to acquire the tools and or train the people to meet the needs of the context.

Conclusion

The information above provides a framework for getting started in the grant writing process. In summary, it is important to try and document the need, solution, and commitment you are making when seeking funding.