Write a Winning Grant Proposal

It’s not important to just write a grant proposal – it’s important to write a WINNING grant proposal. There’s a basic format that most grant proposals should follow. As a new grant writer your best bet is to include everything; as you become more experienced and confident you can begin to adjust what you intend to include to suit your needs. Some grant providers may have a specific list of items required on their grant listing, but generally you should be writing a grant proposal with: a summary/cover letter, need statement, goals/objectives, methods, evaluation, other funding you’ve received, organization information, budget, and some additional information that doesn’t fit in the other sections.

First, the summary. This is the end-all of the grant proposal process. You must be able to write a warm, informative, and pleasant summary – this is the first thing a board will read over, the it needs to be something that catches their eye and keeps their attention. This is the place to explain what your company or organization does that makes them exactly what the grant committee is looking for. Some tips include:

1. Use letterhead to give it a professional and crisp appearance.
2. Begin with “Dear” followed by Mr/Miss/Ms/Mrs/Dr/etc and then a last name. Be sure to find out the last name of the person that should be reading your grant proposal, to make the letter more personal.
3. Introduce your company, explain what they do that’s consistent with the grant you’re seeking, and in some cases list exactly how much money you suspect you’ll need. This is the first paragraph.
4. Include two more paragraphs that outline why your business is well-suited for the grant – avoid just parroting information in the rest of the grant.
5. End with a final paragraph that offers something personal – such as how this grant would impact your project and those the project may be helping. Close with something like “sincerely” or “thank you for your time.”
6. Be sure beneath the allotted signature area you type the full name and job title of the person signing. You may also include contact information such as a phone number and extension.
7. Keep the summary, known better as a “cover letter,” succinct, short, and to the point – a page or less. Check, check, and recheck for any errors – you don’t want typos or grammatical errors this early.

Following the summary is the “need statement.” This is where you explain exactly why your project or idea is so important that it needs to be funded. This statement may be easier for someone with a non-profit or scientific research program to come up with, but someone with a business should be able to come up with one with some creativity. Keep this short; explain why there’s a need, and what solution you offer.

Next, the goals/objectives; this is where you explain your intended outcome, and what you expect to follow that outcome. Again keep this succinct and to the point. Avoid repeating yourself needlessly or including non-pertinent information. Don’t try to explain how you plan to do the project, that comes next, focus only on what you expect to come from it.

The methods section is where you can begin to explain to the funder exactly how you plan to achieve your goals and satisfy the need you put into place earlier. You can do this via a step-by-step description, or a logic model. A logic model is essentially a chart showing inputs and outputs – inputting what you’d implement, and outputting expected results. Some grant committees require a logic model so make sure you check before submission to be sure your chosen grant committee doesn’t if you choose not to create one.

Evaluation is a section in which you include how you intend to follow-up on your project. You can list what sorts of records you plan to keep, how you plan to survey those the program impacts, anything that will let you show the committee that they will be able to see what their money is doing.

As far as other funding – some companies don’t like the idea of being the only funding source, and some do. Use this section at your discretion. If you choose you include it, explain what you’ve done so far to make the other money go to work for you – this may help prove that you will follow through on projects.

When introducing your organization to a grant committee, be thorough even if you’ve received grants from them before. Explain who you are, what you do, and who you’ve managed to help thus far. This is a section where you want to play yourself up, don’t be modest – list achievements.

When requesting money, you never want to try to convince a committee to go in blind. Instead, you want to be up front and honest with what your budget looks like. Include a budget that shows expenses and income, and how much you expect this project to cost.

The additional information that some grant committees will request may include: an IRS tax-exemption letter if you’re a non-profit, a list of directors if you have a board, financial statements, and budgets. The more open, honest, and up-front you are with all of your company or organization’s finances, the better you will look.

After putting all of this together, you should have an organized, clear, and concise explanation of what you need, what you’ll do with it, and why. This is the formula for a winning grant proposal, and if it’s wielded effectively will allow you to put your best foot forward to grant committees. Remember: they want you to succeed. A committee never wants to see an atrocious, completely off-base grant proposal.