There are many myths associated with the area of grantwriting.

Some believe that there is a wondrous room somewhere filled with money, crisp hundred dollar bills bundled in wrappers labeled "Take me, I'm yours!" Finding the room is all that is needed, for there is no lock on the door nor guard in the room.

Others share the belief in the never diminishing pile of money, but conceed that it is at the center of a maze filled with traps, pitfalls and deadends.

Still others simply whisper that there is lots of money out there for the taking, one simply has to find the pot of gold. These people always look enviously at rainbows.

All of these have an element of truth to them. There is money available for risk takers who are willing to do their homework and forge partnerships with grant makers to accomplish shared goals.

This manual presents one way of organizing the quest for a grant. It begins with an idea born of a fundable organization, and begins again when the venture capital is secured for program implementation.

1. Position your organization to be fundable
2. Select a project
3. Draft a Master Proposal
4. Research potential sponsors
5. Select an audience
6. Prepare and package a targeted proposal
7. Submit the proposal
8. Respond to the results

1. Position your organization to be fundable

A fundable project is one that:

• is well thought out
• has clear, achievable goals
  (that match the goals of the sponsor)
• will be implemented by people with the time, talent and experience to assure success
• can be accomplished in an acceptable time frame
• has a budget adequate to implementation
• will make a difference
• is presented to the sponsor by a fundable organization

A fundable organization is one that:

• is credible
• is recognizable
• has a history of past achievements
• has a vision and mission
• is publicly perceived to be worthwhile

The positioning of an organization as fundable is not a task that can be accomplished by one individual acting alone. It is something all members of an organization cooperate in creating. The strategic planning, public relations and financial management actions of an organization are important elements. And the history of an organization is also called into play.

2. Select a project

From the actions the organization has prioritized, select a project that can not be accomplished without bringing in another organization as a partner. The goal is to implement a prioritized project, not to create a project to match a funding priority. Once the project has been selected, begin to clearly define that project on paper by answering the questions on the following page.

Through the process used to select a vision and mission, most organizations have also created strategic plans and prioritized action steps to achieve the vision and mission. Projects in support of these prioritized action steps will always be the most fundable projects an organization can take forward.

Project selection review questions:

• What is the goal of this project?
• What activities will be necessary to accomplish this goal?
• Who will take part in the activities?
• What is the timeline for the activities?
• How fluid is this timeline?
• Who needs to help plan this project?
• Who should implement this project?
• How much will this cost?
• What parts can be accomplished without cost?
• How will we know if the goal has been met?
• Difficulty in answering any of these questions will point to areas that need further conceptualization. The answers to these questions will form the skeleton of the Master Proposal.

3. Draft a Master Proposal

This is the research and project development phase.

Research centers around three different areas - concept, program and finance.

The project concept is expanded and supported by a review of the published literature related to the concept; a review of best local practices; and review of survey data related to the concept. Finance is researched through cost comparison and work with the business office to identify hidden costs and to confirm bid procedures.

The program development continues by adding detail to the questions answered in the previous phase and developing the following proposal components:

• Executive Summary
• Need Statement
• Plan of Operation/Project Design
• Budget
• Organizational Information

4. Research potential sponsors

Utilize library and Internet resources to find out about potential sponsors. Carefully examine the information on the following points:

• Does the sponsor fund in your geographic area?
• Is the money appropriate to your budget?
• Can a proposal be reviewed and funded on a timeline consistent with your project's needs?
• Is your organization an eligible applicant?
• Does the project match the sponsor's interests and needs?
• Can your goals and objectives and the sponsor's successfully merge?
• Does your organization have the resources to provide required cash and in-kind budget matches?
• You are trying to make a match where you believe that a partnership between your organization and the potential sponsor is possible, and can serve the needs of both organizations.

5. Select your audience

From all the potential sponsors identified, select some for further research. Request annual reports, application packets or requests for proposals (RFPs). If the review of these materials supports the match, proceed to prepare a targeted proposal to the audience best suited to be a partner in your project.

Once you have selected an audience and reviewed their proposal guidelines you can edit the Master Proposal into a targeted request to this audience.

6. Prepare and package the targeted proposal

Drawing heavily from the materials you collected and wrote for the Master Proposal, follow the specific guidelines of your selected audience to prepare and package a proposal targeted to their interests and format.

Sometimes a funder will request a letter of inquiry or letter of intent as a first contact, before submission of a full proposal. In these cases, use the Master Proposal to develop these documents. Remember - a grant proposal is your opportunity to explain your project to someone who has the capacity to assist you to implement the project.

The most important considerations to be taken into account when preparing a grant proposal are grounded in the information you have accumulated about your audience.

Remember to be creative in your approach to the problem and flexible in the manner in which you propose to solve the problem. But whatever the assemblage of parts, the parts must come together into a coherent narrative- a whole that a reader can appreciate.

7. Submit the proposal

For state and federal grants this is usually done by mailing or delivering the targeted proposal to an address the funder specifies before a deadline, also specified by the funder. Many corporations and foundations also have formal deadlines.

Sometimes a funder will request a letter of inquiry or intent as a first contact. Sometimes a funder will ask to meet with the planners to discuss a possible proposal.

Follow the wishes of the selected sponsor.

8. Respond to the result

If an award letter arrives announcing that your project has been selected for funding, REJOICE! Visit your business office to set up the formal procedures for transferring money from the funder and then DO IT! Implement the project as described in the proposal. Keep the funder informed of progress throughout implementation.

If a letter arrives thanking you for your submission, but announcing you are not funded, grieve for a moment, and then contact the funder and request the reviewer's comments. Debrief with the others who worked on the proposal and determine the next steps.

These may be:

• submission of this proposal to a different potential sponsor
• resubmission to this potential sponsor with changes
• reshaping the project concept and focus
• implementation of a component of the project without partnership support

Whatever the result, remember that grant writing is a risky activity. Not all worthy projects will be implemented after only one proposal is submitted. Persistence is a quality grant writers must cultivate.

Now, let's look more closely at the Master Proposal - a working document that serves as the resource from which to pull information for targeted proposals. I usually keep the elements of the Master Proposal in a three-ring binder with a section divider for each of the five components.

1. Executive Summary
   
2. Need Statement
   
3. Plan of Operation/Project Design
   
4. Budget
   
5. Organizational Information
   

The Executive Summary is a short, succinct statement of your case and summary of your entire proposal. It is the last part of the proposal to be written because it sums up every other section. Usually the section is 1 page or less in length.

Often the Executive Summary is extracted from a funded proposal and given to the public relations department of the funder for preparation of press releases related to the award.

The executive summary should contain:

• The name of the project
• The name of your organization and appropriate descriptors
• The name of the targeted sponsor
• The amount of money requested
• The amount of money or resources provided by your organization
• The goals of the project and outcome measures
• The target group to be served

Sample Executive Summary language:

The GRT Intermediate School District, a regional service agency serving 14 local K-12 districts and 3 public school academies located in QVB County, Michigan, requests $100,000 from the JKL Foundation in order to implement project "Get The Cash."

Project "Get The Cash" is the product of four years of planning by the GRT Intermediate School District board and administrators. It will enable the 9,876 sixth grade students served by GRT ISD to have monthly allowance supplements of $1 per student for each of the 10 months between September 1997 and July 1998. These allowance supplements will be used by the students to buy obnoxious kazoo instruments to torment teachers, lunch room supervisors, bus drivers and parents, thereby fulfilling the goal of increasing the background noise in the classrooms, cafeterias, school buses and homes throughout the county. Recent surveys have shown that the quiet is deafening in this rural county and project "Get The Cash" seeks to turn that around during the coming school year.

The commitment of GRT ISD is evident. Only $1240, or less than 2% of the total amount requested, will be used to administer the kazoo band practices. In addition, GRT ISD will provide the classrooms, cafeterias, and buses for the project. The community support is growing. Parents have committed to provide time in the home after school for kazoo practicing. In addition the PTOs of the pilot schools will donate drums to all younger siblings of the 6th grade kazoo players. This partnership is sure to increase noise throughout the county as measured by decibel tests randomly conducted in classrooms, cafeterias, buses and homes during the final three months of the project.

We know, from your interest in noise and chaos, as exhibited by the projects highlighted in your most recent annual report, that this project is well suited to your goals. Our partnership in this matter can change the noise levels in QVB County swiftly and in a manner likely to be sustained for years to come.

That's 322 words.

This section of the proposal presents the reasons why the project is necessary and/or important. The size of the section is usually suggested by the funder or indicated by evaluation points. Without other guidelines the need section should be 1 - 3 pages in length and contain some hard data relevant to the project.

Do not include national data if you are proposing to work on a local project. Do not include data from unrelated projects unless a clear link can be found and stated in the section. Try to substantiate all statements.

Unsubstantiated statement sample:

This is a very successful workshop program for girls in the community, where the girls tell us they really need these services.

Substantiated statement sample (hard data):

In 1995, the team distributed more than 300,000 food baskets, providing approximately 2,000,000 meals; distributed more than 75,000 items of clothing and, at Christmas time, distributed well over 7,500 toys and gifts.

Substantiated statement sample (soft data):

Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan called The Center's director, Sister Mary, a 'true inspiration to the community' for her efforts and effective management of the shelter program.

The information to be included in a needs statement is often specified by the RFP.

For instance, the USDOE says of needs statements in general, that the need for project must address "the extent to which the project would meet needs of students at risk of education failure, or would prepare personnel for shortage fields." In addition the USDOE asks for the proposal writer to clearly state the "national significance of the project and potential for generalizing from your project to national models."

The Michigan Department of Education proposal guide states, "Look for information on the kinds of educational problems or needs which the Department wishes to address through the grant program. The needs may be identified as priorities for planning, training, product development or demonstration. Priorities are needs that have been identified by various staff members, committees, or task forces. They may be actual needs in many parts of the state, but not in the area served by your agency. They may be needs which your agency has long considered very important.The needs assessment is followed by an analysis of the data, the priority of identified needs and a plan developed using the data in the grant application."

This section contains the details of what you will do and how you will do it. Like the Need Statement, the size is usually suggested by the guidelines or evaluation points. Without explicitly stated minimums or maximums, 3-5 pages may be enough, depending on the complexity of the proposal. This section may have pert charts and graphs. Some forms may be supplied by the funder.

The USDOE expects to find goals, objectives and measurable outcomes in this section and asks readers to award points based on the extent to which the "goals, objectives and outcomes are specified and measurable, and the project incorporates a thorough literature review." The USDOE also wants to know that planned services reflect up-to-date knowledge and involve appropriate collaboration. They will expect to see a discussion of the relevant training and experience of project personnel; support from partners and the inclusion of procedures for ensuring feedback and continuous improvement as well as appropriate time commitments from the key personnel. An evaluation plan must also be included. The USDOE breaks the scoring on these items into separate sections.

The Michigan Department of Education proposal guide asserts, "The plan of operation is the heart of your proposal. It contains your proposed solution to the needs, the project design, and describes what action you are planning to take to achieve the desired results. The overall project design, goals of the project, project objectives, activities to meet those objectives and a plan for managing the project are included in the plan of operation."

This section is the nuts and bolts section, but still must be written persuasively to convince the reader that your project is well conceived and accomplishable.

An evaluation plan for measuring outcomes should be included in this section of the Master Proposal.

The project description defines your project in sentences and concepts. The budget defines your project in numbers. A well done budget adds to the reviewer's understanding of your project.

The budget should always relate directly to the plan of operation. No action should be described in the plan of operation that does not have a cost reflected in the budget. No cost in the budget should fail to have a reference in the plan of operation.

All formulas used to calculate line item amounts should be available to the reviewer in the budget narrative section. Forms provided by the funder must be used to report financial requests.

Sometimes called the Commitment and Capacity Section, this component provides you with the opportunity to present the history and governing structure of your organization, it's primary activities, audiences, services and grant history. This is the Public Relations section of the proposal and may incorporate prepared PR materials such as brochures or annual reports. It should include the mission, and address fiscal solvency of the organization and history of service to the community.

The name recognition for your organization in the market within which your potential sponsor operates is the key to knowing how much information is needed in this section. Will the reviewers know who you are? Will they know where you are?

It is very important that information in this section be up-to-date, closely parallel any public relations and media efforts undertaken by your organization, and relate to media reports about your organization or region generated by outside sources.

A conclusion, a one or two paragraph summary of the key points of the proposal, is very appropriate in all but the most formally structured proposals. This brings closure to the document, or story that the writer has been telling. It should include a direct request for action, like the closing of a sales transaction. And that closing statement should tie the goals of the project to the goals of the prospective sponsor. This section is always tailored to the targeted audience. However, a general concluding section should be prepared in the Master Proposal.

If time permits, the Master Proposal should be circulated to your peers with a request for comments and suggestions. The proposal will be strengthened from this.

The Master Proposal should be stored on disc and on a hard drive for editing when targeting a proposal for submission. Always retain a copy of the Master Proposal to use as a base for an additional submission. The Master Proposal is a reference document.

"To me a proposal is a story. You speak to the reader and tell the reader a story, something you want him or her to visualize, hear, feel. It should have dimension, shape and rhythm and, yes, should 'sing.' Words are another way to draw a picture, to carve, to create music, to blow glass, to weave, to make porcelain."

The quote above is from Carol Robinson, Executive Director of the Isaac H. Tuttle Fund as printed in The Foundation Center's Guide to Proposal Writing.