Grant Proposal Components

Always read each funder’s Request for Proposal (RFP) and supplemental guidelines first to ensure you give the funder exactly what they asked for in the order they asked for it with no deviations. Almost every funder asks for the same information but usually in their preferred format. Follow these instructions. The following is a list of basic grant proposal components.

1. Abstract – also known as the Executive Summary. This is always done last and consists of an overall summary of the entire proposal. It usually consists of key statements from the other sections of the proposal. The length is usually 400-500 words, no more than (1) page. It must be succinct.
2. Table of Contents – is usually required for federal or state grants and should be done after the proposal package is complete.
3. Introduction – answers the following questions:
   1. Who are you?
   2. What is your mission and/or vision? and
   3. What is your specific ask (include the dollar amount)?
4. Organizational History – states who the grantee is and who are the employees and their qualifications. An organizational history states the following:
   1. When the organization started and why
   2. What are the organizations major accomplishments (sometimes this is a separate section)?
   3. Describe your current programs, activities, and your target population.
   4. List all relevant collaborations (sometimes this is a separate section)
   5. Organizational Chart & List of Board Members – most funders ask for these (2) documents as an attachment to your proposal.
5. Problem Statement & Needs Assessment – the first item you must identify is why there is a problem that needs this grant funding to get fixed. How did your organization identify this problem? Define the needs both locally and from a regional and/or national level. If there is collaborating research to back up your claims, then cite it.
6. Program Design & Implementation – is the most important part of the proposal as it states what you are going to do, how you are going to do it, and in what time-frame (usually decided by the funder). You can mention the program’s goals (non-measurable) but must include objectives that are SMART (Specific-Measurable-Attainable-Realistic-Timebound). To demonstrate your implementation of the program you must describe the tasks involved (activities), who is responsible for them, and when they are expected to be accomplished by.
7. Goals, Objectives, & Outcomes – see below
   1. Goals are an overarching ideal or a broad project/program achievement.
   2. Objectives are what you specifically expect to achieve with this program/project. They state quantitative data such as numbers and/or percent.
   3. Outcomes are the results of your activities or tasks and can be sort or long term.
8. Evaluation Plan – is the accountability method for tracking the SMART objectives, recording performance measurements, and eventually reporting on said results. Different funders request different performance measures that must be included in your program design besides what you are proposing to measure. Different methods of tracking performance measurements include but are not limited to: observations, surveys, pre & posttests, short- & long-term monitoring, etc.
9. Sustainability – the writer must answer the question as to how they will keep the program running after grant funding is over. Having multiple funding streams available is very important, but more important is if a specific funding stream is designated exclusively to this proposed program or project in the future.
10. Impact & Dissemination – once you’ve gathered all your information from your internal program evaluations, you must decide how to disperse the outcomes of the results (impact). Your program’s impact is important to your current funder but it can also have an impact on future funding. You can advertise the results locally but also include the regional or national implications.
11. Capabilities & Competencies – sometimes this is included in the organizational history. If this is a separate section, then the funder is interested in learning about the experience of the people who run your organization and more specifically the experience of the Principal Investigator (PI) and the people running the program. Attaching resumes, credentials, and certificates are essential here.
12. Budget – always follow the form or template that your funder provided. Be careful to follow the funders guidelines and only use allowable costs. Allowable costs may differ among funders.
13. Budget Narrative (Detailed) – in the budget narrative the grant writer must justify how and why your calculations were derived. You would also have to explain items like your organization’s fringe benefits or indirect costs.
14. Appendices – these vary according to funder but must be included in the order requested and often require original signatures. It is recommended to get your original signatures in the early stage of the grant writing process.
15. Citations – if applicable always cite research either in the footnotes or a separate reference page.