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Grant proposals help you acquire the funds your project needs to achieve its goals. It appeals to funders and proves that your project is well-planned, meaningful, and worthy of investment.
Writing a grant proposal can be an intimidating task, as the success of your project hinges on the quality of your proposal. However, by breaking down the writing process into manageable steps, you can create a compelling grant proposal that resonates with your project’s funders.
To help you create an impactful grant proposal, here are some effective tips for each stage of the writing process.
Before You Write—Essential Tips for Preparing Your Grant Proposal
Every successful grant proposal begins with careful planning and strategic preparation. Before you begin writing, you should build the foundation of your grant proposal by:
- Gathering data that supports the need for your project
- Identifying your project’s goals and objectives
- Assessing your project’s scope and budget
- Creating a detailed project plan
- Researching potential funders
- Understanding what the funders’ asks and restrictions are
Taking the time to thoroughly plan and prepare your grant proposal will not only make the writing process easier, but it will also demonstrate to funders that you are organized, meticulous, and committed to your project’s success.
Learn the fundamentals of grant writing with our Introduction to Grant Writing course.
Writing a Compelling Grant Proposal—Tips for a Successful Submission
To write a compelling proposal, you must ensure that each component is clearly defined, well-researched, and aligned with your funders’ interests. Most grant proposals consist of 7 key components, and they include:
- Cover letter
- Executive summary
- Problem statement
- Goals and objectives
- Measure of accomplishments
- Plan execution
- Budget
Let’s take a closer look at each of these components and explore some effective writing tips for composing a compelling grant proposal.
Cover Letter
Your cover letter should be an enticing, brief overview of your organization, its mission, and the project that requires funding. When writing your cover letter, be sure to:
- Introduce your organization
- Describe your project
- Explain why your project aligns with the funder’s interests
- State the amount that you’re requesting
- Thank the reader for their consideration
- Include your contact information
- Convey your interest in discussing the project further
Much like a cover letter for a job application, your grant proposal’s cover letter serves as a powerful first impression. A strong cover letter can capture your funder’s attention and immediately spark interest in your project.
Our Advanced Grammar course can teach you how to avoid the common punctuation and syntax errors that undermine the professionalism of your writing.
Executive Summary
An executive summary gives the reader a concise, detailed overview of the entire proposal. It allows you to describe the importance of your organization and your proposed project in greater detail.
Your grant proposal’s executive summary should include:
- The name of your organization
- Your organization’s mission
- The title of your project
- Who your project will help and why
- A request for a specific amount of money
- A brief explanation of how the money will be used
- A conclusion paragraph thanking the reader for their consideration
When writing your proposal’s executive summary, be sure to briefly explain why your organization is in a unique position to accomplish its mission. You should also briefly mention how your project solves the problem and aligns with your funder’s goals.
Problem Statement
A problem statement is also called a statement of need, and it clearly defines the problem that your project aims to address. This section gives you the opportunity to make a compelling case for why your project deserves funding.
To write an impactful problem statement, you should:
- Clearly identify the problem
- Provide context and background to the problem
- Provide relevant data and statistics
- Describe who is affected by the problem
- Explain why the problem requires funding
To persuade your reader to take action, you can convey a sense of urgency, explain what happens if your project doesn’t get funding, and connect the problem to your funder’s mission and interests.
Goals and Objectives
Your project goals should describe the broad, long-term impacts of your project. They should be realistic, clearly defined, and directly aligned with your problem statement. An example of a project goal could be to increase the accessibility of healthcare to low-income families in a specific community.
Your project objectives should break down the overarching goals into specific, actionable steps. When presenting your objectives, be sure to include specific numbers, percentages, and time frames. For example, a project objective could be to increase the number of free clinics in the area from 4 to 6, representing a 50% increase over the next ten years.
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Measure of Accomplishments
A measure of accomplishments section provides the funder with specific criteria and metrics that they can use to track the project’s success over time. When paired with a project's goals and objectives, it could look like:
- Goal: Improve the reading comprehension of first-grade students in the community
- Objective: Increase the number of after-school tutoring sessions next school year from 1 day per week to 5 days per week, representing a 400% increase in weekly tutoring sessions
- Measure of Accomplishments: Students’ reading comprehension progress will be assessed through pre- and post-program assessments, aiming for a measurable improvement in reading scores by the end of the next school year
This section helps both you and the reader ensure that the project stays on track and accomplishes its goals and objectives.
Plan Execution
A plan execution details the specific steps that are involved in the completion of the project. To write a comprehensive plan execution, you should include:
- Specific tasks that are involved in the execution of your project
- Who will be responsible for each task
- A complete timeline with specific deadlines for each task
- Potential challenges that may arise during the project’s execution
This section helps the funder identify how the project’s goals and objectives will be completed on time, within budget, and in accordance with the project’s proposal.
Discover how to fine-tune your grant proposal with our Advanced Grant Writing course.
Budget
Your grant proposal’s budget provides full transparency with the funder and lets them know how each dollar will be allocated. When creating a budget for your project, you should include the costs of:
- Personnel salaries and wages
- Materials and supplies
- Equipment
- Travel and transportation
- Consultants and contractors
- Direct costs, like marketing, rent, and utilities
- Indirect costs, like office supplies or administration fees
Be sure to also include the total budget amount, the total amount requested from the funder, and the total amount received from other sources, such as donations, matching contributions, and additional funders.
Grant Assistance for Businesses and Employers in Arizona
Navigating the grant writing process can be difficult on your own. Without the right guidance, it’s easy to overlook the small details that can determine whether or not your project gets the funding it needs to succeed.
By partnering with the REDC at Yavapai College, your organization can learn about the grant writing process, find grant opportunities that you may have missed, and get expert assistance during every step of the grant proposal process.
Explore our grant services today to discover how REDC can help you secure funding for your organization.