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Beat the Competition

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How To Beat The Competition

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The Point System

A point system is generally used in determining the acceptance of a grant proposal.

Do the goals match with the goals of the Foundation’s Board?
What are the strengths and weaknesses of the project?
Does the proposal address the important issues
Does it generate confidence?
Is there appropriate personnel identified that will contribute to the success of the project?
Does sufficient administrative support exist to make it worth pursuing?
Does it fit with the growth direction of the funder?
Is community support a part of the proposal?
What are the odds for funding?
Can the proposal be completed within time frame allotted?
Does required "collaboration" or "partnerships" need too much time to develop compared to potential results?
Are signature requirements (Board resolution, etc.) possible within time frame?
Does this program fit well with others already in place?
Can these funds or this program be leveraged?
Does the grant writer have sufficient motivation to complete a fundable proposal?

Tell a Compelling Story

You are trying to convince the foundation to select your product, service or idea. A grant proposal is a sales document. Ideas should be innovative, creative and educational.

Grantors will rarely fund operating expenses - they usually invest in supplemental programs. Private foundations often seek creative solutions to problems or needs, but generally they will fund risky projects. Propose a project that puts an innovative approach on an existing idea.

Create a Mission Statement

This is a key element of the grant proposal. Your Mission Statement declares that you need the grant and that it is the only basis upon which a long-range strategic plan (the blueprint for carrying out your goal) can be developed.

You must have a well-written and thoughtful Mission Statement in order to successfully obtain a grant. If you have not adequately described the reason you need the grant, including the use of statistics and other research data when possible, the funder will see no reason to invest in your project.

Write an Executive Summary

Most grant proposals, particularly foundation and corporation proposals, should include a short project abstract or summary. The abstract defines your entire project - needs, goals, objectives, and budget - within a paragraph or, at most, one page.

The executive summary becomes the foundation of the grant proposal. The first impression it gives will be critical to the success of your endeavor. The possibility is great that this is the only part of the package that is carefully reviewed before a decision is made to further consider the project.

As always, follow the guidelines of the grantor with regard to the program summary requirements. Remember that it is this summary that is usually read first. If you haven't adequately described your project, it may be the only part of the entire grant proposal that ever gets read.

It is best to prepare the summary after the grant proposal has been developed. This makes it less difficult to include all the key points necessary to communicate the objectives of the project.

The summary should include:

A list or short description of your services
A brief background of your project
Your geographic service area
Specific aims of your endeavor
Founding date and major milestones in your history
Name of CEO (if any), with phone number
Name of board president (if any), with phone number
Total annual budget
Where the money comes from or will come from
Where the money goes or will go (small pie charts are an excellent way to provide these money statistics)
How many paid staff and how many volunteers you have or plan to have

If the funder reads beyond the executive summary, you have successfully piqued his or her interest. Your next task is to build on this initial interest in your project by enabling the funder to understand the problem that the project will remedy.

Communicate Effectively

Remember that often the key to a strong grant proposal is simplicity. Do not waste words. Funders are looking for a proposal that will succeed, so keep things clear, factual, supportable, and professional. Be succinct. Volumes of documentation are imposing not impressive.

Begin each section with a strong, clear sentence and support the introductory sentence with well-organized, interesting information. Clarity in communicating your ideas is very important. Have someone who is not involved in the project in any way read and critique your draft application.

Refrain from using acronyms common to your area of expertise. Many readers are not going to be familiar with their meaning.

Proofread! Proofread! Proofread! Grammar and spelling errors show a lack of concern on the part of the applicant.

Use a reasonable font type and size (no smaller than 10- point; preferably 12-point). Leave plenty of white space - use margins of at least 1"; double-space if space limitations allow it. If possible, include graphs, photographs, or sidebars occasionally. Bold headings and sub-headings help break up the proposal and also make it easy for the reviewer to find sections within your proposal. Do not submit a proposal if you are not proud of its appearance.

A well-written grant proposal that clearly reveals your vision, mission, strategy and program enhances your chances of winning grant funding.

Attention Getters

Grant proposals most likely to catch a foundation's attention are those that convey plans to use the grant money to bring in other money. Being able to use their money effectively is what foundations are after. Be specific about how you will use the money. Make statements like “This will allow us to create a training program to expand our services without asking for more money each year.” or "We have a wonderful program, but we want to make it more cost-effective." Don’t’ say things like “We are running out of money.” Success breeds success.