Common components of a grant submission

Grant writing is a competitive situation – if you want to be successful in winning a grant your grant application must stand out from all the other applicants.

Grant writing also requires the commitment of time to research and write the proposal and a good level of written communication skills to complete the process effectively. It is certainly not a simple or quick activity and requires certain knowledge and skills.

A grant submission is usually reviewed by experts, so the grant writer needs to have done their research and provide information within the submission that demonstrates the ability of the applicant to utilise the grant funding effectively and efficiently.

The grant writer needs to be organised and methodical to cover all expected components in their grant submission. When grant writing the first and most important task is reading the grant program guidelines and creating for themselves a list of requirements that they will work through to write the grant submission.

Summary/Abstract

This is usually written last and is a brief summary of the project and the need for the project; the people it will benefit; and a brief description of the goals and objectives of the project.

Introduction

The grant writer will introduce the applicant/organisation, detail their experience and qualifications relevant to the funding area and give a brief overview of their values, mission statement etc.

Statement of need

In this section of grant writing we describe the problem that funding is being sought for, the target group that requires assistance, how the applicant or organisation plans to solve the problem or fill the need.

Objectives

Objectives for the application and the program should be clearly stated and written as SMART objectives – Specific. Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time sensitive.

Methods

In this section of the grant submission the grant writer states how the applicant will achieve their objectives and answer the questions of who, when, where and how as they relate to the project in greater detail. They can provide research and evidence in this section to quantify their application.

Evaluation

Here we detail how we will measure success – whether we will use quantitative or qualitative measurement. How will the applicant know they are achieving their stated objectives?

Future Funding

Will the project require funding after the grant funding ceases? If so the grant writer needs to provide reassurance to the grant program fund overseers that the applicant has a plan in place to continue the program.

Budget

A detailed budget is required to demonstrate exactly how the potential grant funding will be disbursed. In this section we cover any staff costs, expenses, equipment, resources and goods required to successfully achieve the goals of the project.

Management plan/key personnel

Who will be responsible for managing the funding – what are their qualifications experience in managing budgets etc. What staff will be required to achieve the stated objectives.

Conclusion

In this section the grant writer provides a brief summary restating why the funding is required and who will benefit

Appendices

The appendices should include any additional documentation requested as part of the grant program guidelines.

If the grant writer wants to be successful the grant submission needs to convince the funder that the funding from the grant will have a positive and measurable outcome for the community or target group. This requires time and effort and a professional approach.