The anatomy of a grant proposal

So, your not for profit organisation has a vision; a goal they want to achieve for the greater good but to achieve this goal you need funding and you have decided grant funding is the way to go. What next? Where do you start?

Our Grant writer in Sydney has extensive experience and success in the field of grant writing, and they are more than willing to assist your organisation to achieve your goal by gaining the funds required to see it through to fruition.

The most important step to winning grant funding is to have everything in the proposal set out in a logical and well-planned manner.

Cover Letter

Grant writer crafts a cover letter that introduces your project or program to the grant funder. In the cover letter the grant writer includes two main points. What the organisation will be funding and how much funding is required. The detail comes later in the proposal, but the cover letter is the hook; the introduction to your organisation; a very brief overview of who you are and what you do.

Executive Summary

Now the grant writer has introduced your organisation and given the funder a general idea of what your funding needs are they will expand a little more in your executive summary. This is where grant writer identifies your organisation mission, philosophy and values and details your past achievements.

The grant writer will also expand on the project or program you are seeking funding for and provide the grant funder with important information about the requirement for the funding.

Organisation Information

The grant funder obviously needs to know important and significant information about your organisation to make an informed decision about your suitability to receive grant funding.

The grant writer will provide a concise history of your organisation, so the funder knows who you are and what you have done. They may use this opportunity to introduce the key individual members of your organisation and identify the qualifications, experience, skills, and knowledge each person has that will contribute to the success of your proposed project or program.

Statement of Need

The statement of need gets down to the nitty gritty. The grant writer informs the funding body what specific problem your project or program seeks to solve and who the beneficiaries or target audience is.

The problem needs to be clearly defined by the grant writer so that the funder can understand the requirement for funding. They need to see that their funding dollar is going to be successfully applied to fix a perceived problem.

The grant writer sets the scene - this is the problem, and this is our solution. This is why we are requiring funding and why we are worthy recipients.

Goals and Objectives

This is where the grant writer will describe what you will achieve in both a general and specific manner. Your goal is the ultimate what the funding will help you achieve, and the objectives are the breakdown of your goal.

It is wise to use SMART goals and objectives as this clarifies your intentions for the grant funder and provides a method of measuring success.

Specific - to be achievable goals, need to be focused and specific.

Measurable - how can you track your progress and see your success?

Attainable - your goal must be achievable within a specific timeframe.

Relevant - they should align with your mission and values and be realistically achievable.

Time based -setting a time frame or deadline provides motivation and direction.

Methods and Strategies

This is where the grant writer Melbourne provides the ‘how’. For each objective provide detail about your action plan to achieve your goal. What strategies are you going to apply to achieve success? How are you going to tackle the problem and achieve the solution through your project or program?

This is where the grant writer convinces the funder that you know what you are going to do. You have a purpose or plan in mind to achieve success and fully address the problem or need you identified. Without a clear method and strategies, you will not receive funding support, so this section is vitally important in the grant proposal.

Plan of Evaluation

The grant funder is going to want some accountability. If they are going to give you funding for your project or program, they want clear information on how you are going to measure your success and how you will continually evaluate the project or program to ensure the funding will be applied with maximum efficiency.

In this section the grant writer will also feature the result your organisation expects from the program or project and will make it as measurable as possible.

Budget

In the budget section the grant writer will provide a detailed budget breakdown indicating how the requested funding will be used. The budget should align with the methods and strategies described prior in the grant proposal and contain all quotes and costs associated so that it matches your request amount.

By focusing on attention to detail and using their expertise, experience and skills grant writer can produce a compelling and convincing grant proposal that will aid your organisation to achieve their funding goals.