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May 2005 Featured Article
The Components of a Grant
Pat Bohse, President of Bohse & Associates, Inc.
So far we have been putting the pieces of the grant writing pie together for you by providing information about:
• Understanding the needs of the public that you serve (Conducting Community Needs
Assessment, April 2005*)
This month, I want to review the basic components that need to be in every grant. Before getting to the components, I would like to discuss the DO’s and DON’Ts** of municipalities using grants:
DO use grants to supplement projects to which the municipality is totally committed.
DON’T use grants for “pie in the sky” projects for which there has been no firm commitment.
DO use grants to increase funding that is already dedicated to a project.
DON’T use grant applications in an attempt to balance the budget.
DO use grants to create partnerships when the opportunity arises.
DON’T use grants to create permanent staffing positions unless future funding is likely.
DO use grants to fund “seed” or “demonstration” projects where follow-up funding has been obtained.
DON’T use grants to fund projects unless the projects can be implemented effectively.
Once you have determined that there is a match between your goals and a potential funding source you need to do the following:
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Secure a copy of the RFP (Request for Proposal) and the application:
a.) |
First: |
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Determine if you are eligible for the money |
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See if your needs match the priorities of the funders |
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Is there enough time to reply? |
| b.) |
Second: |
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Make a checklist of what needs to be done and who on your team will be responsible to complete it and by when. |
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2. |
Make personal contact with the potential funder to establish a relationship and get your questions answered. If there is a bidder’s conference we recommend that you attend.
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3. |
Conduct a brain storming session with potential team members. This “Dream Team” can consist of the project director, budget specialist, grant writer, collaborating partners (if any) and others to work out the details of the project. |
4. |
Once you have an outline for the project, we highly recommend that you do the preliminary budget with a budget narrative to see what you can afford before writing an unrealistic project narrative. |
5. |
Make sure that the project narrative agrees with both the projected personnel and project budget. Every proposal, whether it is for government, foundations, or corporations, must answer the questions:
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Who are you? |
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Who will the project provide services to? |
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What is the project? |
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Where will the project be conducted? |
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What is the timeline for the project? |
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Why is the project needed? |
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What are the steps you will take to carry out the project? |
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6. |
Most grants have the following components:
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Cover letter and/or Application |
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Proposal Summary |
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Table of Contents |
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Introduction/Agencies history and accomplishments |
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Needs/Problem Statement |
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Goals and objectives that will be accomplished |
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Project activities and timelines to be carried out |
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Project evaluation (how will you measure the success of the project?)
–NOTE: Funders are looking at project evaluation very seriously. They want to
fund projects that can be successful models used in other places. |
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Future funding (who will fund the future of this project) |
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Budget and budget narrative |
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Attachments and appendices |
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To learn more about the “how-to’s” of grant writing visit Bohse & Associate’s Web site, where they have provided a listing of links to various grant writing proposal aids, or visit the Online Proposal Writing Aids & Courses section of the League’s Grant Resource Center.
If you have any questions regarding the components of a grant, please feel free to contact Bohse & Associates, Inc. at 732-291-8038 or email Pat Bohse at pbohse@bohse.com.
*These articles previously appeared as the featured articles on NJLM’s Grant Resource Center, and can now be found in the Grant Seeker’s Toolkit.
**Do’s and Don’ts courtesy of Michael A. Sand, Sand Associates
Full version of May Article in Adobe PDF format for printing
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