Topics

Types of grants
What is funded
When to apply for a grant
Overview of what writing a proposal entails

Assignment Due May 22

Your basic task this week is to identify your collaborator and learn about them. Your must become knowledgeable about your collaborator. Knowing the strengths, weaknesses and needs of your collaborating organization, group or agency will be a key to writing a good proposal. Identify a community-based organization or agency with whom you will develop the proposal. You will be developing a proposal for this group or organization, so they need to have an idea about a program or project they want to fund. At this point, you do not need to fill in the details about the project. You will be firming up the details of the project as the semester goes by. On the other hand, you do need to discuss the project with your collaborator so that you have a general understanding of what is involved in completing the project.

Requirements for the project. This must be a new program or project because donors will normally not fund existing or on-going projects or programs. The proposed project must involve developing and delivering a new program -- a programmatic effort -- not just something like getting money to build a new building, or support on-going organizational expenses.

Answer each of the following questions. Submit your answers electronicallyin a word document, double-spaced. Number each question. You will receive an A (thumbs up), B (OK) or C (thumbs down) grade for this assignment -- not a point grade.

1. What are the vision, mission, goals and objectives of the organization?
2. Who are the clients of the organization? Who does the organization serve? Provide demographic information and numbers of clients served.
3. What do the clients need? How does the organization know what they need? What data, needs assessment, or other credible source of information does the organization have to to support their claims about what their clients need?
4. What kinds of services and programs does the organization currently provide for its clients?
5. What results (successes) has the organization had? Provide examples of concrete, measurable outcomes that demonstrate that the organization's programs and services are effective in serving the needs of the clients.
6. What are the organization's plans for the future? What new program(s) or projects does the organization want to start? Focus on the program or project that will be the subject of your proposal.
7. How does the proposed project or program fit into the organization's mission and goals and into their plans for the future? Explain how the proposed project or program will help the organization better meet its goals and objectives.
8. What partners (other organizations, agencies, etc.) will be involved in this project? Has the organization worked with these collaborators in the past? If there are no partners, can the organization supply all of the expertise and experience that will be needed for the project or program?
9. How is the organization governed or managed? Who is responsible for what?
10. Has the organization managed grant funds before? Why should a donor believe that the organization can administer funds well.

Readings

Burke and Prater, Chapter 1

Minnesota Council on Foundations. Common Types of Grants.

Swisher, When to Apply for a Grant

Kent State University. What to do before you write a grant proposal.

Resources

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Part I. Developing a Grant Proposal This is an excellent overview of the steps involved in developing a grant proposal. Part I focuses on all the steps you need to take before you set pen to paper.

Dickey, M. (2003). Grant Makers Reveal the Most Common Reasons Grant Proposals Get Rejected. A good, succinct discussion of why proposals fail to win. I strongly encourage you to tread this.

Grant Writing Guides. Includes some useful examples of the kinds of documents you may need to submit when writing a proposal, from a letter of inquiry to a complete proposal.

Class Activities

Introductions
Course objectives and organization
Discussion