The Effective Grant Writer

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The Effective Grant Writer

• RCD Concepts
• Presented by Kurt Simon
• Little Kanawha RCD
• West Virginia

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Table Of Contents

• Funding Philosophy
• Six Steps to Successful Grants
• What Makes a Successful Grant
• Roles Which Alienate Funding Officials
• Sources of Funding
• Tiers of Foundations
• Things Foundations Look For
• What is a Proposal
• Different Types of Proposals
• Functions of a Proposal
• Ways to Solicit Support from Foundations
• Six Steps to Successful Grants
• Doing Your Homework
• Developing a Proposal
• Letters of Transmittal

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Funding Philosophy

• Traditional Method (Chasing After the Money)
• Alternative Funding Philosophy (Finding the Right
  Funder)

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Six Steps To Successful Grants

• The Ability to Research and Prospect
• Attitude and Commitment to the Project
• Accuracy of Document
• Ability to See From Givers Perspective
• Wear the Hat of the Reviewer
• Wear the Hat of the Submitter

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Learn to Write Grants and

• the sky is the limit

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What Makes a Successful Grant-seeker

• Salesmanship- To win a grant one must sell ideas
  to other people.
• Communication Skills- One must know how to write
  and speak effectively.
• Ingenuity and Flexibility- One seldom follows the
  same path twice.
• Research Skills- One must know the tools and how
  to use them.

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What Makes a Successful Grant-seeker

• Good Human Relations- One must motivate and gain
  the cooperation of people beyond the immediate
  staff other departments, community leaders and
  funding officials.
• Persistence and Dedication- Grant seeking takes
  time and is seldom easy.

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Roles Which Alienate Funding Officials

• Beggar- Getting down on your hands and knees to
  plead for funding. Begging doesnt work because
  it implies you are soliciting for yourself.

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Roles Which Alienate Funding Officials

• Bill Collector- Many receiving support from a
  funding source in the past return with an appeal
  like Its that time of year again.

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Roles Which Alienate Funding Officials

• Slick Salesman- The salesman approaches his
  potential clients with the standard pitch.
• Flagellant-This grant seeker walks into a
  granting agency and tries to win a grant by
  showing how much he is suffering for his cause.
• Wolf- Wolf- Quite a few grant seekers are fond of
  hiding behind this mask. They go to the funding
  source and attempt to convince the funder that
  their money is the only thing staving off eminent
  catastrophe .

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Proposal Research

• Eight Sources of Funding
• 1. Federal Government
• 2. State Government
• 3. Local Government
• 4. Business and Industry
• 5. Local Fund Raising Programs and Activities
• 6. Service Organizations/ Community Groups
• 7. Private Donations
• 8. Philanthropic Organizations/ Foundations

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The Four Tiers of Foundations

• 1. First Tier Foundations
• 2. Second Tier Foundations
• 3. Third Tier Foundations
• 4. Fourth Tier Foundations

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Four Things Funders Look For

• Is it all there?
• Does the budget add up?
• Is the budget justifiable?
• Is the proposal evaluatable?

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What is a Proposal

• Program Presentation
• Request
• Persuasion
• Promise
• Plan

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Five Different Types of Proposals

• Program Proposals
• Research Proposals
• Planning Proposals
• Training Proposals
• Technical- Assistance Proposals

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Five Functions of a Proposal

• The Proposal as a Sale Piece
• The Proposal as a Concept Paper
• The Proposal as a Plan
• The Proposal as an Agreement
• The Proposal as an Evaluation Design

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Four Ways to Solicit Support From Foundations

• Telephone Interview- You can make or break your
  proposal on the telephone. Rehearse before you
  call.
• Letter Proposal- 5 types of letters.
• Formal Proposal- (guidelines on form).
• Proposal with no guidelines- These types of
  proposal requests are usually given a specific
  page length requirement.

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Doing Your Homework (7 Steps)

• 1. Write a Brief Statement Describing Your
  Proposed Project
• 2. State the Estimated, Projected or Actual Cost
  for Completing this Project
• 3. How Long Will You Need Financial Assistance
• 4. What Type of Financial Assistance are You
  Requesting

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Doing Your Homework (7 Steps) continued

• 5. What is the Projected Starting Date and
  Completion Date
• 6. Your Organization Must Create the Mechanism
  Through Which it Can Legally Accept the Award
• 7. Who Within Your Organization is the Final
  Decision Making Authority

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Developing A Comprehensive Proposal

• Cover Letter
• Title Page
• Table of Contents
• List of Figures
• List of Tables

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Developing A Comprehensive Proposal

• Summary or Abstract
• Introduction
• Need or Statement of The Problem
• Program Objectives
• Activities or Method

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Developing a Comprehensive Proposal

• Evaluation
• Future Funding
• Budget
• Appendices

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Letters of Transmittal

• 1. Letter of Inquiry
• 2. Letter of Intent
• 3. Letter Proposal
• 4. Letter of Commitment
• 5. Letter of Support