Environmental Education

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Environmental Education

• Program Planning and Proposal Writing

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Program Planning Proposal Writing

• Why Plan? Why Write Grants?
• Fund materials
• Fund a position
• Fund capital projects
• Supplement program income
• Program income an important part of program
  sustainability
• Altruism funding a community need

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Program Planning

• The essential first step in proposal development
• Two approaches to proposal writing
• Plan first, then grant
• Grant first, then plan

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Plan/Proposal Components

• Cover Letter
• Summary (abstract)
• Introduction (builds credibility)
• Problem Statement
• Program Goals and Objectives
• Methods
• Evaluation
• Future Funding (sustainability)
• Budget
• Appendix

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Plan/Proposal Components

• Cover letter may or may not be required
• Summary
• One paragraph that summarizes the proposed
  program
• The who, what, when, where, and why
• Might be the only thing that gets read
• Introduction
• Build the credibility of your organization

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Plan/Proposal Components

• STEP 1 Assessing the Need (Problem Statement or
  Needs Assessment)
• Identify the problem(s) you want to address or
  solve through your proposed program
• These should refer to conditions in the life of
  your clients
• Should NOT refer to needs internal to your
  organization

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Problem Statements

• Deal with issues in modern society
• Homelessness
• Offenders returning to prison
• Children behind in reading
• Environmental degradation
• School dropout
• Alcoholism

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Needs Statements

• Deal with less tangible subjects
• Artistic
• Spiritual
• Value-oriented
• These are certainly no less important as
  subjects, but they do not lend themselves as
  directly to the problem solving model of program
  planning proposal writing.

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Problem Statements

• Demonstrate knowledge of the problem
• Use statistics (not to excess)
• Augment stats with quotes from local authorities
• Demonstrate it is local
• Avoid charts and graphs
• Make a logical connection to organization
• Be realistic

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Problems vs. Methods

• Important to understand the difference
• Avoid lack of statements
• Leads to circular reasoning

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Plan/Proposal Components

• STEP 2 Developing Goals and Objectives
• The problem statement will prepare the funding
  source for your logical Goals and Objectives

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Goals

• Broad Statements
• Enhance appreciation of the natural world
• Create an environment where art is appreciated
• Enhance self image
• Connect students to the environment
• Cannot be measured as stated
• Understanding of general thrust

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Objectives

• Specific
• Measurable Outcomes
• Promised improvements to the problem
• Need to be realistic

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Objectives - Example

• Problem 50 of children read below grade level
• Objective Within one year of completion of the
  READ America Program, 75 of the 100 participants
  will read at or above grade level.

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Objectives vs. Methods

• Common mistake
• Says nothing about outcome or benefits
• The objective of this project is to provide
  environmental education services to delinquent
  youth between the ages of 8 and 14 in our
  community.

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Methods

• Activities that will achieve desired results
• Paint a picture of what will happen
• where it will happen
• who will participate
• when it will happen
• what the facility looks like
• how staff are deployed
• role of volunteers

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Methods

• Two basic issues to be dealt with
• What combination of activities and strategy have
  you selected to employ to bring about the desired
  results?
• Why have you selected this particular approach
  amongst all the possibilities?

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Evaluation

• Measuring Success
• Outcome Evaluation
• Measuring results
• Have objectives been met?
• Formative Evaluation (process)
• Tool to make adjustments
• ongoing

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Evaluation

• Trouble? Revisit Objectives
• External vs. internal evaluation
• Adds to cost
• Can add credibility
• Objective
• Should begin immediately

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Future Fundingaka sustainability

• How will you sustain your program once funding
  runs out??
• Local support
• Program income
• Program integration/adoption
• Expansion of non-grant fundraising

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Budget

• Three Sections
• Personnel
• Time x wage x benefits
• Non-personnel
• Rent
• Supplies
• travel
• Indirect Costs

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Appendices

• Audited Financial Statements
• IRS Determination Letter
• Roster of Board of Directors
• Organizational Budget
• Timeline
• Letters of Support
• Resumes