Grant writing
is not to be taken for granted so I attended the Grant Writing workshop
conducted by FILAM Coalition of Florida on January 10, 2004 in North
Miami, Florida. FILAM Coalition is an aggrupation of Filipino-American
organizations in various cities in the state of Florida.
I wish to share the valuable knowledge I acquired from the one-day
seminar to guide interested RDL-CLEAR members in the vigorous search
for treasures hidden as grant funds that will ultimately help the
people of Romblon.
Purpose of Grant Writing
Grant writing
is one of the tools used by tax-exempt and not-for-profit organizations
in obtaining funds from government and/or private grant makers. The
purpose of grant writing is to convince the grantor that there is
a need or problem and that the applicant organization is eligible
for receiving funds to support the organization's goal of solving
the problem in line with the purpose of the grant. Hence, the grant
writer is tasked with the burden of stating the need or problem and
defining the purpose or mission of the grantee in undertaking the
project in the most convincing manner.
Elements of Grant Writing
Successful grant
writing involves time-consuming step-by-step process of planning,
preparing and submitting proposals for grant funding. The following
suggested steps would facilitate the job of the grant writer.
Step 1:
Search for grantors
or funders in the Internet, public libraries and other sources. The
following are some of the suggested websites to be visited:
· http://www.ayalafoundation.org/
The Ayala Foundation, Inc. (AFI) is a non-stock, non-profit organization
that serves as the socio-cultural development arm of the Ayala Group
of Companies (AGC). Through various social development and cultural
programs, the Foundation works to fulfill the needs of the whole person,
firmly believing in the human being as less of an object of charity
than a cause for celebration.
· http://www.foundationcenter.org
the Foundation Center provides information about every foundation
in the country. Much of this information is free, but some of it is
for paying subscribers only.
· http://www.guidestar.org
Guidestar lists financial information for 800,000 nonprofits including
your own organization. Guidestar may be used for research or updating
your organizations entry.
· http://www.idealist.org
Idealist.org has built the leading nonprofit jobsite in the US. In
addition to jobs, you can also list events, volunteer opportunities
and internships. At http://www.idealist.org/consultlants you can find
the most comprehensive directory of nonprofit consultants on the Web.
· http://news.gilbert.org
Michael Gilbert maintains this great site with daily news updates
bridging the online and nonprofit worlds. You can read the news there,
or you can subscribe for weekly email updates.
· http://www.nonprofitbasics.org
This is a resource center providing information on starting, running
and funding an organization.
· http://www.nonprofits.org/npofaq
Putnam Barber maintains the Nonprofit FAQ - an older resource center
providing information on actual questions and answers posted by nonprofit
managers over the years.
· http://www.networkforgood.org
is a resource for volunteer opportunities and a place to make donations
to nonprofit organizations.
· http://www.serviceleader.org
is a huge site covering every aspect of volunteer management, from
screening, matching, record-keeping and evaluation, to legal issues,
risk management and virtual volunteering.
· http://www.techsoup.org
is a leading resource center for all issues related to nonprofit technology.
In addition, they offer discounts on software for nonprofits, sometimes
up to 90% off the list price.
· http://www.volunteermatch.org
finds volunteer opportunities all over the country by ZIP code or
area of interest.
· http://www.nca.org/states.htm
checks out nonprofit state association closest to them.
· websites
of large companies particularly the web page on community relations,
corporate giving or other charitable work.
Do not limit your
funding search to one source.
Step 2:
Identify and contact the right funding source. Look for a match between
your project and the grants you seek by looking for consistency between
the purpose and goals of your project and the requisites of the funder.
In addition, request or inquire about the following information from
the prospective funders: proposal guidelines as to submission deadlines,
eligibility, proposal format, review timetable, budgets, funding goals
and priorities, award levels, evaluation process and criteria, whom
to contact, and the postal address to which the application must be
sent.
Step 3:
Prepare Case Statement: Before writing the proposal, experts suggest
the advance preparation of the Case Statement or Narrative providing
a comprehensive picture of the project. The Narrative consists of
the following parts:
1. Problem Statement
or Needs Assessment: The statement of the need should answer the following
questions and identify the problem based on factual data:
· What
do we want?
· What concern will be addressed and why?
· Who will benefit and how?
The case should
be substantiated with pertinent data, including detailed demographic
information about the populations sought to be assisted.
2. Mission
Statement: Describe the mission, vision, goals and objectives.
a) Mission: Write
a statement defining the purpose or task for which the organization
exists.
Example:
The Mission Statement
of RDL-CLEAR is to harness the tribal virtue of sharing of resources
and talents otherwise known as "sanrokan" or "sandokan"
through online and offline networking with Romblomanons around the
globe and with our kind benefactors who share our vision and course
of action to make Romblon a better place.
b) Vision or Goal:
Write a statement about what the organization hopes to accomplish
or where the organization is going in a foreseeable future. The vision
or goal must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and tangible.
Example:
The goal of RDL-CLEAR
is to unite Romblonians or Romblomanons around the world and empower
them for the purpose of providing cultural, livelihood and educational
assistance to the underprivileged people of Romblon.
c) Specific Objectives:
Write a statement about the outcomes and desired changes the organization
wants to achieve and how to achieve them. The objectives must be measurable
so the outcome has to be evaluated if they meet certain expectations.
There are at least four types of objectives:
· Behavioral:
A human action is anticipated. Example: Fifty of seventy children
participating will learn to swim.
· Performance: A specific time frame within which a behavior
will occur, at an expected proficiency level, is expected. Example:
Fifty of the seventy children will learn to swim within six months
and will pass a basic swimming proficiency test administered by a
Red Cross-certified lifeguard.
· Process: The manner in which something occurs is an end in
itself. Example: We will document the teaching methods utilized, identifying
those with the greatest success. One of the specific objectives of
RDL-CLEAR as stated in the Bylaws is to solicit donations (monetary
or in kind) or conduct fund-raising activities as may be necessary
to support the group's cultural, livelihood, and educational projects
intended to improve the quality of life of the underprivileged people
of Romblon.
· Product: A tangible item results. Example: a manual will
be created to be used in teaching swimming to this age and proficiency
group in the future.
3. Programs or Project Description: Write about the proposed project
or services the organization will provide based on assessed problems
or community needs. Describe the method and processes of accomplishing
the goals and objectives or describe the intended scope of work with
the expected outcome. Provide also a timeline for the completion of
the project. Strategic planning approach known as SWOT is necessary
to come up with a workable program. SWOT refers to the following organizational
attributes and drawbacks.
S = strengths or the skills and resources that the organization has.
W = weaknesses and how to overcome them.
O = outside resources or developments that can help the organization.
T = threats or obstacles and how to overcome them.
4. Governance: Write about the composition, affiliation, and qualifications
of the governing Board.
5. Staffing/ Project Team and Partners: Describe the organizational
structure or composition of project team including staff members and
partners, their qualifications and functions.
6. History: Write a statement about the background and the good track
record of the organization as evidence of the ability of the organization
to accomplish its objectives. Example: RDL-CLEAR has accomplished
the following projects in Romblon:
· Established Computer Centers in four towns of Romblon through
donations from RDL members and other supporters.
· Sponsored Medical Missions and Tree Planting projects in
various towns of Romblon.
7. Budget and Finances: Prepare a budget estimate (usually a budget
form is provided by the grantor) for the implementation of the project
and identify sources of funds. Most Grantors require cost sharing;
hence, any fundraising plan must be included in the Narrative. Cost
sharing includes cash or in-kind donations (materials or volunteer
services are in-kind items). Funders use the following factors to
assess budgets:
· Can the job be accomplished with this budget?
· Are the costs reasonable for the market or too high or
too low?
· Is the budget consistent with proposed activities?
· Is there sufficient budget detail and explanation?
Step 4:
Write the grant proposal in appropriate format and submit it in a
timely manner. Proposal formats vary but in general the standard proposal
components are the Narrative, budget, supporting materials and authorized
signature. Grant writing is facilitated by picking up relevant information
from the prepared Case Statement as explained above and copying them
to the Application Form. Before submitting the proposal, the applicant
should check the application checklist provided by the Grantor and
make sure that the following requisites are satisfied:
· The proposal must be neat, complete and on time, with the
requested number of copies and original authorized signatures.
· It must be addressed as directed in the guidelines.
· The required appendices or supporting materials (resumes
of key project staff and consultants, letters of commitment from participating
organizations, bibliography of sources, etc.) must be complete.
For some Grants, a complete application would include the following:
· Application cover sheet
· Table of Contents
· Budget
· Narratives
· Special Requirements
· Appendices
· Additional Materials
The Grantor strictly imposes submission deadlines so a few minutes
delay may automatically result in grant denial.
The most common proposal formats are the Request for Proposals (RFP)
and the Grants Eligibility Application prescribed by the Grantor.
Click RFP
and Grant_Application
to see a sample of the forms.
Step 5:
Application Review and Selection: The application will be reviewed
by the Grantor and due to the big number of applications submitted
there are three possible outcomes of the review (granted, granted
for less money or denied). The Grantor may require further explanation
or justification for the project so the applicant should be ready
to explain and justify the proposal when requested.
Step 6:
Continue Searching for Grants: If the application is denied, do not
be discouraged. Experts advise us to continue the search and have
better luck next time. Grant writing is like fishing - we don't catch
fish every time we throw the fishing line to the water. Skillful grant
writers do get more grants as skilled fishermen have more catch than
beginners. But, the bottom line is the more attempts we make we increase
our chances of getting a grant. Grant writing is a competition; we
will never win if we never try. The time we spend writing the proposal
would eventually save us from spending pocket money for our "sanrokan"
projects.
Good luck to our
grant writers!
