Many interested group leaders and parents are heavily involved with their youth and are looking for more viable ways to add funding to their programs. Often times, grant proposals are declined, or the information submitted is incomplete. To ensure that you “make the cut” for your next grant submittal, read the foundations pointers on how to strengthen your proposal and make sure your program gets funded!
- Do Your Homework: Learn about the funder before submitting your proposal. Use the resources available (our website, literature) to you. Make sure that the funder supports your organizations mission.
- Follow Directions: Read the grant deadlines. Don’t leave anything out!
- Don’t Assume: The panel of judges viewing your application know nothing about your organization, your program, etc. Explain as if the person who is reading your application is not familiar with who you are and what you do.
- Meet Deadlines: Make sure that all materials are submitted by the specified deadline. If not, you will be disqualified.
- Make Narrative Clear: Information should be clear. Try to keep narratives as short as possible. Provide these three main points:
- Who is your target population?
- What is the problem/demonstrated need that you have identified for the target population? (If possible, include statistics, research data.)
- How will you assist in solving the problem?
- Appearance Matters:
- Proofread everything for typos, grammar and spelling errors.
- Do not use fonts smaller than 10-pt. (Many foundations specify specific font and margin sizes in their guidelines.)
- Try to keep margins at 1-inch.
- Use headings and paragraphs
- Make Goals Attainable: Make sure that the goals in your proposal are realistic. If your proposal says that you will provide services to 400 girls, you will be held accountable for 400 girls.
- Make Sure Your Budget is Realistic: Do not ask for more or less than you think you will need to ensure your program’s success. Try to determine your needs before you submit your proposal.
- Ask Questions: If you are unsure about anything, ask questions! It is better to be safe than sorry.
- Persevere: If at first you don’t succeed, try again. If your organizations grant proposal was not approved the first time, find out why, strengthen the weaker areas and try again!!
The foundation has given over $ 300,000 to several worthy applicants this year. After reading these tips, we hope that these will be beneficial to you. Good Luck!