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Grant Writing Café. CSUC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Gary Bess Associates. Gary Bess Associates We make your mission possible. Grant Writing – public and private agencies, including for-profits
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Grant Writing Café CSUC Office of Research and Sponsored Programs Gary Bess Associates
Grant Writing – public and private agencies, including for-profits Needs Assessments – service area & target population descriptions; primary & secondary data analysis Program Evaluation – quantitative & qualitative assessments Strategic Planning – facilitated planning retreats & plan development Nonprofit Management – governance, financial management & grants compliance Special Writing Projects – reports, studies, & document editing Services
Clients • Community Clinics and Health Centers • QueensCare Family Clinics, Los Angeles • The Children's Clinic, Long Beach • Homeless Services Providers • Weingart Center Association, Skid Row • Shepherd’s Gate, Livermore • Domestic Violence/Substance Abuse • Women’s and Children's Crisis Center, Whittier • PROTOTYPES, Culver City • The Villa, Santa Ana
Clients • Universities • Menlo College, Atherton • CSULA, Los Angeles • Evaluations • Tides Center, San Francisco • JWCH Institute, Los Angeles • Sonoma State University, Rohnert Park • Mendocino County Department of Health and Human Services, Ukiah
Overview • Review key elements of a proposal -- do's and don'ts • Suggest strategic considerations in shaping your proposal. • Provide examples of language that pertaining to proposal sections • Respond to your questions
. . . Noun an act of putting forward or stating something for consideration; something proposed; a plan presented for acceptance Proposal
A Proposal. . . • is a positive statement, using positive language • is not a proposal against anything • involves two parties – one party attempting to convince the other (exchange relationship)
Challenge in Proposal Writing Conceptualization
Functions of a Proposal • To present a program plan • To make a request • To make a promise • To persuade the reviewing party
Program Plan • Describe the specific program or project you intend to implement • Reflect a process of planning, design, cost calculations, resource alignment, and assessment/evaluation • Clearly indicate: • major activities to be carried out and • applicant's ability to organize and implement
Request • Request for specific resources, mostly monetary, but could include other things • Indicate the exact amount requested with specific line item expenditures, and a justification for the need of each major item • Clearly ties to program plan
Promise • Commits to funder that certain activities will occur during a specific time period at a specified cost • Represents an exchange between parties – each receives something in return • Recognition, research data, new models of practice, fulfillment of funder’s mission • Represents a binding agreement Be careful not to promise what you can't deliver!
Persuasion • Persuades funder to honor your request from among other worthy projects, and to partnerwith you • Shows a mastery of your knowledge of the problem and population you intended to serve, and your competency in planning and implementing the proposal plan
The Written Proposal • Be specific – what’s needed, planned & requested • Avoid weak terms (e.g. many, some, few) • Minimize local or professional jargon • Be positive (do not beg) • You are an applicant, not a supplicant!
The Written Proposal • Document with quotations, statistics, and other credible sources • Include agency studies & observations • Don't mention what you will do if you don't get funding • Create impression of success! • Respond to substantive specifications concerning format and content of RFP
The Written Proposal • Write in one voice • Avoid unsupported assumptions • Maintain focus on benefits to the target population, and not the organization or staff • Solutions flow from our understanding of the problem
A proposal is a step - by - step logical argument
Proposal Example Watts Healthcare Corporation Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) CSAT Minority AIDS initiative Project Narrative
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Organization History and Capabilities • Mission • History • Services • Target population • Cultural competence • Accolades and recognitions
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Statement of Need (description of the problem, service area, target population, prevalence) • Social Indicators (census, reports, surveys, GIS maps) • Rate under treatment (agency data; practice management systems) • Field study and expert opinion
Social Conditions and Social Problems • A social condition is an objective statement • A social problem is a subjective statement • Poverty-level income is an objective fact (30% of families of 4 have incomes < $21,800/year) – this is a social condition • It is a social problem when it is judged as negative, harmful, dangerous or unacceptable • The social problem is our interpretation of the condition – and this is what we propose to address
Conceptualize Your Target Population Service Area Population Problem
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Program Proposal (describes what you plan to do, how you plan to do it, and who will be doing it) • Venue – location, spatial arrangement, access, equipment • Staffing – qualifications, structure, training, FTEs • Intervention Model – evidence-based, practice-based, innovative, pilot, client-proposed
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Goals and Objectives • Goals are qualitative statements • To increase access to behavioral health services for low-income and linguistically isolated Latino immigrant patients with chronic diseases. • To ensure that every child entering kindergarten is ready to learn.
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Goals and Objectives continued • Objectives are quantitative statements • 3 types of objectives • Process objectives • Acquisitions • Developmental • Output objectives • Outcome objectives
The Logic Model Your Planned Work Your Intended Results Resources/ Inputs Activities / Process Outputs Short-term Outcomes Long-term Outcomes • Group meetings • Public events • Promotion of testing • Testing & counseling • Social marketing • 2,500 residents reached • 1,200 residents tested • Knowledge of test results • Assessment of lifestyles • Healthy lifestyle • HIV/AIDS free • Regular testing • Access to public housing sites • Outreach staff • HIV Rapid Testing services
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Evaluation • Aligned with objectives • Describes the process and resources for assessing each objective • Measurement tools (e.g., Beck Depression Index, PHQ-9) • Customized assessments (e.g., client satisfaction, self-reports on behavior) • Product completion (e.g., report or plan development, policy change)
Step-By-Step Logical Argument • Evaluation continued • Describe . . . • Frequency of data collection • Choice of instruments or reliance of data • Use of incentives to ensure client compliance • Staff training in data collection • Confidentiality • Documentation and Storage
Proposal Description • Sustainability • Plans for continued funding beyond the grant period • Complementary, supplemental, or replacement funding sources • Agency's historical ability to absorb new programs • New anticipated funding streams – e.g., PPP increase; MHSA • Patient fees offsetting portion of expenses
Financial Information • Program Budget • Restate proposal in financial terms • Be specific, don't round off numbers; show calculations • Be realistic: don’t over- or under-budget • Avoid miscellaneous funds • Show agency's contribution: actual cash and “in- kind,” including volunteers • Basic categories should include personnel, direct expenses, equipment, other expenses, & indirect (10%)
Financial Information • Personnel • FTE – percent of time on project • Personnel benefits – taxes and insurance as percentage of personnel • Direct expenses • Relate directly to proposed program/project • Equipment • Telephone, computers, etc. • Other expenses • Voice-mail/Fax, postage, media, etc.
THANK YOU!!! • Questions • Comments • Ideas