Grant Proposal Writing 101

1. Grant Proposal Writing 101 Presented by Barbara Dunn for The Wythe-Bland Community Foundation May 22, 2008

2. Purpose & Objectives • This presentation will provide an overview of grant proposal writing to obtain funds for your nonprofit. • At the conclusion of this session, participants will: • Understand the relationship between program planning & proposal-writing • Describe the key components of proposal-writing • Understand specific guidelines for WBCF • Apply this information to their own nonprofit work

3. The Secret of Success • Do your homework…do your homework…do your homework • Understand the community need • Determine possible solutions • Find other partners • Plan your programs carefully • Research prospective funders • Develop relationships with funders • Produce a well-written proposal

4. Remember the basics of writing! • Double space, with 1 inch margins & standard font (Times Roman or Ariel) • Provide titles & subheadings • Avoid long sentences or paragraphs • For easier reading, make sure there’s enough “white space” on the page • Use page numbers! 10 Page Maximum!!!! • Credit sources of data or other information (retrieved from: http://www.xxxx.org) • Address the cover letter & envelope to the appropriate person

5. Program Planning Model (5-6 step)(based on Va. Dept. of Education, Planning for Results Manual, 2002)

6. Program Planning Process 1. Identify community or organizational needs 2. Develop goals to meet those needs • Achieving goals generates an impact on clients/the organization 3. Establish objectives to work toward goals • Meeting objectives produces outcomes for clients/the organization 4. Design structured activities that address established objectives • Implementing activities creates organizational processes 5. Evaluate the results & report your findings • Evaluating the results provides information needed to document success & improve performance

7. Making the Connections: Planning Framework • This framework helps make the connections among: Needs  Goals  Objectives  Activities • Activities are designed to achieve established objectives, which support goals that address identified needs. • In other words, there is an underlying theory of action or theory of changeandlogicthat is implicit (if not explicit) in the organization of activities.

8. Making the Connections: Planning Framework • These underlying assumptions are the theory (of action or change) behind the program activities & strategies. • When this underlying theory or conceptual framework is supported by research documenting its success and effectiveness (it works!), it may become a best practicemodel or evidence-based practice. • Resource for Theories of Behavior: National Cancer Institute (Sept. 2005). Theory at a Glance: A Guide for Health Promotion Practice. Washington, DC: NIH, DHHS. (http://www.nci.nih.gov/theory.pdf)

9. Making the Connections: Planning Framework • Another way to say this: The elements of program planning can be organized by describing the underlying assumptions on which the program is based—an if-then message of what is intended. • For example: If free immunizations are provided at convenient times & places, then parents are more likely to get their children fully immunized by age two.

10. First, the homework • Identify & document the need or problem—program staff & managers (community capacity & resource inventory) • Identify prospective funders related to the need identified (prospect research)—development staff & managers (corporations, foundations, public sources) • Determine your approach based on conversations with funders—development staff or managers (always make contact, unless prohibited)

11. Typical Grant Proposal Outline • Organizational Overview & Capacity • Problem Statement (needs assessment) • Goals & Objectives • Project Description (select interventions & develop implementation plan) • Project Budget • Evaluation Plan • Sustainability Plan

12. Proposal: Organizational Overview & Capacity • Very short history & mission statement • Brief description of programs, client population & geographic service area • Document your expertise related to this area of need/concern • Establish your credibility & match with WBCF or other funder’s interests • Program manager--biosketch

13. Step 1. Needs Assessment or Problem Statement Defining the Problem: • What is the problem? • How significant is it? • Who has the problem? • Why do those with the problem have it? (causes & determinants) • What are we going to do about it? (interventions: methods & strategies) • How will we know if what we do has the intended effect? (client/program outcomes) (Bartholomew & others, 2006; Green & Kreuter, 2005)

14. Step 1. NA Data Sources • Available Information • Periodic surveys (federal/state agencies) • Archival social indicators databases (re: proxy indicators) • Program evaluation literature • New Information • Key informants (experts, leaders, group involved) • Conduct surveys, focus groups, interviews

15. Step 1. Types of Assessment & Indicators Defining Terms • Rates: Allow data comparisons across different size groups • Example: # teen pregnancies in VA & Richmond • In 2005, rates per 1,000 females ages 10-19 years were: 26.5 in VA & 71.8 in Richmond • (Divide #pregnancies by #teens 10-19 years & multiple by 1,000: 934/13,000=.0718 x 1,000=71.8) • Ratios: Compare two numbers; can use fraction or % • Example: Nonmarital birth ratio—compares # live births per 1,000 unmarried women to total # live births • In 2005, US=37:100 or 37/100 (37%) VA=32:100 (32%) Richmond=61:100 (61%; 1,845 births) Emporia=79:100 (79%; 33 births)

16. Case Study: Youth Violence Prevention Problem Scope & Significance • Interpersonal violence is one of the most important issues facing our nation’s youth & is a major public health problem. • Homicides & suicides are the 2nd & 3rd leading causes of death for 10-24 year olds. • For African-American males, homicide is the leading cause of death for 10-24 year olds.

17. Case Study: Youth Violence Prevention Problem Scope & Significance • Three important indicators of violent behavior—arrest records, victimization data, and hospitalemergency room records—have shown significant downward trends nationally (since peak in 1993). • A fourth key indicator of violence—confidential reports by youths themselves—reveals that the proportion of young people who acknowledge having committed serious, potentially lethal acts of physical violence has remained level. • For every youth arrested in any given year, as many as 10 are engaged in some form of violent behavior. (Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2001)

18. Step 1. Needs Assessment or Problem Statement: Proposal • Brief statement summarizing the proposal’s purpose • What is the need or problem? • Who is the target population & in what geographic area? • Who else is addressing this problem? Will you work with those organizations? • Why should your organization try to meet this need/solve this problem?

19. Step 2. Define Goals & Objectives: Proposal Tasks • State long-term goal of the project (doesn’t have to be measurable or necessarily attainable) • State short-term & intermediate objectives (12-24 months: knowledge, attitudes, behavior) • Select important & changeable personal & environmental determinants (eg, risk & protective factors)

20. Step 2. Define Goals & Objectives • ABCDE Method: Who, what, to what degree & when: • Audience—the population/target audience for whom the desired outcome is intended • Behavior—what is to happen; a clear statement of the behavior change/result expected (outcome objective) • Condition—by when; the conditions under which measurements will be made--may be a timeframe or upon implementation of a specific intervention • Degree—by how much; the level of results expected (ie, target or benchmark), which often involves measuring change in comparison to a baseline • Evidence—as measured by; defines the method of measuring the change expected (specific instrument or criterion) (indicator; measure)

21. Step 2. Define Goals & Objectives • Objectives should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, & Time Sensitive • Example #1: In 12 months, there will be a 50% reduction in unintended pregnancies among 17-18 year old girls who live in Richmond City (& participate in the project). Realistic? Achievable? • Example #2: In 12 months, 75% of teen program participants will demonstrate increased knowledge about healthy sexual behavior, contraceptive practices & prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.

22. Chain of Outcomes(Innovation Network)

23. Step 3. Project Description: Proposal (Interventions & Implementation) Select Interventions/Programs: • What will you do?(project components: activities & outputs; interventions) • Why do you think it will work?(theory of change: research-based methods & strategies, best practice experience) Develop Implementation Plan: • How will you implement the project? (timetable, personnel, etc.) • How will you monitor implementation? (process evaluation)

24. Step 3. Project Description: Select Interventions Tasks: • Choose an evidence-based program or theoretical methods • Select or design practical strategies for applying the methods • Organize program components • Ensure that the final strategies match the change objectives (Bartholomew & others, 2006)

25. Step 3. Project Description: Select Interventions • Evidence-based interventions • Those programs that have been evaluated through scientific research & found effective in producing the results intended • Also known as science-based, research-based, and best practices • Programs are typically classified according to strength/consistency of the evidence as promising proven or effective or model.

26. Case Study: Youth ViolenceModels & Frameworks • Theoretical Model: A particular set of concepts (constructs) that are the basis of a specific theory of behavior (eg, social cognitive; health belief; theory of planned behavior) • Conceptual Framework: Away to organize & think about concepts related to a particular issue or problem. • Example: Risk & Protective FactorsUnifying framework used by the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP) & others to predict risk & probable behavior

27. Case Study: Youth ViolenceTheoretical Model:Social Ecology/Social Development Domains Community/Environment School/Peers Family Individual

28. Case Study: Youth Violence Prevention Summary Points: Risk & Protective Factors • Violence & other problem behaviors share similar risk factors • Those other problem behaviors include delinquency, school drop out, teen pregnancy, substance abuse, and certain mental disorders (eg, anxiety & depression) • There are also protective factors (also called assets) that may buffer the effects of risks • Effective programs or interventions should be designed to both reduce risk factors & enhance protective factors

29. Step 3. Project Description: Implementation Plan • Elements • What will be done? • To Whom? • By Whom? • When will they do it? • How will implementation be monitored? (results from this monitoring will be part of the project evaluation)

30. Step 3. Project Description: Implementation Plan Implementation Issues: “Systems trump programs…” Patrick McCarthy, Annie E. Casey Foundation, 2002 • Effective outcomes require botheffective intervention & effective implementation • That is, a program or strategy that works & a working program • Evaluation of both implementation processes& client-level outcomes is necessary

31. Step 4. Project Budget: Proposal • Clearly define all project-related income & expenses, including in-kind support • Understand WBCF’s typical grant size & specific budget requirements • Indicate the amount requested from the funder, other outstanding requests & funds already committed • Determine what you will do if you don’t receive this or other requested funding (contingency plans) • See sample budget forms, Handout pgs.1&2

32. Step 5. Evaluation Plan: Proposal • Describe how you will use the two major types of evaluation to determine program performance: • Implementation or Process Evaluation: Did you perform the services or activities as planned? Did you reach the intended target population? Did you reach the intended number of participants? Did it lead to the products you expected? How did the participants perceive these services and activities? • Outcomes Evaluation: Is your target audience experiencing the changes in knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, or awareness that you sought? What are the results of your work? What is it accomplishing among your target audience? Remember, your client-related project objectives are your outcomes. • Indicate the timetable for evaluation, how & by whom it will be done & when & how results will be reported • Differentiate between internal monitoring & reporting & what may be required by the funder • See the sample evaluation plan, Handout, pgs.4&5 (Innovation Network, Evaluation Plan Workbook, 2005)

33. Making the Connections, Logically(Innovation Network, Logic Model Workbook, 2005)

34. Making the Connections: Evaluation Framework (Innovation Network, Evaluation Plan Workbook, 2005) • Relationships between logic model & evaluation plans

35. Step 6. Sustainability Plan: Proposal Tasks • Describe how you will use results to examine program processes & outcomes • And, how you will make adjustments as needed to improve program performance • Discuss your Sustainability Plan: • Must be specific: what will you do & when? • Indicate when/to whom you will make requests • Can you share costs/resources with others? • Is there the potential for earned income? • Use results to develop proposals for additional funding

36. Thank You! • Barbara H. Dunn, PhD, RN • Consultant, Health & Human Services; Associate Professor & Acting Director, Community Nursing Organization, VCU School of Nursing • Email: bhdunn114@comcast.net • Phone #804-330-8906 (home office);