Grant proposal checklist handout

Presented by Staff of the Resourceful Communities Program
2013 Come to the Table Conference Series

Fall 2010
RCP/TCF CNEF TA Workshop

Grant Proposal Checklist

Write the proposal in your own language, from your heart. Remember that people
are reading this proposal and making a decision about whether to fund you. The
more you can communicate person-to-person, the better. Make it easy to
understand. Avoid complex or “academic” language and jargon that is unique to
your field.

1. Include an introduction with a brief description of your organization.
 How and when it got started.
 Who it serves and what it does.
 Significant accomplishments (briefly; put details in an appendix).
 How you are funded (details in appendix and budget).
 Why your organization is qualified to do this project.

2. Define the problem (sometimes this is called a needs statement).
 Briefly say what the problem is, but be specific. Use facts (statistics, if
you have them, instead of impressions).
 Geographic or social area to be served (you can include a map in
appendix).
 Number of people who need the program or service (you might have
to estimate or use census figures).
 Why existing services don’t or can’t meet the need. Show that you
know what services already exist and how you might work with these
services.
 Evidence that the community feels the need, wants the program and
has been involved in planning it. This might be show through a
survey, a list of requests for the program and/or reports of meetings to
plan the program.

3. State your goal(s). Explain what you want to accomplish. For example,
your goal might be to improve health care in your community. Your
objectives might be to set up a health clinic or educate the public or provide a
particular health service (see objectives -- #4).

4. Explain your objectives and activities – the methods that will help you reach
each goal
 Explain the specific things you are going to do to reach your goal.
Include how many people you expect to reach or serve with your
program and what changes you expect to bring about (be specific).

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 Explain why you chose this approach to tackle the problem.
 Explain why you think this approach will be effective.
 Describe where you’re going to do it.
 Explain how you’re going to reach the people who need the program.
 Explain how long it’s going to take.
 Describe who will be responsible for making sure the activities take
place and the objectives are met. Will new staff be needed why? How
will present staff be involved?
 Specify what supplies and materials you’ll need and what publications,
if any, you plan to produce.

5. Explain how you’ll evaluate your program - how you’re going to find out if
you’ve done what you set out to do. Evaluation comes in two parts:
 Outputs – activities, tasks, programs that you produce, see, count and
that occur in the short-term. Explain how you’re going to judge the
strengths and weaknesses of the program while it’s happening, so you
can correct mistakes. How will you get feedback from program
participants, staff, etc.? Explain who will receive this information and
who will decide what changes need to be made.
AND
 Outcomes – longer term results that cause a change in knowledge,
attitude, behavior, skill or condition. Explain how you and the funder
will know whether you did what you set out to do.

Some evaluation methods include surveys, interviews and tracking program
participation over time to gather feedback from program participants, staff, etc. to
measure success. Describe what information you will collect before, during and after
the program and explain who will gather and analyze this information. How will the
information be used to decide what changed and the impact the change made to
affect the problem you identified.

6. Include a budget for the project. Include all the resources you’ll need to cover
the activities and objectives described in the grant application. Include these
headings:
 Wages and salaries
 Fringe benefits (social security, health insurance, etc.) (This can be
figured as a % of wages and salaries.)
 Office space or rent costs, including utilities
 Equipment and equipment maintenance or rental service charges
 Supplies
 Travel
 Telephone costs
 Printing (copying)
 Insurance

Developed by Susan Sachs, MA, President & Principal, Starfire Consulting, Inc.
susan@starfireconsulting.org 919-493-4438
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Fall 2010

 Other (subscriptions, dues, consultants, staff development, etc.)

Be specific. Funders do not like to see a large “miscellaneous” category.
Include, in separate columns, funds that will be spent from the grant and
funding from other funding sources and “in kind”. Sometimes matching
funds are required. It is good to show the funder that you have multiple
sources of support.

Example:
Grant Request In Kind Total
Director at $1000/month
50% time X 12 months $5400 $5400
Fringe Benefits
social security 230
health insurance 400 630
Volunteer Bookkeeping Services
$5/hour at 100 hours$ 500 500
Donated Office Space
current market rental $2000 2000

7. Explain how you will secure future funding.
 Tell how the project will pay for itself after the grant money is spent.
(You don’t need to include this if it’s a one-time project.)

8. Include other material to support what you’ve said in the appendix.
 Letter from the IRS proving your 501©3 status.
 Your most recent auditor’s statement.
 List of board members, officers and staff.
 Job descriptions for staff who will be working on the program.
 Recent annual report, if you have one.
 Statistics, maps, newspaper clippings that support your statement
of need.
 Letters of support for the proposal.

9. Before you send it off, make copies of everything you have sent for your files.

10. The funder will usually request an end of the year report once the project is
finished.
When reporting on your grant, go back to your goal(s) and objectives and
compare what you’ve done with what you planned. Explain how you learned
from this experience and your future plans. Regardless of the funder’s
reporting requirements, provide this information. It builds good will for your
organization. If, during the year, you find you have to change your
program/budget in any significant way, get in touch with the funder and let

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them know what has changed. Remember, your goal is to be a good steward
of their money and they expect it to be spent for the reasons you laid out in
your grant proposal. Again, this builds good will and trust between you and
the funder.

11. If you are unsure about what to do, call and ask the funder. These requests
for help can build your relationship. Avoid multiple calls, but don’t hesitate
to ask for their help if it will strengthen your proposal.

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Grant proposal checklist handout

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