How To Write A Grant Proposal

PandaDocdefines a grant proposal as “a request for an investment in a non-profit or for-profit project”. It refers to funding sought by both businesses and non-profit organizations to carry out certain projects. These projects are often huge and tell a lot about the progress of the organization. It has become necessary to tap into this source of funding; grants. And one way to go about it is to write and send proposals.

Begin with a cover letter

While making applications for jobs, you are often asked to provide a cover letter. It is that brief statement of your potential and expectations from the job. This is exactly what you should write for your organization. While writing a grant proposal, start with a short introduction of yourself, your organization, and what you need. It is a direct address to whoever you are writing to. You can equate it to an abstract of an academic paper that tells everything, without saying so much about the paper to be read. Keep your cover letter as concise as possible, as it is what your funder will read before even contemplating reading the entire proposal.

Write an executive summary

Remember this from your business plan? That’s right. It is the summary of your business/organization, competition, market segment, project objectives, and the grant request.

Draft a problem statement

Every winning grant proposal has a strong problem statement. It is the reason for your grant request in the first place. For you to be seeking a grant, there must be a gap to fill or a problem you need to solve. This statement is to specifically discuss in detail, the goals and mission of your project. It should be a representation of the relevance of your project to society, your business/non-profit organization, and your funder. Use a tone of urgency to let your funder know that the project is better done immediately than later.

State your methods and strategies

Your grant proposal will not be complete if you just go ahead to state a problem and the objectives of your project. You will also need to state the strategies you will be putting in place to achieve those goals. Funders will want to know exactly how you plan to use the money to take care of the project. Here, you need to be detailed and break down your project design, your methods, strategies, and specific plans to achieve your goals. Your clarity at this stage will tell if you will utilize the grant properly or not.

Write an evaluation section

This is simply a section in your proposal where you will highlight your tracking process.

Highlight other funding sources

This section tests the sustainability of your project. No one will want to fund a project that will be short-lived, with little or no results to show. Instead, they want to know how long the project will last, and how much impact it will make. To achieve this, highlight other funding sources you have that can keep the project running if the grant is not enough or not forthcoming. It lets your funders know that you have a solid plan to push your project against all odds.

Write your budget

Recall that you must have given a hint as to how much you need in your cover letter. However, there will be a breakdown of your grant needs. You can’t just manufacture a figure in your head. You will need to run it through a detailed budget, outlining every single kobo or naira you will be spending and what they are needed for.

Seeking grants can be tasking, but if you know how to go about it, the less stressful it becomes. This article has outlined the process of writing a grant proposal, which you should put into practice right away and secure funding for your next big project.