The Basics in Grant Writing

Eligibility

The very first thing that needs to be determined when considering applying for a grant is if the College is an eligible entity. Potential PIs must take time to review the Solicitation for Grant Award (SGA) announcement to ensure that the College/Campus is specifically indicated as an eligible entity to apply.  Other determining factors to consider before writing a proposal or completing any form are whether:

1. there is a good fit between the goals and objectives of the proposed project with what's stated in the SGA and the College Plan;
2. the required match (if any) of that specific SGA is supported by the college/campus leadership and that resources are available to meet such requirement.

Proposal Development Timeline

After assessing the College and program eligibility, the project initiator should note the submittal deadline. Based on the deadline date, a proposal development timeline should be created to help identify, organize and prioritize tasks, forms and approvals that need to be completed, the timeframe for specific activities, and the responsible person. The complete timeline helps ensure that the proposal will be submitted on time.

Be sure to determine whether this grant cycle is an ongoing scheduled event or if it is a one-time opportunity. This will help your proposal and timeline development, and will help you decide whether to pursue the opportunity this round or at the next round of the SGA.

Time assessment needs to be carefully measured. If there is not sufficient time to develop a well-written, complete and competitive package for the grantor, then the proposal writer should consider pursuing another source of funds or preparing for the next funding cycle for the chosen grantor.

The proposal developer needs to be able to answer at least three questions before deciding whether or not to proceed with proposal development:

1. Is there sufficient time to develop the proposal?
2. Is there sufficient support to get required signatures?
3. Is there sufficient time to develop necessary partnerships?

If the answer to these questions is affirmative, the proposal developer should contact their grants development representative immediately to let them know of your intent to apply for the grant.

The proposal developer needs to develop an earnest timeline that includes:

• every task and element necessary to complete the proposal with sufficient time before the deadline to undergo internal review
• document development in support of statements made addressing the criteria,
• narrative development with time for outside editing,
• relationship development with third parties/project partners where necessary and
• time to address input and required changes by internal reviewers.

It is imperative that the proposal developer take time up-front to actually plan each task and event, and place it on a real timeline that takes the proposal development from initiation to the submittal date.

Project Concept, Goals, Objectives and Outcomes

Once Eligibility determinations listed above are met and the Proposal Development Timeline is completed, the Project Concept Author should do the following:

1. Get the PCA approval form (available on Forms page) completion in motion (see Grants Application Process).
2. While your PCA is going through the approval process, familiarize yourself with the SGA's evaluation criteria. Evaluation criteria are key to understanding and developing activities that meets the requirement of the proposal.
3. Design and write the program to specifically respond and meet the SGA's evaluation criteria.
4. Define an overarching goal of the proposed program and develop objectives that meet the goal of the program.
5. Develop tasks with deliverables or outcomes (tangible and/or intangible, but definitely measurable) to accomplish the project's stated objectives;
6. Develop a detailed description on how the program can be replicated when grant funds end, or how it is applicable to other institutions - providing a secondary and tertiary benefit that could be gained when grant dollars and/or program ends is another way to address this issue. Grantors are looking for projects to fund. If funds are sought as something just to "buy time", or to establish something that shall require grant-funded support in perpetuity, then the application is not a likely candidate for funding.
7. Develop a budget that supports all of the program activities in detail. It is highly recommended to always breakdown your costs into units and cost per unit. An accompanying written explanation of how the cost was arrived and why the expense is necessary for the program are also very important as a narrative justification to your program budget.

A good understanding of a grantor's area of interest requires thorough reading of the grant announcement, the grant application kit and even the forms they provide. Internet research can be helpful. Also consider investigating the legislation that provides the funds for your area of interest. Frequently this is helpful because it can provide insight as to what the funding agency needs to report to Congress.

Once it is clear what the agency needs to justify its award, the grant writer has a clearer idea of the types of projects that will justify the grantor awarding their grant to you.  It is wise to investigate others who have successfully acquired funds from the same source. Lists of successful applicants are frequently available on the web, but the corresponding application materials are not. GOSC sometimes has some information on materials of successful application please check with us for a sample that we may have available.