I
recently offered to review the grant proposal that an organization had
submitted by invitation to four different grantmakers and had been denied
funding by each of them. In speaking with the CEO prior to reading the
proposal, she eloquently described the problem and the project. I looked
forward to reading the proposal. Sadly, it went on and on but totally missed
the mark.
From
jargon that I couldn’t follow to never actually asking for funding, it wasn’t
hard to see why the grant proposal was denied. In addition to the missing an ask,
the proposal was also missing a clear, concise description of the problem and a
well-defined description of the solution (proposed project). When I arrived at
the end of the proposal, I had no idea what they were proposing to do, how much
it would cost, how long it would take, or what success would look like. I’m
sure that the grantmakers arrived at the same place. No funder, not even one
predisposed to their cause, could award a grant in response to that proposal.
Though
eloquent in presenting their cause verbally, the CEO’s ideas didn’t translate
on paper. When it comes to grants, you may never speak directly with the funder
so the ability to articulate the problem and solution in writing is critical. At
a minimum, your grant proposal should answer the following questions:
What
is the problem/opportunity?
Do
you have third party data to substantiate your claim that there is a problem/opportunity?
Who
will you serve?
How
will you serve them?
Where/When
will you serve them?
Who
will deliver the service(s)? What are their qualifications?
What
do you hope to achieve?
How
will you know you’ve achieved it? What does success look like?
How
much will this cost?
Keep
doing good and creating opportunities for people to do good with you!
Michelle
Nusum-Smith, an experienced nonprofit leader, consultant, coach and trainer, is
a self-proclaimed “Do-gooder who helps do-gooders to do good.” Michelle is the
owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a nonprofit consulting
company. She has nearly 20 years nonprofit experience, including program
development, financial management, fundraising (including grantwriting and
individual donor cultivation), human resource management, marketing and public
relations, board relations, and event planning.
www.thewordwomanllc.com •
info@thewordwomanllc.com • 240-215-4984
