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June 15, 2001
Deconstructing a Grant
Whether it's a few thousand dollars for a classroom program or several hundred thousand to design and implement a district-wide plan, grants are a wonderful source of money to fund your technology dreams. But competition can be tough. What are the keys to writing a winning proposal?
By Gwen Solomon
More and more, the art of grant writing is finding an integral place in today's educational institutions. If you've got a great idea for a project for your classroom, school, or district, but not the dollars to make it happen, a grant may be the answer.
And even though you may not actually win a grant, the process itself is a learning experience. The planning, research, and writing you put into this effort can serve to solidify your vision and long-term plan-not only for technology but also for change, community building, and school improvement. So even just applying for a grant is a winning proposition.
Presentation Is Key
Once you have developed your idea, and have searched and found a grant program whose purpose is closely aligned with your intended goals (see "Writing and Winning Grants: A Web Tour"), you are ready to begin crafting your proposal.
The most important thing to remember at this point is that closely following guidelines and directions is essential. You'll provide a lot of information, but the trick is to make it match the requirements. Your approach and presentation will make a big difference in the outcome. People just like you will read the proposal and decide if it's a winner, so the clearer you are, the better the reviewers will like what they read. Remember, they're looking for concepts that closely fit the grant program's goals and for people who can get the job done. Answer everything carefully, and be direct, specific, accurate, and clear.
Though some portions of any grant application will be tailored to its specific goals, most grants have several components in common. You'll include a title page, table of contents, personnel, signature pages, and more, plus appendices with related information. They're important, but spend most of your time and effort on the pages that contain the real substance: what you want to do; why you want to do it; how you'll get the job done; and what you need to make it happen. You will communicate that information in the following four sections: Executive Summary, Needs/Goals/Objectives, Narrative, and Budget.
Executive Summary
This summary is a clear and concise overview of your proposal. It provides very short but very clear excerpts of the answers you presented elsewhere. A grant reader can tell from this page just how precise your thinking is: your needs, goals, and objectives; your plan; how the funding will help you implement the plan; and who will do what to make sure you reach your target. Major secret: write this page last by extracting the most important details from what you've said in the other sections.
Needs/Goals/Objectives
You should demonstrate that the grant, should you win it, will help address the compelling needs of your district, school, or community. You must establish that your project's goals (overall purpose) and objectives (measurable targets) are aligned with meeting some very relevant contemporary needs, such as lack of technology accessibility in the community and/or classrooms, digital divide issues, work preparation for a high-unemployment area, or specific masteries as defined by tests. However, be sure to remain positive; it's better to explain how resourceful the staff has been in attempting to meet these needs even with limited resources than to complain about how little you have. Try to elicit admiration, not pity. Examples of inspiring goals are: creating equitable access to technology, providing career training, abolishing unemployment-related poverty, or raising test scores. Your objectives should identify how you will know your plan is working, such as a demonstrated increase in employment or employability, use of technology by those who didn't formerly have access, or higher test scores. There is often a page limit for this section, so make sure you define, describe, and demonstrate every key component of your plan succinctly.
Narrative
Your great idea sounds wonderful to you, but is it a plan that a grant reader could love? You've outlined the needs, identified the goals, and listed the measurable objectives. Now it's time to tell the story: prove that your idea will work and that it meets the purpose of the grant. Here you'll tell what you'll do, how you'll do it, where you'll do it, and who's going to do what. Show your plan for success, not just for the project but also in accomplishing the goals for which the grant was created. Provide all of the implementation details that show how your ideas will work. Include essential components: If teachers will do something, make sure professional development is included. If administrators will have to allow a diversion from the status quo, make sure you include their plan for (and commitment to) change. Let the grant readers know what impact you expect and how it will look: as a result of your plan (and their funding), how will your classroom, school, or district be changed for the better? And how will your project do just what the grant expects? Be specific, be detailed, and be convincing. Make it look like your idea would be a sure winner-if you could just get the grant.
Budget
More than just numbers, your budget reflects how successful your project could be. The first part of any budget specifically matches the various amounts requested to the personnel, purchases, or tasks that you've identified in your proposal as essential to success. Determine accurately how much each item will cost and then list each in an easy-to-read format. The second part is a budget narrative in which you justify the amounts and their intended purpose so the grant readers understand that each figure requested is necessary and not overstated. Many grants require other support or sometimes even matching funds. If so, be sure to get other funders committed to your plan early and include the amount each will contribute.
Grant at a Glance
Executive Summary
- Overview Statement: "We the people of this school, district, or community, in order to do project X,..."
- Short, clear excerpts from grant
- Tip: Write this page last.
Needs
- Detail the compelling needs of school, district, or community; why you should get funded to run this project
- Tip: This look at the needs of the school, district, or community should be so compelling that no one could resist funding the proposal.
Goals
- Tell about the important results this project will generate
- Tip: The project's goals show that the plan is clear, important to achieve, and will have a major impact.
Objectives
- Tell what you will measure and report on so everyone will know the project is hitting its targets
- Tip: Include clear benchmarks that will be used to evaluate success.
- Tip: Be sure needs, goals and objectives are clearly aligned.
Narrative
- The plan of action that leads to success: what you'll do; how you'll do it; where you'll do it; and who's going to do what
- Include details, specifics, and examples
- Tip: Make your idea look like a sure winner. The clarity of this section and compelling detail persuades the grant reader that this is an important idea to fund.
Budget
- Budget narrative clearly explains all listed items to show that every cent is required to guarantee success
- Tip: Itemize expenses in an easy-to-read format.
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