Effective Grant Writing

When you are looking to generate money for a project through obtaining a grant, there are ways to go about it that will make your proposal more effective giving you and your business a better chance of being awarded the grant.  If you follow a few simple steps you will give yourself an edge over your competition.

Know Your Proposal

Make sure that you clearly define what your program is and how it will benefit the community.  The foundations that award grants want to know where their money is going and how it will affect more than just your business.  You have to identify the correct grant funding organizations that will be interested in your project.  Going through all the work and submitting a proposal to a grant funding organization that is not interested in your project is a waste of your time and will cause unneeded delays in getting your project off the ground.

Know the Guidelines

Grant awarding organizations will have different guidelines depending on the amount of funding and type of project that they are interested in helping.  It is important for you to know these guidelines when submitting your proposal so you have a better chance of being awarded the money.  A grant awarding organizations guidelines cover topics like the format, margins, spacing, deadlines, and who to contact regarding the grant.

Clearly Define Your Project

When submitting a proposal you need to clearly define what it is you want to do.  You do this by explaining the goals and objectives of the project.  When describing goals you do not have to be too specific, however when you describe the projects objectives they must be clear, realistic, measurable, and precise.  Having a well-developed time line will show prospective funders of your project that you have done you homework and are on top of your project.

Know the Budget

A critical part of clearly defining your proposal is including a detailed budget.  You should be able to show that your project will be able to be completed with the budget that you have outlined.  Your budget should include any funding that you have received from other grant awarding organizations.  Some grant organizations have their own paperwork that they want filled out when it comes to budgets.  If this occurs with your project make sure that you fill out the request paperwork to the best of your ability.

Include All Relevant Information

It is important for grant awarding organizations to know the people who are in charge of the project.  To do this include the resumes of people who are overseeing the project along with the key employees who are doing the actual hands-on work.  Give a list of references of people who can attest to your ability to get work done on time and on budget.  If you have completed other projects through outside funding be sure to describe them and how they benefited the community.

By following a few easy steps your grant proposal will have a better chance of winning and your project will get underway just by submitting an effective and detailed plan.