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Grants: Finding and Writing Successful Proposals: Grant Application Process

A supplement to the program presented at the 2014 Annual Conference of the New Jersey Association of School Librarians , and the 2014 New Jersey Library Association Annual Conference.

Parts of the Grant Proposal

A Proposal usually consists of:
 
–Cover Letter
–Forms & Abstract
–Narrative, usually includes:
  • Background & credibility
  • Goals/objectives
  • Activities
  • Personnel
  • Evaluation
  • Future activities  
  • Budget, details and summary
–Attachments, may include:
  • Resumes
  • tax status
  • examples

--Funders will usually tell you what they want

Writing the Grant Proposal

Tips for a good proposal

–Read the guidelines 3 times. Like a good book, you will keep seeing things you missed
–Pay attention to what the funder wants you to tell them, how they want it organized, and how they want it submitted
–Give yourself enough time to plan, write, have someone else read your draft, re-write and submit
–Proposals are a team sport: don’t try to do it on your own

Tips for Writing a Bad Proposal

Tips for a bad proposal
–Don’t worry about what the sponsor wants to support.  They will fund whatever you need
–Don’t worry about what you tell them, or if the proposal is in the format they want, they are happy just to receive anything
–Don’t worry about editing and good writing, speling and using the write words don’t say any thing about u.
–Don’t worry about getting it in on time. Deadline are just really just target dates

If No Guidelines Available

When the funding source doesn't have guidelines include the following:
 
Cover Letter
Narrative
  • Background (Why do you need funds? Who will benefit?)
  • Goals/objectives (What will you do with funds?)
  • Activities (How will you do it?)
  • Personnel (Who will do it?)
  • Evaluation (How will you know you’ve met your goals?)
  • Budget (How much do you need? How will you spend it?)