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Grant Writing Sub Categories |
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Writing a grant proposal is similar to writing a business plan. Writing a grant proposal requires good writing skills as well as good problem solving skills. There are 12 key components to writing a grant proposal:
• Mission Statement
• History of Organization
• Organization Information
• Problem/Need Statement
• Program Plan
• Table of Goals and Objectives
• Evaluation
• Project Budget/Operating Budget
• Financial Audit/990
• List of Board of Directors
• Copy of 501(c)(3) status
• Letters of Collaboration
The most important component for writing a grant proposal is the problem statement. The problem statement is the foundation of a good grant proposal. The problem statement sets the stage for the rest of the grant proposal and all else is based on how well you address the needs described in the problem statement. According to HUD, 50% of people writing a grant proposal to their agency do not write good problem statements. While it seems like a simple thing to do, most people try to place the solution into the problem statement. The following example demonstrates the difference between a correct and incorrect problem statement:
Incorrect
“The ABC Charter School needs to hire a safety officer to police and protect its students.”
Correct
“Over the past year there has been a rapid increase in crime and violence toward students at the ABC Charter School.”
The problem statement needs to describe why you need a safety officer. The hiring of a safety officer is part of the solution to the problem – not the problem. It is a very common error for people to put “the cart before the horse” when writing a grant proposal. Over the past twelve months U.S.G.G. Government Grants has trained 1,000 individuals on winning strategies for writing a grant proposal. During the two-day Grant Writing Workshop students have the opportunity to practice developing good problem statements.
Nine times out of ten, students write their first class problem statements wrong. During the course of the two-day workshop, the trainer works with participants both individually and in groups to insure a clear understanding of the importance of the problem statement and how to do it right in future proposals.
There are actually four components to a good problem statement: the statement – short and to the point), data verification that the problem exists, identification of data sources, and a human interest story. You need to build a case to prove that it is a problem and get the reader to feel the pain of the problem.
To learn more successful strategies for writing a grant proposal plan to attend a U.S.G.G. Grant Writing Workshop. Past participants rave, “these workshops are the best.” Cindy R., a recent participant in our Sacramento workshop said, “I once attended a five day Grant Writing Workshop and walked away still not knowing much about writing a grant proposal. But in just two days with Beverly Santicola, I know how to do it well. I am confident my success rate will increase rapidly as a result of this training.”
For more information on locations of U.S.G.G. Grant Writing Workshops go to the Workshop Schedule. If a city near you is not listed contact us and perhaps we can schedule a future workshop in your area. To contact us send e-mail to info@us-government-grants.net or call 1-866-843-3493.
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Grant Writing Sub Categories |
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