Tips and Guidelines for Writing
What we do is "write proposals"
(a.k.a "Grantseeking")
(Grants and development professionals eschew the labels "grantwriter" and "grant-writing")
" Proposal writing is not a group activity. It is best done by a single writer gathering input from various sources. If different people are writing different sections of the proposal, one team member should be designated as the "editor," with responsibility for consistency.” For more information go to http://www.seliger.com
Elements of a Grant Proposal (click to review)
Proposals are usually prepared in response to a request by the grantor (a.k.a. RFP, RFA, SGA, NOFA, etc).- they may be as simple as a 3-page "letter of inquiry" to a foundation, or as complex as a 200 page tome for a multi-year Federal grant. Most Federal grants are now submitted electronically (a.k.a. e-Grants), and are typically confined to 50-70 pages of narrative.
Grantmaking is big business, resulting in Billions of $$$ paid every year for the purpose of accomplishing the specific goals and objectives of the grantor through the work of other people and organizations. (over $34 Billion was awarded in private foundation grants alone in 2007)
Because it is such a big business, and because reading grant proposals is hugely time consuming, and thus costly, many grantors have published guides to confine unbridled enthusiasm and gushing prose on the part of 'wannabe grant getters'.
(fwiw: ... short, comprehensive proposals are much harder to write ...)
Writer's RESOURCES:
In the Gavilan Library:
Here are some good, free, learning resources on the web: (links underlined)
Write So Your Proposal is Funded ( From TechLearning )
Grantwriting Glossary of Terms
Tips on How to Write a Proposal
Grants.gov "SUCCEED" Newsletter
Network with Other Grants Professionals
CRD - The AACC Council for Resource Development
(CRD and its ListServ for Members is strictly for Community College folk)
TGCI is the best invest you can make in yourself if you really want to be a Grants Professional
Write to Be Scanned (this is really important!)
General Writing Tips
Grantmaking at ED -- Applying for a Grant (US Dept of Education)
CIPA online Proposal writing workshop
CFDA Developing and Writing Proposals
UMass Proposal Writing and Research Development
Top 10 Online Resources for Grantwriters
CPB Grant Proposal Writing Tips
The CASE Index - a browsable library of practices and e-media resources.
NSF - (National Science Foundation) Grant Proposal Guide GPG-2010
NSF proposal tips (pdf download)
NSF - Drafting a Successful Proposal (Community College Times article)
Budgeting
Proposal Budgeting Sample Checklists
Project Evaluation
Evaluation Toolkit.org (guidelines and video instructions)
Measuring Performance Outcomes
The NSF 2002 User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation
What is a Logic Model? (pdf)
AEA Guiding Principles for Evaluators
Guiding Principles (pdf)
Reporting the Results of Your Study
Online Evaluation Resource Library
American Evaluation Association
Learn more about Grants by serving as a grant proposal Reader
California Community Colleges - Reader Application
U.S. Dept. of Education - Field Reader Application
please report broken links - click HERE
this page last updated 2010-10-02