How to Write a Great Grant Proposal

GrantGrant Writing Workshop Writing Workshop

Sharon Kugelmass, Ph.D.

Mecklenburg County Finance Department

Grants Development Coordinator

Sharon.Kugelmass@meckgov.org

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Q. What is a grant?• A legal way to spend

someone else’s money.

• A chance to do good.

• A legal way to spend someone else’s money to do good.

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Q. How do you get them?

• Research

• Prepare

• Write

• Try again!

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Where to Research?

• CFDA

• Federal Register

• Official NC Website

• Foundation Center

• Guidestar

• Duke Endowment

• Annual Reports

• Tax Returns

• Program Officers

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Prepare...What do you need?

• Annual Budget• Recent Audit• Organization Chart• Board of Directors

Have these updated

• Marketing Tools• MOU/MOA’s• Resumes• Standard Forms

and ready to go!

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Know Your Business

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Know Your Audience

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Follow the rules

Follow the guidelines -- to the letter!

• Very detailed and specific.

• Take your time.• Plan and do it right.

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A typical grant application

Application Form

Executive Summary

Proposal

Attachments

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The Proposal... Tells the story.• The Problem• The “Solution” --

Innovative Idea• Why important?• The Plan• The Budget• Evaluation• Sustain/Finance.

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Tips Innovation Parallelism

Collaboration Cost Benefits

Replication Outside Reader

Follow Directions Impact and Context

K I S S

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Must Haves

Innovation

Authority

Results