Note that drafting a convincing project proposal takes time and thought. Raising funds is like finding investors for a business. You will have to be very persistent and patient. Practitioners estimate that even in experienced institutions the ratio of positive project proposals is 10 %. That means that out of 10 proposals only one is finally funded by a donor.
The cost for writing proposals, especially staff time, is fixed cost and therefore needs to be paid out of the overall price charged for your services or products.
The project proposal or documentation will in most cases be adapted to the donor organisation’s requirements and/or the subject of donation itself. Still, there are some general truths and guidelines that everyone who writes project proposals should consider. Note, that you always need to research and respect the requirements of the potential donor organisation.
1) Set the objective and purpose of what you want to achieve/receive from the donor
2) Remember that donors are like clients: use simple and concise language, tailor the messages to their objectives and needs, don’t use internal or technical jargon and abbreviations (at least define them), structure your explanations (use hierarchies of objectives, time phases, etc.), if possible layout the proposal in a clear way, use graphs and tables for illustration purposes
Basic components of a typical project proposal
The following elements of a typical project proposal are cited from FundersOnline (www.fundersonline.org/grantseekers/proposal_basics.html
: Try The Foundation Centre’s free online courses on proposal writing and researching donors: Foundation Centre
· Cover Letter
The cover letter summarises the support requested, the purpose and goals of the project/programme and how it fits the donor’s objectives and guidelines. The cover letter also states the main programme features: budget, time plan, key players, other co-funding sources
· Title Page and Table of Contents
Give the title and sub-title of the programme/project, the name, logo and address of your institution, the date and maybe a confidentiality remark. The table of contents provides a simple overview of the headers and sub-headers of the project proposal with reference to the page numbers.
· Executive Summary
The executive summary provides all key points from the proposal (like in your business plan): name of the institution, name of the project/programme, needs assessment (why do we want to do the project), brief project description (goals & objectives, beneficiaries, time plan, staffing & expertise) project budget and funding needs. Include information on resources and networks available to your institution as well as any certifications, awards, public recognition, etc.
· Project Proposal Document
Needs assessment
Like in your business plan describe what has been done to identify the need, define the current situation and the identified need (use facts and examples to undermine your arguments).
Goals & objectives
The goals & objectives refer to the question “where do you want to be in x time?”. Remember that goals refer to strategic and ideal situations and objectives are measurable and tangible outcomes that should be achieved within a specified period of time.
Project description
What needs to be done to achieve the goals and objectives? Describe the project and its sub-activities, describe how it will be done and attach the work plan (who does what when).
Evaluation (if applicable)
Describe how you are going to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the project. Which indicators and data will you use, how will the information be collected and analysed.
Project Reporting
Which reports will be delivered to the donor organisation? At what interval? Attach sample spread-sheets to explain the monitoring of financial flows and any financial statements that you may want to produce.
Project Budget
You will have to read the donor’s instructions carefully regarding the expenses that are eligible for the scheme/donation. You might have to adapt your project budget template in order to comply with these special requirements. Some donors for example do not pay for general overhead, others exclude any travel cost or costs for independent contractors, etc.
Use a suitable budget template (e.g., from donor, from this guide, from one of the Web sites stated above, etc.) to elaborate the forecast of all project expenses and income. Do not forget to summarise your assumptions that are the basis for the budget.
Funding Needs
Describe the support and financial resources you will need in order to realise or continue the project. How will the gap between income and expenses be filled (one or more donors)? Explain if and how you plan to achieve sustainability with the project activities.
· Appendices
Many donors will ask you to attach the CV’s and/or references of the people that will work in the project.
Attach your latest annual report, any statistics and other material that is referred to in the project proposal, references and letters of support, certificates or awards, etc.
Review and assess your project proposals with the help of GrantSAT, the Grant Proposal Self Assessment Tool.
Source: Carlsbad Area Office of the U.S. Department of Energy
Example ITC Memorandum of Understanding on Grant for a professional Association